Social Talks
Social Talks is a Danish non-profit association that delivers workplace-based professional development—hybrid seminars, onboarding programs, leadership networks, and a library of 80+ practice talks—for child welfare, family services, and youth services practitioners in Danish municipalities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersCopenhagen V, Denmark
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Social Talks does
Social Talks is a Danish non-profit association (almennyttig forening) founded in 2022 and headquartered at Fishtank in Copenhagen's Meatpacking District. The organization develops and delivers workplace-based professional development for child welfare, family services, and youth services practitioners across Danish municipalities, specifically targeting the practical-training gap that traditional continuing education fails to address and the high staff turnover afflicting these sectors.
Its core offering is a hybrid seminar lasting 2 hours 45 minutes, combining streamed expert talks with facilitated group discussions at client workplaces. The content backbone is a library of over 80 (expandable to roughly 150 deployable) practice-near video talks, supported by proprietary methodology including the Transfertrappen (Transfer Ladder) for ensuring knowledge transfer to workplace practice and the Facilitatorskole (Facilitator School) for training internal facilitators. Supporting paid products include annual onboarding packages for pedagogical assistants (10,000 DKK/year), hybrid seminars at 3,000 DKK per group, leadership networks for middle managers at 12,500 DKK per participant, specialized courses on conflict management and school absenteeism, and custom enterprise programs co-developed with municipal clients.
Revenue is generated through a mixed freemium-plus-paid model: free membership unlocks the talk library, while paid seminars, training subscriptions, leadership networks, custom municipal contracts, and donations drive monetization. Go-to-market is event-driven and content-led, using article publishing, debate pieces in Danish professional media such as Altinget, LinkedIn and YouTube distribution, and Zoom-based seminar delivery. The technology stack is lightweight—Bambora for payments, Mailchimp for email, Zoom for delivery, YouTube for content—reflecting a service-driven model rather than a software platform. Leadership rests with founder-director Niels Christian Barkholt alongside a digital concept developer and a professional storyteller, with an unpaid five-person board.
Social Talks firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Social Talks
- Legal name
- Social Talks
- Website
- https://socialtalks.dk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Social Talks is a Danish non-profit association that delivers workplace-based professional development—hybrid seminars, onboarding programs, leadership networks, and a library of 80+ practice talks—for child welfare, family services, and youth services practitioners in Danish municipalities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Social Talks industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Development Training
- NAICS
- Civic and Social Organizations (8134)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Peer Feedback, Discussion Forums & Social Learning Communities (EDAFAGAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Conversation Clubs & Speaking Practice Groups (EDAMAFAB), Adult/Public Speaking Clubs & Community Organizations (EDAMAOAI)
Keywords
Where Social Talks is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Copenhagen V
- HQ country
- Denmark
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Social Talks business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Free membership providing access to talks library and learning materials. Revenue generated through premium services rather than membership fees.
- Hybrid Seminars: Paid seminars priced at 3,000 DKK per group session, covering topics like violence prevention, documentation practices, and authority in schools.
- Onboarding and Training Programs: Customized onboarding and training programs for municipalities and institutions, including video-based packages for pedagogical assistants (10,000 DKK/year) and social worker onboarding programs.
- Leadership Networks: Leadership network programs for middle managers at 12,500 DKK per participant, with 5 meetings over 2024 covering child welfare law implementation.
- Donations: The organization accepts donations to support its non-profit mission of professional development in welfare and social work.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Free membership with access to basic talks |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hybrid Seminar - Group pricing |
| Subscription | Annual | Onboarding package for pedagogical assistants |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Leadership Network per participant |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom onboarding programs for municipalities |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Social Talks product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Social Talks delivers collective workplace-based learning for welfare and social work professionals in Danish municipalities through hybrid seminars that combine streamed expert video talks with facilitated group discussions. The association offers an 80+ video talks library available via free membership, paid hybrid seminars, leadership networks for middle managers, and tailored onboarding programs for pedagogical assistants and newly graduated social workers.
Product overview
Social Talks is a non-profit association offering a collective learning concept for professionals in welfare and social work. The core offerings include: (1) Hybridseminar - a 2-hour 45-minute hybrid seminar format combining streamed expert talks with facilitated group discussions; (2) Talks - over 80 video-based knowledge presentations on social work practice topics; (3) Social Talks Medlemskab - free membership providing access to talks and learning materials. Supporting products include: Facilitatorskole for training seminar facilitators; Ledernetværk leadership networks for middle managers; Onboarding- og oplæringsprogram for pædagogmedhjælpere and Oplæringsprogram for nyuddannede socialrådgivere for workplace training; Faglig Formiddag professional morning seminars; 2-dages kursus om konflikthåndtering and Kursus: Når hjælpen ikke hjælper specialized courses; and Events for special dialogue sessions. The ecosystem is supported by the Transfertrappen methodology for learning transfer.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Social Talks Medlemskab (Membership) Free membership program providing access to over 80 talks on current themes and complex challenges in social work practice, along with video content, tools, and learning materials for welfare professionals.
- Hybridseminar A 2-hour 45-minute hybrid seminar format that combines online streaming of expert talks with facilitated group discussions, enabling work teams to participate together at their workplace via Zoom and engage in structured conversations and Q&A with speakers.
- Talks Library A library of over 80 video-based knowledge presentations featuring practitioners sharing experiences and insights on current topics in social work with children, youth, and families, available to members.
- Faglig Formiddag (Professional Morning Seminar) Professional morning seminars providing focused learning sessions on specific topics related to social work practice.
- Facilitatorskole (Facilitator School) Training program for organizational facilitators who guide group discussions during hybrid seminars, including an online course of approximately 45-60 minutes and a facilitator manual.
- Ledernetværk (Leadership Network) Leadership networks for middle managers across child and youth services, meeting multiple times per year to share experiences and implement Barnets Lov (The Child Act), available in physical and online formats across different Danish regions.
- Onboarding and Training Program for Pedagogical Assistants Video-based annual onboarding package for pedagogical assistants with 6 practice-oriented videos covering topics like attachment-based pedagogy, child development, and supporting children in vulnerable positions, including reflection questions and facilitator training.
- Training Program for Newly Graduated Social Workers Custom training program for newly graduated social workers including video content on practical skills, conversation concepts for group learning, and support for onboarding over 6 months to 1 year, developed in collaboration with municipalities such as Ringsted Kommune.
- 2-day Course on Conflict Management Two-day course for managers on conflict management and constructive handling of resistance in daily work, led by conflict mediator Mette Madelaire.
- Course: When Help Doesn't Help (Når hjælpen ikke hjælper) Three-day course on school absenteeism through a metacognitive perspective, teaching practitioners to work with the thought processes and attention strategies that maintain student anxiety and absence.
Quantifiable outcome
- High participant satisfaction: 94% of participants report high relevance of talks to their practice
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Social Talks
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Social Talks technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature4 records
Social Talks partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Fishtank (Copenhagen Municipality)coreFishtank is a cross-disciplinary professional community initiated by Copenhagen Municipality's Children and Youth Service (Borgercenter Børn og Unge). Social Talks is hosted at Fishtank's location in Copenhagen's meat packing district. The partnership provides a collaborative environment for developing and delivering professional development content.
- Ringsted Kommune (Ringsted Municipality)flagshipRingsted Municipality's Children and Family department partnered with Social Talks to develop a customized onboarding and training program for new employees and newly graduated social workers. This collaboration serves as a case study for similar programs in other municipalities.
- Mette Madelaire (Conflict Mediator)corePartnership with experienced conflict mediator Mette Madelaire to develop practical video materials on conflict management for professionals. Mette also provides a 2-day course on working with people in conflict situations and facilitating meetings where resistance arises.
- CP Danmark, Bevica Fonden, and Elsass FondenminorCollaboration to create the 'Unormale Mennesker' (Unnormal People) event project addressing diversity and disability awareness in schools. Event hosted at Rødkilde Gymnasium with talks by individuals sharing experiences with disability and diversity.
- Center for Voldsforebyggelse (Center for Violence Prevention)corePartnership to address violence against women in Denmark by convening a national platform meeting to discuss prevention strategies and raise awareness about the issue.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Social Talks competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Mandag Morgen: Mandag Morgen is a Danish thought leadership and learning platform focused on public sector innovation and leadership development. It addresses a similar municipal and welfare decision-maker audience with research, events, and articles, making it an adjacent learning provider rather than a direct competitor in practitioner training.
- Altinget: Altinget is a Danish policy media outlet that publishes Social Talks' debate articles and reaches the same welfare-policy decision-maker audience. While primarily a news and policy platform rather than a learning provider, it functions as a distribution and thought leadership channel that overlaps with Social Talks' GTM motion.
- Dansk Socialrådgiverforening: Dansk Socialrådgiverforening (the Danish Association of Social Workers) is the national professional association for social workers where founder Niels Christian Barkholt served as vice-chairman. It provides some continuing education and convenes the same practitioner audience as Social Talks, making it both a partner and adjacent learning provider rather than a direct competitor.
Broad incumbents
- Skillsoft: Skillsoft provides enterprise learning content with a strong public sector and human services practice. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps with Social Talks in serving municipal and government workforce development but lacks Social Talks' curated Danish-language welfare expertise and live peer-learning formats.
- Udemy Business: Udemy Business is an enterprise learning platform with thousands of courses across soft skills, leadership, and professional development. It competes for corporate and public sector L&D budgets but offers marketplace-driven generic content rather than Social Talks' curated, practice-near Danish welfare expertise.
- Coursera: Coursera partners with universities to deliver online courses including social work specializations. It competes for the same continuing education budgets but operates at global scale with academic content, contrasting with Social Talks' practice-near, Danish-specific, practitioner-led content and peer learning.
- LinkedIn Learning: LinkedIn Learning is a broad professional development video platform offering thousands of courses across business, tech, and creative fields. It competes for the same enterprise training budgets as Social Talks but lacks Social Talks' depth in Danish municipal welfare practice and its peer-mediated learning format.
Direct peers
- TED: TED pioneered the short-form expert talk format that Social Talks' 'Talks' library directly mirrors. Both deliver practitioner-led video content on social and intellectual topics, distributed via free online access. TED operates at global scale while Social Talks focuses on Danish welfare practice, but the core delivery mechanism (recorded talks by named experts) is closely aligned.
- MasterClass: MasterClass sells premium video-based courses taught by named experts, with a freemium sampling model and high production values. Social Talks' 'Talks' library uses the same expert-talks-on-camera format but targets a niche professional audience (Danish welfare practitioners) rather than mass-market consumer interests.
- Wondrium: Wondrium (formerly The Great Courses) distributes expert-led educational video content via subscription. Its model of converting expert knowledge into structured video lectures aligns closely with Social Talks' library of 80+ talks and its focus on practitioner-led knowledge transfer for a professional audience.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Social Talks social profiles
Digital presenceSocial Talks financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Social Talks leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Social Talks funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Social Talks 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 Social Talks
What does Social Talks do?
Social Talks delivers collective workplace-based learning for welfare and social work professionals in Danish municipalities through hybrid seminars that combine streamed expert video talks with facilitated group discussions. The association offers an 80+ video talks library available via free membership, paid hybrid seminars, leadership networks for middle managers, and tailored onboarding programs for pedagogical assistants and newly graduated social workers.
Is Social Talks a public or private company?
Social Talks is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Social Talks founded?
Social Talks was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Social Talks based?
Social Talks is headquartered in Copenhagen V, Denmark, in the Europe region.
How does Social Talks make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are hybrid Seminars, onboarding and Training Programs, leadership Networks and donations.
Who are Social Talks's main competitors?
Others on record are Mandag Morgen, Altinget and Dansk Socialrådgiverforening. Broad incumbents are Skillsoft, Udemy Business, Coursera and LinkedIn Learning. Direct peers are TED, MasterClass and Wondrium.
Does Social Talks have an API?
No public API is recorded for Social Talks.
What industry is Social Talks in?
Social Talks's product category is Professional Development Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAGAH, Peer Feedback, Discussion Forums & Social Learning Communities, with a secondary code of EDAMAFAB, Conversation Clubs & Speaking Practice Groups. Its NAICS code is 8134 and its SIC code is 8600.