kēpos
KEPOS is a Mannheim-based professional services firm founded in 2008 that delivers career development coaching, workshops, and organizational consulting to scientists and German universities and research institutes.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersMannheim, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What kēpos does
KEPOS is a Mannheim-based professional services firm founded in 2008 by Barbara Hoffbauer that specializes in career development, coaching, and organizational consulting for scientists — primarily doctoral students, postdocs, and science managers at German universities and research institutes. The firm operates a small network of trainers (~12 people total) who hold PhDs in disciplines such as chemistry, biology, and media studies, supplemented by senior HR and management experience from a DAX 30 company and the German public sector. Its offering spans four integrated service lines: (1) Seminars & Workshops on career orientation, application skills, leadership, communication, management methods, work-life balance, and diversity; (2) Coaching & Consulting for individual career transitions and onboarding; (3) Talks and keynote presentations in German or English; and (4) Organizational Development for change processes, retreat facilitation, and team building. The core "technology" is the team's domain expertise and HR development methodology rather than any software platform or proprietary tooling. There are no APIs, integrations, digital products, or mobile apps. Revenue is generated through fee-based, custom-scoped engagements (workshops, coaching sessions, organizational consulting) sold directly to research institutions and individual scientists across Germany. Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven: the firm engages university career services and graduate centers, participates in academic career events, and attends industry conferences such as the Petersberger Trainertage. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is structured on a quote basis. KEPOS is privately held, bootstrapped, and operates as an independent network without external investors, parent company, or public funding.
kēpos firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- kēpos
- Legal name
- KEPOS
- Website
- https://kepos.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- KEPOS is a Mannheim-based professional services firm founded in 2008 that delivers career development coaching, workshops, and organizational consulting to scientists and German universities and research institutes.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
kēpos industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Training and Coaching Services
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate & Leadership Development (BPACANAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Performance Management & Coaching Training (EDABAIAB), DEI, Inclusive Leadership & Cultural Intelligence Coaching (EDABANAJ)
Keywords
Where kēpos is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mannheim
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
kēpos business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Training and Workshops: Seminars and workshops for young scientists covering career orientation, job application, leadership, career planning, communication, management methods, work-life balance, and diversity. Targeted at doctoral students, postdocs, and science managers.
- Coaching and Consulting: Individual advice sessions for career goals, planning next steps in academic careers, preparing for application phases, and developing alternative career options for experienced scientists.
- Talks and Presentations: Presentations in German or English on career planning for young scientists, leadership styles, personality traits, and gender and diversity issues.
- Organizational Consulting: Introduction of personnel development tools for young scientists, systematic talent management, analysis and development of change processes in scientific organizations, and facilitation of team building and networking events.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
kēpos product offering
Product offeringCore offering
KEPOS delivers career development, coaching, training, and organizational consulting services specifically for scientists and research institutions in Germany. The firm runs in-person and virtual workshops covering career planning, applications, leadership, communication, diversity, and management methods, complemented by individual coaching, keynote talks, and organizational change facilitation for research groups and academic departments.
Product overview
KEPOS is a professional development and coaching services company that offers a unified portfolio of human-centric services for scientists and research institutions. The core offering consists of four integrated service lines: (1) Seminars & Workshops for group-based skill development, (2) Coaching & Consulting for individualized career support, (3) Talks for keynote and educational presentations, and (4) Organizational Development for change facilitation. Workshop topics are organized into modules covering Career Development, Team-building & Leadership, and Communication & Diversity, with specific topic workshops also available. Services are delivered in-person and virtually, targeting doctoral students, postdocs, science managers, and organizations across German research institutions and universities since 2008.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Seminare & Workshops (Seminars & Workshops) In-person and virtual workshops for doctoral students, postdocs, and science managers covering career orientation, job applications, leadership, communication, management methods, work-life balance, and diversity.
- Coaching & Beratung (Coaching & Consulting) One-on-one career counseling, professional reorientation support, application preparation, interview and assessment center coaching, and onboarding assistance for scientists considering career transitions.
- Vorträge (Talks) Keynote-style presentations in German or English on career planning for early-career researchers, leadership styles, personality traits, and gender and diversity issues, delivered at client events.
- Organisationsentwicklung (Organizational Development) Change process facilitation, retreat accompaniment, event moderation, and team development for research groups, departments, and leadership teams at scientific organizations.
Companies that use kēpos
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
kēpos technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
kēpos partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
kēpos competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- CoachHub: Berlin-based digital coaching platform providing 1:1 coaching across leadership, career, and professional development topics to enterprises globally. Comparable as a coaching and professional development provider, but operates at much larger scale and across all professions rather than focusing on scientists.
- LHH (Lee Hecht Harrison): Career transition, leadership development, and talent mobility firm within the Adecco Group, delivering outplacement, coaching, and organizational consulting. Comparable in career coaching and organizational consulting offerings, but typically engaged by corporations undergoing restructuring rather than research institutions.
- Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm offering executive search, leadership development, and career coaching services to enterprises. Overlaps with KEPOS's leadership development and organizational consulting lines, but serves a broader executive/enterprise audience rather than the early-career scientist niche.
- Right Management (Adecco): Career management and outplacement division of Adecco, offering career transition services, leadership development, and organizational consulting. Comparable in coaching and organizational consulting, with a German presence that competes for similar training budgets, though not specialized in the scientific audience.
Direct peers
- Nature Careers (Springer Nature): Springer Nature's dedicated career platform for scientists, offering job listings, career advice columns, and career-focused events for PhDs and postdocs globally. Directly comparable to KEPOS in audience (early-career researchers) and content (career planning, application skills), though at much larger global scale.
- Cheeky Scientist: Specialized training and coaching firm helping PhDs transition from academia into industry, with workshops, online courses, and 1:1 coaching. Closely matches KEPOS's core offering of career transition support for scientists, differing mainly in geography (Cheeky Scientist is primarily US-focused) and digital-first delivery model.
Regional players
- Staufen AG: German consulting firm specializing in operational excellence, lean management, and organizational transformation for industrial and technology clients. Comparable as a German-headquartered training and organizational consulting provider with workshops and change management offerings, though focused on manufacturing/industry rather than scientific institutions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
kēpos social profiles
Digital presencekēpos financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
kēpos leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
kēpos funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
kēpos M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about kēpos
What does kēpos do?
KEPOS delivers career development, coaching, training, and organizational consulting services specifically for scientists and research institutions in Germany. The firm runs in-person and virtual workshops covering career planning, applications, leadership, communication, diversity, and management methods, complemented by individual coaching, keynote talks, and organizational change facilitation for research groups and academic departments.
Is kēpos a public or private company?
kēpos is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was kēpos founded?
kēpos was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is kēpos based?
kēpos is headquartered in Mannheim, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does kēpos make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Training and Workshops are the primary driver. The others are coaching and Consulting, talks and Presentations and organizational Consulting.
Who are kēpos's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are CoachHub, LHH (Lee Hecht Harrison), Korn Ferry and Right Management (Adecco). Direct peers are Nature Careers (Springer Nature) and Cheeky Scientist. Staufen AG is listed as a regional player.
Does kēpos have an API?
No public API is recorded for kēpos.
What industry is kēpos in?
kēpos's product category is Professional Training and Coaching Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACANAA, Corporate & Leadership Development, with a secondary code of EDABAIAB, Performance Management & Coaching Training. Its NAICS code is 61143 and its SIC code is 8742.