difgl - Deutsches Institut für Gutes Leben

What difgl - Deutsches Institut für Gutes Leben does

difgl – Deutsches Institut für Gutes Leben is a Berlin-based private GmbH (Geschäftsführer: Christoph Henseler and Katja Anclam) operating as a research and consulting institute at the intersection of technological change and societal development. Founded in 2021 as a spin-off from TU Berlin, the institute combines academic research, strategic consulting, and communication work for cultural institutions, public bodies, trade associations, and civic organizations. Its service portfolio is organized around named project initiatives rather than a unified product: Kunst.Kultur.KI delivers AI literacy workshops for theaters, museums, editorial offices, and cultural institutions; DIANA-T is a federally funded research project with TMB Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg and Fraunhofer FIT developing data-driven tourism and mobility prototypes; MUSEK supports exiled musicians and cultural workers integrating into Berlin's cultural landscape; Urban Voices on Democracy provides a Berlin-London comparative dialogue on urban democracy; and the LondonBerlinDemocracy podcast serves as both a thought-leadership vehicle and a demand-generation channel. Rather than building software, difgl monetizes through participation in publicly funded research consortia (EU Horizon, Bundesministerium für Forschung) and project-based consulting engagements with institutional clients.

The institute's revenue model is grant- and consulting-led, with no consumer-facing pricing or SaaS products. Distribution is direct: consortium participation for research projects and direct project agreements for consulting. The customer base is concentrated in public-sector and association clients (Handwerkskammer Berlin, TMB Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg, Berliner Landeszentrale für politische Bildung, Fraunhofer FIT, Gut Boltenhof, King's College London). Marketing relies on content production (podcast, news posts), public events (e.g., Amerika Haus Berlin), and a presence on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and MailChimp newsletters. No external investors, parent company, or PE/VC ownership are disclosed; ownership remains with the two managing directors, and the headcount stands at 7 employees across its Berlin offices.

Name

difgl - Deutsches Institut für Gutes Leben

Legal name

Deutsches Institut für Gutes Leben GmbH

Website

https://difgl.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

difgl is a Berlin-based research and consulting institute (TU Berlin spin-off) that advises cultural institutions, public bodies, and trade associations on the societal implications of technology and AI through grant-funded research, consulting, and AI literacy programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Project Funding: difgl participates in publicly funded research projects (EU Horizon, Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie) as a consortium partner, generating revenue through project grants.
2. Consulting and Advisory Services: The institute supports organizations in understanding complex technological and societal developments, strategizing, and communicating effectively. Revenue is generated through consulting engagements with public and private sector clients.
3. Podcast and Media Production: Self-produced podcast series (LondonBerlinDemocracy) that generates engagement and visibility; contributes to the institute's thought leadership and demand generation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

difgl delivers research, consulting, and communication services for organizations navigating technological and societal change. Its offerings include publicly funded research projects (EU Horizon G-EPIC, DIANA-T), sector-specific AI-literacy workshops and trainings for the cultural and creative industries (Kunst.Kultur.KI), a fellowship program on music and exile (MUSEK), urban democracy research (Urban Voices on Democracy), and a self-produced civic podcast (LondonBerlinDemocracy). Clients are typically cultural institutions, chambers of trades, tourism boards, and political education bodies in Germany and the UK.

Product overview

difgl – Deutsches Institut für Gutes Leben is a research and consulting institute (spin-off from TU Berlin) that operates at the intersection of technological change and societal development. Rather than offering a unified software product, the organization delivers its mission through multiple interconnected project initiatives and service offerings: research projects (Kunst.Kultur.KI, DIANA-T, MUSEK, Urban Voices on Democracy), communication formats (the LondonBerlinDemocracy podcast), workshops and training programs, and consulting services. The organization combines research, consulting, and communication to support organizations in understanding, strategically shaping, and effectively communicating complex technological and societal developments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kunst.Kultur.KI A project initiative that strengthens future competencies at the intersection of art, culture, and science by providing workshops, training, and impulse formats that teach practical knowledge about AI literacy, tools, and technology use tailored for the culture and media sector; co-developed with collectives, cultural institutions, and journalistic initiatives.
• LondonBerlinDemocracy – Podcast on Democracy, Society and the Good Life An independent podcast production examining how democratic processes shape quality of life in society, exploring climate policy, social justice, urban resilience, and digital citizen participation through the lens of Berlin and London as European metropolises. Distributed on Spotify and Podigee and tied to public events at Amerika Haus Berlin.
• MUSEK (Music, Exile and Cultural Dialogue) A fellowship program focused on music, exile, and cultural dialogue that supports professional artists and cultural workers who had to leave their home countries due to political circumstances, promoting their professional integration into Berlin's cultural landscape; funded under the Weltoffenes Berlin program.
• DIANA-T (Digital Services, Data Integration and Data Autonomy for a More Sustainable Tourism Industry) A research project funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space Travel that develops digital services, data integration, and data autonomy solutions for a more sustainable tourism industry; includes a Mobility Hub prototype for Brandenburg in collaboration with TMB Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg, Gut Boltenhof, and Fraunhofer FIT.
• Urban Voices on Democracy – Berlin x London im Dialog A project creating an international discussion space on central questions of urban democracy, examining how cities can strengthen democracy through education, housing, and citizen participation, comparing Berlin and London as partner cities; connected to the EU Horizon G-EPIC research program and the LondonBerlinDemocracy event series.

Quantifiable outcome

• Kunst.Kultur.KI project delivered workshops, trainings, and impulse formats to cultural institutions and media organizations across Germany.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TMB Tourismus-Marketing BrandenburgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partnerdifgl collaborates with TMB Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg in the DIANA-T research project (Digitale Leistungen, Datenintegration und Datenautonomie für eine nachhaltigere Tourismusbranche), funded by the German Federal Ministry for Research. The collaboration focuses on developing data-based solutions for sustainable tourism, including a Mobility Hub prototype for Brandenburg.
• Gut BoltenhofminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the DIANA-T project working with difgl and TMB to test and develop a Mobility Hub for digital mobility services in the Brandenburg tourism context.
• Fraunhofer FITcoreTechnology or IntegrationFraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology (FIT) is a key technology partner in the DIANA-T consortium, providing technical expertise for building the digital infrastructure underlying the Mobility Hub prototype.
• Handwerkskammer BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Berlin Chamber of Trades (Handwerkskammer Berlin) partnered with difgl on a two-part workshop series exploring AI opportunities and practical applications in the crafts sector, with difgl's managing director Katja Anclam co-facilitating alongside Handwerkskammer representatives.
• Berliner Landeszentrale für politische BildungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Berlin State Centre for Political Education (Berliner Landeszentrale für politische Bildung) is the host of the LondonBerlinDemocracy event series at Amerika Haus Berlin, with difgl contributing as a cooperation partner. The event series addresses urban challenges such as housing and democratic participation through a Berlin-London comparative lens.
• Amerika Haus BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue and institutional partner for the LondonBerlinDemocracy event series. Amerika Haus Berlin provides the physical platform for dialogues on urban democracy and societal challenges.
• King's College LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing expert speakers to the LondonBerlinDemocracy series; Dr. Tim White (King's College London) participated as a speaker on the Berlin housing crisis dialogue.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Bitkom: Germany's leading digital industry association, providing consulting, training, and policy advocacy on digital transformation. Comparable to difgl's digital-skills workshops for trade associations (Handwerkskammer Berlin), but at association scale.

Direct peers

• Zebralog: Germany-based consultancy specializing in digital participation, e-democracy, and civic-tech tools for public-sector clients. Highly comparable to difgl's urban democracy and civic-participation work with Berliner Landeszentrale and TMB.
• Stiftung Neue Verantwortung (SNV): Berlin-based independent think tank producing technology policy analysis and advising government and civil society on digital transformation. Comparable to difgl in mission, Berlin location, and the small-team research/consulting model.
• betterplace lab: Berlin-based think tank examining the intersection of digital technology and civil society. Like difgl, it operates as a small research-and-advisory organization targeting civic-sector and cultural-sector audiences.
• Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG): Berlin-based interdisciplinary research institute studying internet and society. Comparable to difgl in producing research and publicly engaged programming on technology's societal implications, with a stronger academic focus.
• Weizenbaum Institut: Berlin research institute studying the transformation of society through digitalization, founded as a federal-government-funded research consortium. Closely parallels difgl's academic-research-plus-public-engagement model at the technology-society interface.
• iRights.Lab: Berlin-based think tank working on digital rights, AI ethics, and internet policy through research, consulting, and public communication. Closely comparable to difgl in size, Berlin base, and the research-plus-consulting-plus-communication model at the intersection of technology and society.

Broad incumbents

• Fraunhofer IAIS: Part of the Fraunhofer Society, Fraunhofer IAIS conducts applied AI research and develops AI literacy and training programs for industry and public sector. Already a partner to difgl via Fraunhofer FIT in DIANA-T, and operates at much larger scale in adjacent AI capability-building work.
• Bertelsmann Stiftung: Major German private foundation running large research and consulting programs on digital transformation, education, and democracy. Overlaps with difgl's thematic areas (AI, civic participation, cultural sector) but operates at vastly greater scale and breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/difgl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about difgl - Deutsches Institut für Gutes Leben