E113 Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH

What E113 Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH does

E113 Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH is a privately held, owner-managed German consulting holding company headquartered in Cologne, with additional offices in Stuttgart and Hamburg. Founded in 1998 by Simon Biela and Matthias Steinforth — who met as students at Gymnasium Kreuzgasse in Cologne and named the group after their school computer room (E113) — the company has grown organically over more than 25 years without external investment, and publicly rejects takeover or investor interest to preserve independence.

The group operates three wholly owned consulting subsidiaries: kernpunkt (founded 2001), a 60+ person digital agency specializing in E-Commerce platforms, digital sales channels and customer-centric UX; taod (spun off from kernpunkt in 2018), a 70+ person Business Intelligence, Data Engineering, AI and Strategy consulting firm serving 332+ customers across three locations; and runHR (founded 2025), a Personio-focused HR digitalization practice. Beyond consulting, the group maintains the FR113NDS-WG event and workspace community in Cologne-Ehrenfeld and the AI & Why podcast hosted by co-founder Simon Biela, and has historical venture exposure to Durst (divested to REWE Digital in 2020), Kombuchery (2021 seed), Popula (2009-2010) and Salat, Brot & Schokolade (2013-2015).

Revenue is generated through professional B2B consulting services sold directly to enterprise clients on a project/quote basis across three verticals: digital commerce transformation, data and AI enablement, and HR process digitalization. The company targets DACH-region clients, emphasizes a "Gemeinsam mutig" (courageous together) internal culture, and complements direct sales with thought-leadership distribution via podcast, LinkedIn, and community events. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; no app store products, public API, or recurring SaaS revenue stream were identified.

Name

E113 Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH

Legal name

E113 Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH

Website

https://e113.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

E113 Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH is a privately held, owner-managed German consulting holding company operating kernpunkt (E-Commerce digital agency), taod (Data/AI consulting) and runHR (Personio HR digitalization), serving DACH B2B clients across Cologne, Stuttgart and Hamburg.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Consulting Services

akta.pro primary industry

B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms (BPAMAGAD)

Keywords

• Digital consulting services
• E-commerce consulting
• Business intelligence consulting
• Data analytics consulting
• HR digitalization consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Services: B2B consulting revenue generated through digital transformation projects including E-Commerce platform development, Business Intelligence/AI consulting, and HR digitalization services. Services are delivered through the subsidiary companies kernpunkt, taod, and runHR.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

E113 Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH is a founder-led, owner-managed holding company that sells B2B digital consulting services through three wholly-owned subsidiaries. kernpunkt builds digital sales channels and customer-centric E-Commerce platforms; taod provides Business Intelligence, Data Engineering, AI and Strategy consulting; runHR delivers HR process digitalization focused on Personio. Services are delivered to enterprise clients across the DACH region.

Product overview

E113 Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH is a holding company with three core operating subsidiaries: kernpunkt (e-commerce digital agency founded 2001), taod (data/AI consulting founded 2018), and runHR (HR digitalization consulting founded 2025). The group also maintains a shared event workspace (FR113NDS-WG), an AI-focused podcast (AI & Why), and has historical investments in ventures including Durst, Kombuchery, Popula, and Salat, Brot & Schokolade. The company operates from locations in Cologne, Stuttgart, and Hamburg with over 150 employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FR113NDS: The shared work community and event space brand of the E113 group, located in Cologne-Ehrenfeld. Hosts tech community events, workshops, podcast recordings, and networking gatherings.
• AI & Why Podcast

Products and services

• kernpunkt Digital agency specializing in e-commerce development and customer-centric platforms. Develops digital sales channels and provides consulting for digital transformation with focus on user experience, agile methods, and modern e-commerce technologies for B2B clients.
• taod Data consulting firm combining expertise in Analytics, Engineering, AI and Strategy. Provides Business Intelligence services with strong technology partnerships and modern business models, offering clarity and orientation for complex work environments to B2B clients.
• runHR HR digitalization consulting company focused on optimizing HR processes for businesses. Specializes exclusively in Personio as the leading HR and Personal Management platform, providing certified expertise from recruiting to digital personnel files for B2B clients.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SK Stiftung Jugend und MediencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the 'Next Digital Talents' initiative where E113 mentors and partners with the foundation to help students (grades 7-12) develop digital projects using No-Code tools in a weekly Digital-AG. The founders have a historical connection to the foundation dating back 25+ years to their school days.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• netz98: Mannheim-based digital agency focused on Shopware E-Commerce implementations and digital commerce. Comparable to kernpunkt as a German boutique E-Commerce platform specialist.
• Senacor Technologies: German IT consultancy specializing in data, analytics, digital platforms and AI for banks, insurance and retail. Comparable to E113's taod practice in terms of BI/data focus and enterprise DACH client base.
• b.telligent: Munich-based consulting firm focused on data management, analytics and AI. Closely comparable to taod's Analytics/Engineering/AI offering with similar mid-market to enterprise DACH clientele.
• dotSource: German digital agency specializing in E-Commerce platform development (Shopware, Adobe Commerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud) and digital commerce strategy. The closest direct peer to E113's kernpunkt subsidiary.
• valantic: Germany- and Austria-based digital consulting group (formerly novomind, sycor) covering E-Commerce, ERP, CRM, data/analytics and supply chain for mid-market and enterprise. Highly comparable to E113's kernpunkt+taod combined offering, though larger and PE-backed.

Emerging players

• The unbelievable Machine Company (*um): German data, cloud and AI consultancy providing analytics and machine-learning services. Comparable to taod as a mid-sized DACH data/AI specialist.

Broad incumbents

• Capgemini Invent: Global management consulting arm of Capgemini covering digital transformation, data/AI and customer experience. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for the same enterprise digital transformation mandates E113 targets.
• adesso SE: Large German IT consulting firm with ~10,000 employees offering software development, BI/data and digital transformation services to enterprise clients across DACH. Comparable as a broad German-language digital services incumbent overlapping with E113's consulting capabilities.
• Haufe Group: German media and software company offering HR, tax, legal and compliance digital solutions. Comparable to E113's runHR/Personio focus as a broader German-language HR and digital business services incumbent.
• msg systems: Large independent German IT consultancy with deep insurance, banking and public-sector focus; comparable to E113 as a mid-sized-to-large German IT services group with DACH concentration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kernpunkt
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCoVmWjGAhAup9rZC9DJ41nQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/kernpunkt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/e113-beteiligungsgesellschaft-mbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/kernpunkt

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 records

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 E113 Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH