What Connect Communities by OneTrust does

Connect Communities by OneTrust is a community-led platform operated by OneTrust LLC that unites privacy, legal, compliance, and AI governance professionals worldwide through free educational events and peer networking. The platform offers in-person ConnectED chapter events across 25+ countries and virtual webinars covering regulatory frameworks including GDPR, EU AI Act, NIS2, DORA, and the Data Act. Events provide IAPP Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits at no cost to attendees, with registration managed through Cvent. The platform is supported by a network of 73 chapter chairs who organize local programming, and has connected 10,000+ privacy professionals globally while hosting 80+ events annually.

Connect Communities is not a standalone software product but rather a marketing and demand-generation asset within OneTrust's broader ecosystem of privacy, data governance, AI governance, and third-party risk solutions. The platform serves as a community-led go-to-market mechanism, building relationships with potential enterprise software buyers among privacy officers, data protection officers, lawyers, and compliance professionals. Its core offerings include the Connect Communities platform itself, the ConnectED event format, and the Chapter Chair Program. All events are offered free of charge, positioning the initiative as a brand-building and lead-generation investment rather than a revenue-generating business.

The business model is indirect: the platform generates no direct revenue, instead functioning as a top-of-funnel channel that supports OneTrust's commercial software sales through thought leadership, brand authority, and relationship building with privacy professionals who are likely buyers or influencers of enterprise privacy technology purchases. Previously known as PrivacyConnect, the initiative was rebranded to Connect Communities by OneTrust to align with the parent company's identity. The platform serves a horizontal segmentation strategy targeting privacy professionals across industries and geographies, with no disclosed paying customers for the community platform itself.

Name

Connect Communities by OneTrust

Legal name

OneTrust LLC

Website

https://connect.onetrust.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Connect Communities by OneTrust is a free global community platform that connects 10,000+ privacy, legal, and AI governance professionals through in-person chapter events and virtual webinars, offering IAPP CPE credits and educational content on regulations like GDPR, EU AI Act, and NIS2.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Community Platform (Indirect Revenue): Connect Communities is a free community platform operated by OneTrust to build relationships with privacy professionals. It indirectly supports OneTrust's revenue by generating leads and brand awareness for OneTrust's privacy and data governance software solutions. The community platform positions OneTrust as a thought leader in the privacy space while creating networking opportunities that connect potential customers with the company's ecosystem.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Connect Communities by OneTrust is a free global community platform that brings privacy, security, legal, and AI-governance professionals together through in-person ConnectED chapter events and virtual webinars covering regulatory frameworks such as GDPR, the EU AI Act, NIS2, DORA, and the Data Act. The platform offers IAPP CPE credits, peer networking, and educational content delivered via local chapters and global virtual sessions, operating as a community-led engagement layer for OneTrust LLC's enterprise privacy software business.

Product overview

Connect Communities by OneTrust is a community platform providing free events, workshops, and networking opportunities for privacy and security professionals worldwide. The offering consists of the core Connect Communities platform, ConnectED event formats (both in-person and virtual), and a Chapter Chair Program where local leaders organize regional chapters. The platform enables professionals to earn IAPP CPE credits while learning about regulatory frameworks including GDPR, EU AI Act, NIS2, Data Act, DORA, and other privacy and AI governance topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Connect Communities by OneTrust A free global community platform that unites privacy, security, legal, and AI-governance professionals through in-person and virtual events, workshops, and networking opportunities covering GDPR, EU AI Act, NIS2, DORA, the Data Act, and other privacy frameworks.
• ConnectED Events An event format offering free in-person chapter events and virtual webinars featuring panel discussions, expert presentations, and networking sessions on privacy, AI governance, and compliance topics, with IAPP CPE credits awarded to attendees.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80+ events hosted annually across multiple regions
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ISACA: ISACA is a global membership association for IT governance, risk, audit, and security professionals, offering certifications (CISA, CISM, CRISC, CGEIT), local chapters, and educational events. It serves an adjacent but overlapping audience to Connect Communities with a comparable community-driven engagement model.
• ASIS International: ASIS International is a global membership organization for security management professionals offering certifications (CPP, PSP, PCI), local chapters, and educational events. It is a structural analog to Connect Communities in serving a professional compliance/security audience with events and education.
• IAPP (International Association of Privacy Professionals): IAPP is the recognized global membership organization for privacy professionals, offering certifications (CIPP, CIPM, CIPT), CPE credits, and flagship events like the Global Privacy Summit. Connect Communities operates in direct competition for the same audience of privacy professionals seeking education, networking, and CPE credit accumulation.
• (ISC)²: (ISC)² is the global membership organization for cybersecurity professionals, providing certifications (CISSP, CCSP), chapters, and events worldwide. It operates a comparable professional-community model targeting security and privacy practitioners, directly relevant to Connect Communities' audience.

Emerging players

• TrustArc: TrustArc is a privacy management software platform and OneTrust competitor. It offers compliance resources, webinars, and customer programs aimed at privacy professionals, providing an alternative engagement channel for the same target audience Connect Communities serves.
• Securiti: Securiti is a privacy and data governance software platform and direct OneTrust competitor. While not operating a comparable community platform today, Securiti could easily launch an equivalent free community program targeting the same privacy professional audience, posing a competitive risk to Connect Communities.
• BigID: BigID is a data intelligence and privacy management software vendor competing with OneTrust. It runs customer education events and content programs targeted at privacy and data governance professionals, partially overlapping with Connect Communities' audience and educational mission.

Others

• Infosecurity Group (Informa): Infosecurity Group operates major global security and privacy events (Infosecurity Europe, Infosecurity North America) and publications. It is a thematically adjacent events/education platform serving overlapping enterprise security and privacy audiences, though as a commercial event operator rather than a free professional community.
• DataGuidance (OneTrust): DataGuidance is a privacy regulatory intelligence platform owned by OneTrust, the same parent company as Connect Communities. It provides regulatory tracking and research and is a sibling asset within OneTrust's broader privacy ecosystem rather than a direct competitor, but serves overlapping audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Gartner: Gartner is a broad incumbent in enterprise research and advisory, including in privacy, security, and AI governance. While not a membership community, its research, conferences (Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit), and analyst engagement serve the same enterprise decision-maker audience that Connect Communities targets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/onetrust-connectcommunities

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Connect Communities by OneTrust