Hispi

What Hispi does

Hispi (full name: Hispi, Hilfe bei der sprachlichen Integration; trading name: Hispi – Das Lernhaus) is a non-profit community organization based in Düsseldorf, Germany, founded in 2015 to provide free German language and literacy education to people with refugee and migration backgrounds. Since January 2018 it has operated as a business unit (Geschäftsbereich) of the charitable limited company SOPHIA::Akademie gGmbH, a structure that provides access to public and institutional funding. The core offering is ten daily language groups covering levels from pre-literacy (Alphabetisierung) through B1, delivered free of charge at its central location on Graf-Adolf-Straße 22 in Düsseldorf by a network of dedicated volunteers. Supplementary services include conversation groups (Hispi tratscht), integration workshops on the German constitution and society, free oil painting workshops, computer literacy courses, individual learning counseling (SKEI), and asylum hearing preparation delivered in partnership with Arrival Aid Munich.

The organization's portfolio has expanded into distinct sub-brands: Hispi-LAB provides tutoring for apprentices and vocational school students (supported by SEGRO since 2023), the House of Friends pilot (launched September 2024 with the City of Düsseldorf) integrates housing, language learning, and hospitality-sector employment preparation for up to 40 residents, and Creative FEM-Power is an Erasmus+ project developing open-source creative language-learning modules for migrant women with European partners. Revenue comes entirely from diversified grant funding — municipal support (Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf), foundation and lottery grants (Deutsche Postcode Lotterie), corporate sponsors (SEGRO, Kulturamt Düsseldorf), private donations, and Erasmus+ project funding — with no fees charged to participants. Leadership is anchored by Managing Partner Karin Diane Jungjohann, supported by a small core team of 6 paid staff and a much larger volunteer base.

Name

Hispi

Legal name

SOPHIA::Akademie gGmbH

Website

https://hispi.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hispi is a Düsseldorf-based non-profit (founded 2015) that delivers free German language courses, literacy programs, and integration services to refugees and migrants, funded by municipal grants, foundations, and corporate sponsors under the SOPHIA::Akademie gGmbH umbrella.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adult Language Education and Integration Services

NAICS

Language Schools (611630), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Immigration, Citizenship & Integration Language Exam Prep (EDANACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Live Online Language Tutoring & Small-Group Classes (EDAMAFAD), Language Assessment, Placement Testing & Proficiency Certification Tools (EDAFAOAH)

Keywords

• German language courses
• Refugee integration services
• Free literacy education
• Community language programs
• Migrant support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Hispi operates as a non-profit and relies on donations from private supporters, corporate sponsors, and foundations to fund operations.
2. Institutional Funding and Grants: Funded by municipal government (Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf), foundations including Deutsche Postcode Lotterie, SEGRO, and other corporate supporters. Also receives Erasmus+ funding for European projects.
3. Volunteer Services: Services are delivered through a large network of dedicated volunteers (Ehrenamtliche) who provide language instruction, tutoring, and support without charge to participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hispi provides free German language and literacy courses at multiple proficiency levels (from primary illiteracy through B1), supplemented by tutoring for vocational trainees (Hispi-LAB), a residential pilot combining housing, language learning and hospitality-sector work preparation (House of Friends), conversation groups, integration workshops, art workshops, computer courses, and hearing-preparation/legal counseling. Services are delivered primarily in person at the Düsseldorf center by volunteer instructors, with no fees charged to participants.

Product overview

Hispi (Das Lernhaus – The Learning House) is a non-profit community organization offering free German language and integration services. The portfolio is structured as a unified center with multiple interconnected service offerings: German language courses at four levels (ABC/Alphabetisierung, A1, A2, B1) form the core service, supplemented by Hispi-LAB for vocational training support and Hispi House of Friends (a residential pilot project combining housing, language learning, and employment preparation). Complementary offerings include conversation groups, art workshops, computer courses, integration workshops, photography projects, and a knitting group. Supporting services include legal counseling (hearing preparation via Arrival Aid partnership), SKEI language learning counseling, and the Hispi goes Ehrenamt volunteer transition program. The Creative FEM-Power Erasmus+ project adds creative education modules for migrant women. All services operate under the umbrella of Sophia::Akademie gGmbH since 2018 and are provided free of charge, primarily by volunteers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hispi LAB: Learning for training and employment - tutoring support for apprentices and vocational school students in subjects like German, mathematics, and politics
• Hispi House of Friends
• Hispi for U
• Creative FEM-Power
• Hispi tratscht

Products and services

• German Language Courses (Sprachkurse) Free German and literacy courses at multiple proficiency levels, from complete beginners (ABC/Alphabetisierung group) through advanced speakers (A1, A2, B1), conducted three times daily with volunteer instructors at the Düsseldorf center. For refugees, migrants and people with migration backgrounds.
• Hispi-LAB (Lernen für Ausbildung und Beruf) Tutoring and homework support program for apprentices and vocational school students covering subjects such as German, mathematics and politics, with individual support sessions Monday through Thursday evenings. Supported by SEGRO since 2023.
• Hispi House of Friends Pilot residential project providing integrated housing, German language learning and employment preparation for up to 40 migrants, with focus on hospitality sector jobs (kitchen, service, housekeeping, facility management).
• Conversation Groups (Hispi tratscht / Hispi Chats) Weekly conversation practice sessions with native German speakers held every Wednesday from 4–6 p.m., open to guests without registration required.
• Integration Workshops Educational workshops held every six to eight weeks providing information about the German constitution and way of life, facilitating exchange about differences and similarities between legal systems and lifestyles in origin countries and Germany.
• Art Workshops (Kunst Workshops) Free oil painting and visual arts workshops for refugees, funded by the Kulturamt Düsseldorf, led by a professional artist with focus on European art history.
• Computer Courses Technology and computer literacy courses to help participants develop digital skills for everyday life and work.
• Hispi for U – RE:Match Seven-week program for 15 Ukrainian women providing support and information about life in Germany, including workshops, German language courses and expert sessions on jobcenter, school systems, banking and health insurance.
• Hearing Preparation & Legal Support (Anhörungsvorbereitung & Klagebegleitung) Legal counseling service for asylum hearing preparation and appeals, offered in cooperation with partner organization Arrival Aid from Munich.
• SKEI – Language Learning Counseling Individual coaching service for German learners focusing on assessing current language level, clarifying personal learning goals and developing effective learning strategies; not a replacement for German courses.
• Hispi goes Ehrenamt (Volunteering Program) Program supporting advanced participants in transitioning to volunteer work, helping apply language skills while contributing to the community, funded by Deutsche Postcode Lotterie.
• Creative FEM-Power Erasmus+ funded 24-month adult education project producing workshop modules using creative methods to enhance language skills and employment potential for migrant women, with handbook and video materials in multiple languages.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free language education enabling access regardless of financial status
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf (LHD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024City of Düsseldorf as client and funder of the House of Friends pilot project. Also supports through Amt für Migration und Integration and Dezernat 9 for integration programs.
• Eurocultura (Italy)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Erasmus+ project partner in the Creative FEM-Power project. Eurocultura is based in Vicenza, Italy and contributed to workshop development for migrant women.
• DISORA (Slovenia)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Erasmus+ project partner in the Creative FEM-Power project. Based in Maribor, Slovenia, contributing to creative language learning methods.
• Teatterimuseo (Finland)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Erasmus+ project partner in the Creative FEM-Power project. Based in Helsinki, Finland, contributing creative workshop methods.
• Arrival AidcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership with Arrival Aid from Munich provides hearing preparation and legal support for appeals at Hispi. Arrival Aid offers procedural counseling and asylum hearing preparation for refugees.
• SOPHIA::Akademie gGmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Hispi has been a division of SOPHIA::AKADEMIE gGmbH since 2018, enabling sustainable development and access to funding. The parent organization focuses on innovative learning environments and educational architecture.
• Kulturamt DüsseldorfminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Cultural Office of Düsseldorf funds art workshops for refugees including free oil painting courses held at Hispi.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Refuge Welcome: Berlin-based platform connecting refugees with German host families and offering integration support. Operates in the same refugee-integration niche as Hispi but focuses on accommodation matching rather than language instruction.
• Arrival Aid: Munich-based NGO offering procedural counseling and asylum hearing preparation for refugees. It is both Hispi's formal partner and a direct operational peer in providing free legal and integration support to asylum seekers in Germany.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC) Germany: International NGO providing refugee resettlement and integration support in Germany. Comparable as a peer delivering structured integration services including language and employment support for newly arrived refugees in German cities.

Broad incumbents

• Goethe-Institut: Germany's globally operating cultural institute providing German language courses and cultural programming. While operating at much larger scale and internationally, it serves an overlapping mission of language-based integration and cultural exchange.
• Diakonie Deutschland: Protestant welfare federation providing migration counseling, language support, and refugee accommodation across Germany. Operates as a broad incumbent in the same integration-services space as Hispi, with greater geographic reach.
• Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO): Major German welfare organization offering refugee integration, language courses, and social services. Comparable as a multi-region provider of free integration support, though with a much broader service portfolio and larger infrastructure.
• Volkshochschulen (VHS) Düsseldorf: Municipal adult education centers offering state-subsidized German integration courses (Integrationskurse). They are the incumbent publicly funded alternative to Hispi's free supplementary courses, addressing the same refugee and migrant learner base.
• Caritas Deutschland: Germany's largest Catholic welfare organization, running nationwide refugee counseling, language programs, and integration services. Comparable as a large-scale provider of free integration support for migrants, though with religious affiliation and broader social services portfolio.

Emerging players

• Joblinge gAG: German initiative supporting young refugees and disadvantaged youth in training and employment, including German-language vocational preparation. Closely comparable to Hispi's Hispi-LAB program in mission and target beneficiary profile.
• Minor – Projektkontor für Bildung und Forschung: Berlin-based educational organization running creative and arts-based integration projects for newly arrived migrants. Comparable to Hispi's Creative FEM-Power initiative in applying arts-based methods to refugee integration in Germany.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9WtTAYbVwVHDEUFT2ugXLw/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/hispidaslernhaus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hispidus
• Instagraminstagram.com/insta_hispi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Hispi