GOODplace

What GOODplace does

GOODplace is a German sole proprietorship (Einzelunternehmen) founded in 2012 by Monika Kraus-Wildegger and headquartered in Hamburg, with a primary training venue at GOODplace Berlin | C-Space. The company is the pioneer of Feelgood Manager training in the German-speaking market (DACH — Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and positions itself as the leading institute for human-centered organizational development in the region, anchored by its proprietary GOODplace Gardening System® and Cultivation-Modell® methodologies and a certification aligned to the Fraunhofer IAO Feelgood Manager job profile.

The core offering is the GOODplace® Certified Feelgood Manager, a multi-month berufsbegleitend (work-integrated) certification priced at approximately €6,460 per participant, delivered in small cohorts (max 8–10 participants) at an in-person venue with mentoring and practice projects. This is complemented by the advanced Corporate Cultivator program (pricing undisclosed), introductory workshops (from ~€672), the Masterclass advanced course, the ReflectionDays leadership retreat in Greece, and organizational consulting engagements implementing the Gardening System. Revenue streams include one-time training fees, professional services consulting, paid events (NOW!DAYS conferences, GOODplace Camp, Salon gatherings), and subscription-style recurring engagement through the LearningCircle mentoring community. The company also sells a Menschzentrierte Organisation certification for organizations, aligned to DIN EN ISO 27501, with Star Finanz as the first certified company.

Go-to-market is community- and event-led rather than software-driven: a distributed network of regional Hub Masters across DACH cities organizes 80+ Meetups, the GOODplace Salon, NOW!DAYS conferences, and an annual Camp that function simultaneously as marketing, demand generation, and revenue channels. Enterprise consulting is sold via direct outreach and the website contact form. The company operates as a lean organization — a founder-led sole proprietorship with an extended network of certified trainers, mentors, and Hub Masters — and has no subsidiaries, no external investors, and no public funding history. Named enterprise clients include Deutsche Post DHL Group, Boehringer Ingelheim, EDEKA Zentrale, Hamburger Sparkasse (Haspa), AOK Systems, and SER Group, though most logo presence reflects individual Feelgood Manager placements rather than large direct enterprise contracts.

Name

GOODplace

Legal name

GOODplace Monika Kraus-Wildegger

Website

https://goodplace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GOODplace is a German-founded institute (est. 2012) that pioneered Feelgood Manager certification in the DACH market, offering training, consulting, and community programs built on its proprietary Gardening System® methodology for human-centered organizational development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting & Organizational Development Training

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Workplace Culture, Engagement & Wellbeing Training (EDABAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Leadership & People Skills (Influence, Managing Up, Supervisory Readiness) (EDAAAKAI), People Management & Supervisory Skills (EDABAAAB), Stress Management & Well-Being at Work (EDABAMAN)

Keywords

• Feelgood Management
• Organizational development
• Culture transformation
• Leadership training
• Human resources consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Training & Certification Programs: GOODplace generates primary revenue through certified training programs including the GOODplace® Certified Feelgood Manager (6-month berufsbegleitend course, ~6,460€ per participant), the Corporate Cultivator advanced program, workshops such as Gardening für Einsteiger (from ~672€), and Masterclass advanced sessions. Revenue is one-time per participant per program cohort.
2. Organizational Consulting & Gardening Engagements: Revenue from direct consulting engagements for organizations seeking to implement the GOODplace Gardening System, conduct culture analyses, or undergo the GOODplace certification process for human-centered organizations. Sold as custom engagements to enterprise and mid-market clients.
3. Events & Community Programs: Revenue from paid events including NOW!DAYS conferences, GOODplace Salon gatherings, ReflectionDays in Greece, and GOODplace Camp. These events provide both revenue and community pipeline for training programs.
4. Mentoring & LearningCircle Subscriptions: Ongoing learning community programs such as the GOODplace LearningCircle provide continuous peer learning and mentoring for alumni and active practitioners, generating recurring engagement and subscription-style participation fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

GOODplace provides Feelgood Management training and human-centered organizational development services. The company sells two distinct lines: (1) individual certification programs (Weiterbildung) that train professionals to become certified Feelgood Managers, and (2) organizational consulting and corporate culture programs (Beratung) that help companies design and implement human-centered workplace cultures across the DACH region.

Product overview

GOODplace is a training and consulting organization offering a modular ecosystem of professional development programs centered on Feelgood Management and human-centered organizational culture. The core offerings include the GOODplace Certified Feelgood Manager certification program and the advanced Corporate Cultivator training. These are complemented by specialized workshops (GOODplace Gardening Intro), leadership programs (ReflectionDays), community events (Meetups, NOW!DAYS conference, GOODplace SALON, GOODplace Camp), and a certification service for organizations seeking DIN EN ISO 27501 alignment. The programs follow a holistic approach combining knowledge, attitude, and practice, delivered in small groups with berufsbegleitende (work-integrated) elements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GOODplace Gardening System®: System for cultivating sustainable value creation through appreciative environments and optimal growth conditions for people and collective intelligence
• GOODplace® Certified Feelgood Manager
• Corporate Cultivator
• GOODplace Gardening
• Corporate Cultivator
• Masterclass Feelgood Manager
• ReflectionDays
• NOW!DAYS
• GOODplace SALON
• TEAM!WACHSTUM
• GOODplace LearningCircle

Products and services

• Feelgood Manager Certification (Weiterbildung zum Feelgood Manager) Individual continuing-education and certification program that trains professionals to become certified Feelgood Managers using the firm's proprietary Gardening System methodology. Targeted at HR practitioners and internal culture champions, typically sponsored by or serving DACH-region employers. Delivered in person at the Berlin C-Space training venue.
• Organizational Culture Consulting (Beratung) Bespoke enterprise consulting service that helps DACH-region companies design and embed human-centered, Feelgood Management-based workplace cultures, applying the Gardening System / Cultivation-Modell. Buyers are typically HR, People & Culture, or organizational development leaders; reference clients include Deutsche Post DHL, Boehringer Ingelheim, Star Finanz, AOK Systems, and Hamburger Sparkasse.

Quantifiable outcome

• Star Finanz (a ~250-employee FinTech) achieved GOODplace certification as a Menschzentrierte Organisation, with ~10% of the workforce (35 employees) participating in the culture analysis interviews. The certification confirmed the company's human-centered practices across People, Planet, and Profit dimensions.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fraunhofer IAOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGOODplace collaborated with Fraunhofer IAO to develop the professional job profile for Feelgood Managers. This collaboration provides institutional legitimacy and positions GOODplace's training as aligned with a recognized research institution's professional standards. The Fraunhofer IAO Feelgood Manager job profile is referenced as a key milestone and credential of GOODplace's programs.
• Bean UnitedminorOthersBean United is listed as a GOODfriend partner, part of GOODplace's curated partner network. The partnership provides mutual referrals and cross-promotion between the two organizations.
• Company MoodminorOthersCompany Mood is listed as a GOODfriend partner within GOODplace's curated partner network, offering mutual referrals and collaborative opportunities in the human-centered culture space.
• Wolpertingers Warenhaus – LobprodukteminorOthersWolpertingers Warenhaus is a GOODfriend partner specializing in recognition and appreciation products ('Lobprodukte'). They offer a 10% friendship discount to GOODplace community members using the code 'goodplace10'. The partnership supports GOODplace's culture of appreciation and recognition.
• smartvillageminorOtherssmartvillage is listed as a GOODfriend partner, providing mutual referrals and collaborative opportunities related to workplace and organizational culture within the GOODplace partner ecosystem.
• Brainery – Ideen fürs Leben GmbHminorOthersBrainery is a Hamburg-based venue and partner providing creative spaces for events and learning. GOODplace uses Brainery as a venue and recommends it as part of the GOODfriends partner network. Located at Bäckerbreitergang 12, 20355 Hamburg.
• C-Space BerlinminorOthersC-Space Berlin (Langhansstrasse 86, Berlin) is the primary in-person training venue for GOODplace programs. Described as an inspirational learning location with a garden setting, C-Space aligns with GOODplace's atmosphere-first learning philosophy. The venue is referenced as a key differentiator of the training experience.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mercer: Global HR and organizational consulting firm offering culture, engagement, and leadership development services. Overlaps with GOODplace's organizational consulting arm, though Mercer operates at significantly larger scale and broader service scope.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with significant leadership development, culture transformation, and talent advisory practices. Overlaps with GOODplace on organizational culture consulting but operates at much larger scale and broader scope.
• Gallup: Global analytics and advisory firm best known for employee engagement research, Q12 methodology, and workplace culture consulting. Broader portfolio than GOODplace but competes directly in culture diagnostics, manager development, and engagement-based transformation programs.

Direct peers

• Haufe Akademie: One of Germany's largest corporate training providers, offering a broad catalog of professional development programs including leadership, soft skills, and organizational culture training. Directly comparable to GOODplace on target customer (DACH enterprises), product category (corporate training and certification), and delivery model.
• Great Place to Work: Global certification authority for excellent workplace culture. Directly comparable to GOODplace's Menschzentrierte Organisation certification in function (third-party validation of human-centered workplaces) and target buyer (HR leaders seeking external credibility).
• Steinbeis: German transfer and consulting network combining academic research with corporate consulting and training. Comparable to GOODplace in bridging research-backed methodology with enterprise training delivery, particularly in DACH mid-market and SME segments.
• Kienbaum: A leading German HR and management consulting firm with deep offerings in leadership development, organizational culture, and transformation. Comparable to GOODplace on the consulting and leadership training side, and serves similar mid-market and enterprise German clients.

Emerging players

• BetterUp: US-based coaching and workforce development platform focused on leadership, culture, and employee wellbeing. Overlaps with GOODplace in the Feelgood Manager / culture-shaping function but delivers via technology-enabled coaching at scale rather than in-person workshops.
• CoachHub: Berlin-based digital coaching platform for leadership and personal development. Targets the same German and European enterprise buyers as GOODplace, with overlapping positioning around human-centered leadership and culture, but delivered via a SaaS model.

Others

• Hays: Global staffing and HR services firm with a German footprint and corporate training offerings in talent and workforce development. Adjacent rather than directly competing, but serves similar enterprise buyers and channels learning investments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/goodplace
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/goodplace
• Instagraminstagram.com/goodplace_org

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 GOODplace