interculture.de e.V.

What interculture.de e.V. does

interculture.de e.V. is a non-profit association (eingetragener Verein, registered VR 230837) headquartered in Jena, Thuringia, Germany, founded in 1995 as a spin-off of the Department of Intercultural Business Communication at the University of Jena. The organization delivers continuing education, coaching, consulting, and project-based services in intercultural competence, serving teams, executives, public-administration institutions, and youth groups primarily in Germany. Its core commercial offering is a tiered certificate program comprising three courses — IK Kompetenz (Intercultural Competence), IK Trainer:in (Intercultural Trainer), and IK Coach (Intercultural Coach) — each priced at 1,980 EUR, supplemented by customized training formats such as the Virtual Escape Room, Zukunfts-Labor (Future Lab), Interkulturelles Training, and the annual Interkulturelle Sommerakademie.

The organization's underlying methodology combines scientific research from the University of Jena with practical adult-education application, delivered through in-person workshops, info-webinars, and the Glocal Campus learning platform for cross-institutional collaboration. It operates the wholly-owned Thüringer Zentrum für Interkulturelle Öffnung (since November 2018) as a coordination hub for Thuringian administrative institutions, and runs the government-backed Weltoffene Region Thüringens (WORT) project in partnership with Hochschule Schmalkalden (2022–2025).

The business model is a hybrid of fee-based course revenue, professional-services revenue from customized training and organizational consulting, tax-deductible donations (including the Jürgen-Bolten-Stipendium scholarship launched in 2025), and government/public-sector project grants. Distribution is direct via the organization's website, info-webinars, LinkedIn presence, and the annual Sommerakademie event, with go-to-market concentrated in Thuringia and the broader German market. The organization has been recognized with the Deutscher Bildungspreis, the E-Learning-Preis d-elina, and the 2025 Thüringer Demokratiepreis for the WORT project.

Name

interculture.de e.V.

Legal name

interculture.de e.V.

Website

https://interculture.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

interculture.de e.V. is a Jena-based German non-profit founded in 1995, offering certificate courses (IK Kompetenz, IK Trainer:in, IK Coach), consulting, training, and public-sector projects in intercultural competence for teams, executives, and Thuringian institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Education & Training

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Global HR, Mobility & Cross-Cultural People Ops Training (EDABAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Language & Cross-Cultural Training (BPACANAL), Education Access & Quality (International Development) (BPAGABAE)

Keywords

• Intercultural competence training
• Cross-cultural education
• Diversity consulting
• Organizational development
• Intercultural coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Jena

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Certificate Courses: Fee-based certificate programs including IK Kompetenz (Intercultural Competence), IK Trainer:in (Intercultural Trainer), and IK Coach, providing structured education in intercultural competence with pricing at 1,980.00 EUR for the foundational course.
2. Consulting & Training: Customized training sessions, coaching, and organizational development services for teams, executives, and institutions.
3. Donations & Sponsorships: Tax-deductible donations as a registered non-profit association (gemeinnütziger Verein). The Jürgen-Bolten-Stipendium accepts sponsorship at 1,980.00 EUR per scholarship recipient.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

interculture.de e.V. provides certificate courses (IK Kompetenz, IK Trainer:in, IK Coach), customized training, coaching, and organizational development services focused on intercultural competence for individuals, teams, executives, and public institutions. The organization combines continuing education with consulting and project work such as the WORT project and the Thüringer Zentrum für Interkulturelle Öffnung, grounded in research from the University of Jena.

Product overview

interculture.de e.V. offers a unified educational portfolio centered on intercultural competence development, comprising three main certificate courses (IK Kompetenz, IK Trainer:in, IK Coach), innovative training formats (Virtual Escape Room, Interkulturelles Training, Zukunfts-Labor), the Glocal Campus learning platform, the annual Interkulturelle Sommerakademie, the Jürgen-Bolten-Stipendium for talent support, and project-based initiatives (WORT project and Thüringer Zentrum für Interkulturelle Öffnung). The offerings combine scientifically grounded knowledge from the University of Jena's Intercultural Business Communication department with practical adult education applications, serving individuals, teams, organizations, and public institutions in Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Thüringer Zentrum für Interkulturelle Öffnung: Central contact, mediator, and companion for Thuringian administrative institutions and organizations seeking intercultural development, advising on diversity-oriented personnel and organizational development.
• Weltoffene Region Thüringens (WORT)
• Jürgen-Bolten-Stipendium

Products and services

• IK Kompetenz (Interkulturelle Kompetenz) Certificate Course A foundational certificate course providing structured intercultural competence training for individuals seeking to develop intercultural skills. Open to adult learners enrolling directly via the website.
• IK Trainer:in Certificate Course An advanced certificate course qualifying participants to deliver intercultural competence training themselves. Designed for individuals pursuing a professional trainer role in intercultural education.
• IK Coach Certificate Course A specialized certificate course enabling participants to provide coaching services with an intercultural focus. Targeted at individuals seeking to specialize in intercultural coaching practice.
• Interkulturelles Training (Intercultural Training) Customized intercultural training programs for teams and organizations, covering cultural sensitization, communication and collaboration, dealing with resistance, and leadership training. Adapted to organizational needs.
• Virtueller Escape Room (Virtual Escape Room) A virtual escape room experience that simulates intercultural situations, enabling teams to learn intercultural communication and problem-solving through collaborative gameplay.
• Zukunfts-Labor (Future Lab) A youth-focused program in which young people develop their own micro-projects, practice future skills, and experience real participation and impact through planning and implementing local project ideas.
• Glocal Campus An interactive learning and communication platform for cross-institutional collaboration and intercultural learning, provided as a service for organizations and groups.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hochschule Schmalkalden (University of Applied Sciences Schmalkalden)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022Strategic partnership for the WORT project (Weltoffene Region Thüringens) in South Thuringia, focusing on attracting, integrating, and retaining international skilled workers through participatory, holistic intercultural opening strategies.
• Friedrich-Schiller-Universität JenacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrigin relationship - interculture.de e.V. emerged from the Intercultural Business Communication department of University of Jena and maintains ongoing academic collaboration.
• Thüringer Ministerium für Justiz, Migration und VerbraucherschutzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding and support for the Thüringer Zentrum für Interkulturelle Öffnung, providing government backing for intercultural opening initiatives in Thuringia.
• Hochschule NordhausenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner institution collaborating on intercultural projects and initiatives.
• Zukunftswege OstminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting future-oriented pathways for eastern Germany.
• Demokratie lebenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal program partner supporting democratic participation and civic engagement initiatives.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• ViaLinguae (EF Education First - Germany operations): EF's German operations provide language and cultural training across Germany, comparable to interculture.de e.V. in audience and pedagogy but anchored to a global brand and broader language-learning portfolio.

Emerging players

• Babel Street (CultureWORKS): Provider of cultural intelligence and risk solutions, including intercultural training content for global workforces. Comparable in delivering intercultural training content but distinct in its data-and-analytics approach.

Direct peers

• DFS – Dialoge für Interkulturelle Kompetenz: Frankfurt-based provider of intercultural training, coaching, and consulting for businesses and public institutions in Germany. Direct comparable in product mix (training, coaching, organizational consulting) and target market (German organizations).
• Berlitz Corporation: Global leader in language training and intercultural communication, offering corporate intercultural training, coaching, and certification programs. Directly comparable to interculture.de e.V.'s certificate courses and corporate training offerings, though at significantly larger scale and global reach.
• Carl Duisberg Centren: German provider of language, intercultural, and professional training courses for individuals and organizations, headquartered in Cologne. Closely comparable as a German continuing-education specialist serving both individual learners and corporate clients.
• Trompenaars Hampden-Turner: Consultancy and training firm specializing in cross-cultural management and intercultural competence, founded by Fons Trompenaars. Comparable as a research-anchored intercultural training provider offering certification programs.
• RW3 CultureWizard: Intercultural training and global mobility platform offering e-learning, coaching, and consulting for multinational organizations. Comparable through its blended learning approach (digital platform + live training) and corporate-focused intercultural competence development.
• Kozai Group: Provider of intercultural training, global mobility services, and cross-cultural coaching for individuals and corporations. Comparable in delivering tiered intercultural training and coaching products to professionals relocating internationally.

Broad incumbents

• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit): German federal enterprise for international cooperation, running large-scale training and capacity-building programs globally. Overlaps with interculture.de e.V. in intercultural education for international integration contexts, but at much larger scale and with government-mandated scope.

Others

• SIETAR Deutschland: German chapter of the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research. Comparable as a German network advancing intercultural competence, though operating as a professional association rather than a course/training provider.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/interculture-de

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 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 interculture.de e.V.