Herzretter

What Herzretter does

Herzretter e.V. is a German nonprofit association (gemeinnütziger eingetragener Verein) founded in Hamburg in 2016 by Dr. med. Martin Buchholz after his personal experience with a cardiac arrest. The organization delivers compact 90–120 minute CPR and AED training sessions under the 'HerzretterTraining' brand, using a proprietary theater-pedagogical methodology delivered by trained actor-instructors and the simplified 'Prüfen – Rufen – Drücken – Schocken' (Check – Call – Press – Shock) curriculum. The flagship initiative 'HerzretterStadt Hamburg', launched in November 2023 under the patronage of Hamburg's First Mayor, positions the organization as a citywide public-health program; a second branch in Leipzig was established in 2019 in cooperation with Universitätsklinikum Leipzig.

Herzretter serves three primary customer segments. Children and youth in schools and daycares are the largest segment by volume — over 50 Hamburg schools are certified 'HerzretterSchule' partners and the Leipzig branch has trained 6,000+ children across 300+ sessions since 2019 — and these sessions are provided free of charge. Corporates and private individuals form the paid segment, with over 25 Hamburg companies (including Hapag-Lloyd, Helm, and ECE) participating as 'HerzretterUnternehmen' partners or booking fee-based sessions for employees. Distribution is direct-to-site: trainers travel to schools, companies, and public venues, with bookings via herzretter.de, phone, or email.

The revenue model is hybrid and donation-dependent. Free school training is funded by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants (Körber-Stiftung, HanseMerkur, Christian & Ursula Voß Stiftung, Gemeinwohlparlament Leipzig), and a regular Fördermitglied membership program. Paid corporate and individual training sessions cross-subsidize the free school programs, generating the organization's only fee-based revenue stream. The organization maintains a volunteer board, a small core operations team in Hamburg, project staff in Leipzig, and an active earned-media presence on NDR, RTL, SAT.1, and in print outlets. In 2025–2026 it received the HanseMerkur Preis für Kinderschutz main prize (€40,000) and founder recognition via the Körber-Stiftung Zugabe-Preis, with ongoing civic partnerships including NAWIB (Nationales Aktionsbündnis für Wiederbelebung), Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe, and a pilot digital-AED-in-Litfaßsäule project with Ströer Media.

Name

Herzretter

Legal name

Herzretter e.V.

Website

https://herzretter.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Herzretter e.V. is a German nonprofit founded in 2016 that delivers 90–120 minute CPR and AED training via a theater-pedagogical method, serving Hamburg and Leipzig school children free of charge while generating revenue from paid corporate and individual training sessions and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

CPR and First Aid Training

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness Education (CPR/First Aid/Disaster Readiness) (EDAAAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency Medical Services (EMT/Paramedic) Training (EDAOAMAC), EMS Education, Training & Simulation Centers (HLAFANAL), Emergency Response, First Aid/CPR/AED & Incident Management Training (BPAKAOAJ)

Keywords

• CPR training services
• First aid education
• Resuscitation training
• Theater-based learning
• Cardiac arrest response

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a nonprofit organization (gemeinnütziger Verein), Herzretter e.V. relies primarily on donations from individuals, companies, and foundations. School trainings for children are fully funded by these donations, making them free for participating schools.
2. Paid Corporate and Private Training: Fee-based training sessions for businesses, organizations, and private individuals. These paid trainings cross-subsidize the free school programs.
3. Foundation and Government Grants: Funding from foundations such as the Körber-Stiftung, HanseMerkur, Christian & Ursula Voß Stiftung, and government bodies like the Gemeinwohlparlament Leipzig (5,000 EUR grant).
4. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Over 25 corporate sponsors and supporters including companies like Hapag-Lloyd, Helm, ECE, and others who provide financial support and partnership agreements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Herzretter e.V. is a German nonprofit association that delivers in-person cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid training. Its programs use a theater-pedagogical methodology to teach laypeople how to respond to cardiac arrest, with tailored courses for schoolchildren, individuals, and corporate/workplace audiences.

Product overview

Herzretter e.V. is a non-profit organization offering CPR/resuscitation training services under the HerzretterTraining brand. The core offering consists of compact 90-120 minute training sessions teaching the 'Prüfen – Rufen – Drücken – Schocken' (Check – Call – Push – Shock) life-saving formula. Training is delivered by theater-pedagogically trained actors rather than traditional medical educators. The product portfolio includes specialized training for children/youth (starting from age 5), businesses, and private individuals, plus an eTraining option. The organization operates the HerzretterStadt Hamburg initiative as a flagship vision project and maintains a branch in Leipzig. Revenue comes from paid business training, donations, and supporting memberships, with free school trainings funded by donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School CPR Training Program Free, theater-based CPR and resuscitation training delivered to schoolchildren and school staff, designed to build confidence and willingness to act in cardiac emergencies.
• Corporate CPR Training Paid CPR and first aid training for businesses and workplace teams, delivered on-site using the theater-pedagogical method to improve employee emergency response readiness.
• Individual CPR Course Paid CPR training for individual consumers, families, and private groups who want to learn resuscitation skills through hands-on, scenario-based instruction.

Quantifiable outcome

• 120,000 people annually in Germany experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; 10,000 could be saved with immediate CPR intervention
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, major and minor.

• Ströer Media Deutschland GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for the first public defibrillator embedded in a digital billboard (Litfasssäule). Ströer provides the media infrastructure while Herzretter provides training content accessible via QR code. Jointly developed explanatory video on CPR procedures. Project launched at Großer Burstah in Hamburg.
• Medical Industrie GmbH & Co. KGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the digital billboard defibrillator pilot project, providing the AED equipment integrated into Ströer's digital displays. Collaboration enables 24/7 public access to defibrillators in urban areas.
• Erster Bürgermeister Dr. Peter Tschentscher (Schirmherr)flagshipOthersFirst Mayor of Hamburg serves as patron (Schirmherr) for the HerzretterStadt Hamburg project, the first HerzretterStadt in Germany. Provides political legitimacy and citywide visibility for the initiative.
• Hamburg Schools (50+ Partner Schools)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOver 50 Hamburg primary and secondary schools have partnership agreements (HerzretterSchule designation) for regular CPR training. Schools receive free training for students, funded by corporate sponsors.
• Hamburg Corporate PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNumerous Hamburg companies have cooperation agreements (HerzretterUnternehmen designation) for annual employee training. These paid trainings help fund free school programs. Partners include major Hamburg companies visible on their supporter logos.
• NAWIB (Nationales Aktionsbündnis für Wiederbelebung)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHerzretter is active member of the National Action Alliance for Resuscitation, supported by the Federal Institute for Public Health and Federal Ministry of Health. Goal is to teach 'Prüfen! Rufen! Drücken!' CPR techniques to all citizens.
• Universitätsklinikum LeipzigmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHerzretter Leipzig originated from a cooperation project with University Hospital Leipzig Cardiology department in 2022. Medical expertise partnership that led to establishment of Leipzig branch.
• Johanniter-Unfall-HilfeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting NAWIB events and training activities, particularly at Bundesgesundheitsministerium open house events.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Resuscitation Council UK: UK body setting national CPR/AED guidelines and accrediting training providers. Not a direct training peer, but a comparable mission-driven organization working to raise bystander CPR rates through education and standards.
• Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB): Germany-wide aid organization offering first aid and CPR courses to private individuals, schools, and corporates. Comparable to Herzretter as a provider of layperson first aid education, though broader in scope.
• American Heart Association: U.S. nonprofit that sets CPR/AED training standards and licenses courses globally. Comparable to Herzretter as a mission-driven CPR education nonprofit, though operating at much larger scale and through branded instructor networks.
• Malteser Hilfsdienst: National German aid organization providing first aid training, emergency response courses, and community health programs. Competes with Herzretter in the CPR/first aid training market for schools and corporate clients.
• Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK): Germany's largest humanitarian organization and a primary national provider of first aid and CPR training. Directly competes with Herzretter for schools, corporates, and individual learners, but operates as a large multipurpose aid organization rather than a CPR-focused nonprofit.
• British Heart Foundation: UK charity funding heart research and public CPR training, including the 'Heart Start' training initiative. Comparable mission profile as a national cardiovascular health nonprofit, although substantially larger and differently structured.
• DLRG (Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft): Germany's leading water rescue and swimming organization with adjacent first aid and CPR training programs. Comparable as a community-based training nonprofit, though its primary focus is water safety.
• Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe: Major German aid organization offering standardized first aid and CPR courses to schools, businesses, and the public. Already a partner of Herzretter for NAWIB events, it represents the closest established competitor with national reach.

Emerging players

• StadtRetter: Cologne-based nonprofit that trains registered 'First Responders' to be alerted to nearby cardiac arrests via a smartphone app. Comparable to Herzretter in mission and lay-CPR focus, but differentiated by its digital alerting platform rather than in-person training.

Others

• ERC (European Resuscitation Council): European body that publishes resuscitation guidelines and runs educational events. Indirectly comparable as a CPR education stakeholder influencing the standards and curriculum that Herzretter-style training programs follow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ichkannlebenretten
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/herzretter
• Instagraminstagram.com/herzretter_initiative

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 Herzretter