EQUA-Stiftung

What EQUA-Stiftung does

EQUA-Stiftung (Gemeinnützige EQUA-Stiftung) is a Munich-based charitable foundation founded in 2001 with a dual mission: advancing rigorous academic research on family businesses and translating that research into practical tools for entrepreneur families in Germany. The organization addresses six focus topics — business succession (Unternehmensnachfolge), family dynamics (Familiendynamik), corporate governance (Unternehmensführung), shareholder competence (Gesellschafterkompetenz), resilience (Resilienz), and values orientation (Werteorientierung) — through a portfolio of publications, expert video lectures, a glossary, a specialist literature database, workshops, and confidential moderation services.

The foundation's technology stack centers on a knowledge platform delivered via its website (equa-stiftung.de), supplemented by digital tools such as the "switch" networking platform connecting next-generation and current-generation family business members across families, the "Entrepreneurial Diary" developed with TU Munich for researching entrepreneurial mindset, and the "KMUrechner" company valuation calculator. Research output is funded and produced through partnerships with multiple German and Austrian universities including TU Munich, WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, Hochschule Aalen, FH Salzburg, and HfWU Nürtingen-Geislingen.

EQUA operates as a nonprofit funded primarily through charitable donations and a recurring sponsorship program (EQUA-Patenschaften) priced at €100/month minimum for partial scholarships and €1,500/month for full scholarships, supporting doctoral candidates over one- to three-year terms. Publications are also sold via external publisher Unternehmer Medien. The organization is governed by a foundation board led by Dr. Ulrich Wacker with Dr. Rena Haftlmeier-Seiffert serving as managing director, operates with approximately seven staff from its Belgradstraße 9 headquarters in Munich, and is supervised by Bavarian foundation authorities (Reg. v. Obb.).

Name

EQUA-Stiftung

Legal name

Gemeinnützige EQUA-Stiftung

Website

https://equa-stiftung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

EQUA-Stiftung is a Munich-based nonprofit foundation founded in 2001 that funds academic research on family businesses and provides publications, video lectures, digital tools, workshops, and moderation services to German entrepreneur families across six focus topics including succession, governance, and resilience.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Foundation - Family Business Research & Education

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate & Foundation Relations (Sponsorships, Grants, Partnerships) (EDALAOAE), Open Access Scholarly Journals & Monographs (EDAGAFAJ)

Keywords

• Family business research
• Business succession planning
• Entrepreneur family governance
• Nonprofit foundation services
• Academic research funding

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: The foundation receives charitable donations from individuals and organizations. Donors can specify their address in the payment reference for a donation receipt.
2. EQUA Patenschaften (Sponsorships): Monthly sponsorships starting at €100 for EQUA scholarships, with full sponsorships at €1,500 per month, supporting EQUA stipend holders over 1–3 years. Sponsors can also act as sparring partners and actively accompany the research.
3. Publications Sales: Sale of EQUA publications including standard works, essays, and specialized books such as 'Unternehmerfamilien', 'Gesellschafterkompetenz', and 'Familienunternehmen der Zukunft' through external publishers (Unternehmer Medien).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

EQUA-Stiftung is a nonprofit foundation that promotes rigorous academic research and practical knowledge exchange for entrepreneur families in Germany. It funds doctoral research and university chairs, publishes scholarly and practitioner-oriented books and video lectures, and operates digital platforms (switch, KMUrechner, Entrepreneurial Diary) plus moderation services and workshops addressing business succession, governance, shareholder competence, resilience, family dynamics, and value orientation. Activities are financed through charitable donations and a recurring monthly sponsorship (Patenschaften) program starting at €100.

Product overview

EQUA-Stiftung operates as a nonprofit foundation that has been promoting research and knowledge exchange for entrepreneur families since 2001. The organization's offering consists of a knowledge platform with multiple components: six thematic focus areas (Unternehmensnachfolge/Business Succession, Familiendynamik/Family Dynamics, Unternehmensführung/Business Management, Gesellschafterkompetenz/Shareholder Competence, Resilienz/Resilience, and Werteorientierung/Values Orientation). These are supported through publications (EQUA Publikationen), expert video lectures (Video-Vorträge), a glossary (EQUA Lexikon), academic literature database (Fachliteratur-Datenbank), workshops and moderation services, research funding (Forschungsförderung), university seminars and colloquia, and patronage programs (EQUA-Patenschaften). Additionally, the organization offers digital tools including the Entrepreneurial Diary (developed with TU Munich) for researching entrepreneurial mindset, switch (a digital networking platform connecting next-generation entrepreneurs), and the KMUrechner for company valuation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EQUA Lexikon A free online glossary covering family business governance, succession, shareholder structures, family dynamics, and business management terminology, available to entrepreneur families and practitioners.
• Fachliteratur-Datenbank A free, searchable database of specialist academic publications, books, and scholarly articles on family business topics, designed for researchers, doctoral students, and entrepreneur families.
• Video-Vorträge A free library of expert video lectures from researchers and practitioners covering the foundation's six focus topics: succession, family dynamics, corporate governance, shareholder competence, resilience, and value orientation.
• EQUA Publikationen Standard works and specialized publications on family business topics (e.g., 'Unternehmerfamilien', 'Gesellschafterkompetenz', 'Familienunternehmen der Zukunft'), sold to entrepreneur families and practitioners through external publisher Unternehmer Medien.
• Workshops & Moderationen Tailored facilitated workshops and confidential moderation services for entrepreneur families on sensitive topics such as shareholder competence, succession, and family governance.
• Seminare & Kolloquien University seminars and academic colloquiums at partner institutions that bring together family business researchers, doctoral students, and practitioner families.
• switch by EQUA A digital exchange platform connecting NextGens and NowGens from different entrepreneur families to gain external practical experience through internships, trainee programs, or executive assistant roles outside their own family dynamics.
• KMUrechner A free online company valuation calculator designed for small and medium-sized family businesses (KMU), supporting succession and corporate planning use cases.

Quantifiable outcome

• Established university chairs and numerous studies on family businesses as Germany's most important corporate form
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Prof. Dr. Birgit Felden et al. (Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Umwelt Nürtingen-Geislingen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEQUA funds the 'Familien-Unternehmen-Zukunft' (Family-Business-Future) research project led by Prof. Dr. Birgit Felden et al., a futurological study examining societal change processes in Germany and their impact on family businesses.
• FH Salzburg (Prof. Dr. Christine Mitter, Prof. Dr. Michael Kuttner)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEQUA funds the 'Resilienz von Familienunternehmen in externen Krisen' research project at FH Salzburg examining what properties and characteristics are particularly important for resilience and long-term security of family businesses in external crises.
• WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management (Prof. Dr. Julia De Groote)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEQUA funds the 'Resilienz von Unternehmerfamilien' doctoral research at WHU led by Yasin Yilmaz, supervised by Prof. Dr. Julia De Groote, investigating how the resilience of entrepreneur families nourishes and transfers to the family business.
• Hochschule Aalen (Prof. Dr. Patrick Ulrich)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEQUA funds the 'Risikomanagement in Familienunternehmen' doctoral research at Hochschule Aalen led by Alice Timmermann, supervised by Prof. Dr. Patrick Ulrich, aiming to conceptualize requirements-appropriate risk management for family businesses.
• Technische Universität München (Lehrstuhl Familienunternehmen, deren Kultur und Eigentümer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEQUA collaborates with the TUM chair on family businesses on the 'Entrepreneurial Diary' research project — a digital diary tool exploring the entrepreneurial mindset, values, and identity of startup founders and NextGens.
• CommerzbankminorOthersCommerzbank serves as the foundation's banking partner for processing donations. IBAN: DE93 7004 0041 0664 9149 00, BIC: COBABEFFXXX.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Family Firm Institute (FFI): International membership organization for family enterprise advisors and academics. Comparable to EQUA in its focus on family business education, research, and practitioner network-building, though at a global scale.
• Stiftung Familienunternehmen: Berlin/Munich-based policy-oriented foundation (Stiftung Familienunternehmen) focused on the German family business ecosystem. Closest comparable peer to EQUA — both are German foundations serving the same Unternehmerfamilien audience with research, publications, and policy advocacy.
• STEP Project Global: Global research and education project on successful transgenerational entrepreneurship practices. Comparable to EQUA's research-funding and academic-collaboration model, with a similar focus on next-generation family business sustainability.
• Family Business Network (FBN) International: Global peer-learning network for family business owners and next-generation members. Comparable to EQUA in convening entrepreneur families and producing knowledge on succession, governance, and family dynamics.
• WIFU - Wittener Institut für Familienunternehmen: Academic institute at Witten/Herdecke University focused on family business research, executive education, and family office services. Comparable to EQUA through its research, doctoral program funding, and practitioner-facing programming for German family businesses.
• Center for Family Business (CFU) - University of St.Gallen: Swiss academic center producing research and executive education on family business governance and succession. Comparable to EQUA's research focus and academic-practitioner bridge, with a DACH-region overlap.

Emerging players

• Trusted Family: Digital governance and communication platform purpose-built for family businesses. Comparable to EQUA's switch platform ambition — building digital infrastructure for family business community engagement, succession planning, and NextGen connectivity.
• NextGen Network (FBN Germany): German chapter of FBN International focused on next-generation family business members. Comparable to EQUA's switch platform and NextGen programming, with a more peer-networking (vs. research-funding) orientation.

Others

• WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management: Top German private business school with a dedicated center for family business research. EQUA funds doctoral research at WHU (Prof. De Groote's 'Resilienz von Unternehmerfamilien'); relevant as an academic partner and adjacent ecosystem player.

Broad incumbents

• Institut für Mittelstandsforschung Bonn (IfM Bonn): German research institute studying small and medium-sized enterprises (Mittelstand). Comparable to EQUA through its research-funding and SME-family-business focus, though it operates as a broader SME think tank rather than a family-specific foundation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/equastiftung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 EQUA-Stiftung