What Sonophilia Foundation does

Sonophilia Foundation gemeinnützige GmbH is a German non-profit organization founded in 2015 and headquartered in Munich at Landshuter Allee 11 (c/o Haus des Stiftens). It is registered under HRB 258 737 with tax ID DE 351995063 and operates with a small team of 7 employees. Its mission is to advance and disseminate the scientific research of creativity across science, education, business, technology, culture, and society. The foundation does not sell commercial products; it is funded entirely by tax-deductible donations collected via PayPal, supplemented by grants and partnership contributions.

The foundation's offering consists of seven interconnected programs: (1) Sonophilia Gatherings — four proprietary event formats (Sonophilia Table, Salon, Spark, and the annual Creative Leadership Forum held at Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg) that convene cross-disciplinary participants; (2) Creativity Research & Stipends — annual research stipends of €1,500 each, past recipients including Maxi Becker (Insight Problem Solving) and Janet Rafner (Collective Creativity, Citizen Science and Hybrid Intelligence); (3) My Eureka World — a youth initiative developed with Human Unlimited that pairs children with accomplished creative mentors, debuted in March 2023 at Schloss Leopoldskron; (4) Publications — books such as 'Creativity Matters' distributed via Bod Verlag; (5) Matters.Global — a project mapping interconnected global problems; (6) the Sonophilia Supporters' Circle — a community membership program on Typeform; and (7) The Sonophilian Podcast — interview content on Spotify and Anchor.fm. Underlying technology is minimal: no commercial platform, no proprietary software, and no AI infrastructure; the foundation relies on standard web publishing, donation processing, and social media channels.

The go-to-market is community-led, with growth driven by word-of-mouth, event participation, and the expanding reach of its gatherings and publications. Strategic academic alliances with Professor Roger Beaty's Cognitive Neuroscience of Creativity Lab at Penn State University (announced January 2021), the Society for Neuroscience of Creativity (May 2021), the Lorentz Center of Leiden University (2025), and the Paris Brain Institute (2025) anchor the foundation's research credibility. Operational geographies span DACH (Germany, Austria), Benelux (Netherlands), Central Europe (Poland), France, and the United States. The foundation celebrated its 10th anniversary in November 2025 in Salzburg under founder/director Seda Röder and legal representative Dr. Matthias Röder.

Name

Sonophilia Foundation

Legal name

Sonophilia Foundation gemeinnützige GmbH

Website

https://sonophiliafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sonophilia Foundation is a Munich-based German non-profit (gemeinnützige GmbH) founded in 2015 that advances and disseminates scientific creativity research through four gathering formats, research stipends, youth mentorship (My Eureka World), publications, and a podcast, serving researchers, creative professionals, and children.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Research Organization

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

Keywords

• Creativity research
• Nonprofit foundation
• Research dissemination
• Creative education
• Community gatherings

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation operates entirely on donations, which are tax-deductible. Donations are collected via PayPal and support the foundation's activities including research stipends, gathering events, publications, and community programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sonophilia Foundation is a German non-profit organization that advances and disseminates the scientific research of creativity. It delivers its mission through research stipends for creativity scientists, four formats of cross-disciplinary gatherings, a youth mentorship initiative called My Eureka World, publications, the Matters.Global problem-mapping project, and a podcast series. All activities are funded by tax-deductible donations and offered free of charge to community participants.

Product overview

The Sonophilia Foundation operates as a non-profit organization that advances and disseminates the scientific research of creativity across science, education, business, technology, culture, and society. Its offering consists of multiple interconnected programs: (1) Sonophilia Gatherings — four distinct event formats (Sonophilia Table, Sonophilia Salon, Sonophilia Spark, and the annual Creative Leadership Forum) that connect researchers, artists, entrepreneurs, educators, and technologists; (2) Creativity Research & Stipends — financial grants supporting researchers in insight problem-solving and collective creativity; (3) My Eureka World — a youth initiative pairing children with accomplished mentors to nurture creative potential; (4) Publications — books and content disseminating creativity research; (5) Matters.Global — a project mapping global problems for creative solutions; (6) the Sonophilia Supporters' Circle — a community membership program; and (7) The Sonophilian Podcast — an interview series with creative thinkers. The foundation brings these initiatives together through its annual forum at Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sonophilia Gatherings: Four distinct formats connecting people from science, business, art, education, technology, and society: Sonophilia Table, Sonophilia Salon, Sonophilia Spark, and Creative Leadership Forum.
• The Sonophilian
• My Eureka World
• Eureka.World

Products and services

• Sonophilia Gatherings Four distinct gathering formats connecting people from science, business, art, education, technology, and society: Sonophilia Table (informal local gatherings), Sonophilia Salon (intimate standalone gatherings with curated talks, workshops, and artistic contributions), Sonophilia Spark (public Sonophilia programs within larger external events), and the Creative Leadership Forum (the main annual founder-led cross-disciplinary gathering at Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg).
• Creativity Research & Stipends Research stipends awarded to researchers working on creativity, including insight problem-solving and collective creativity. Each stipend is worth 1,500 euros, supporting field research in Germany and Austria.
• My Eureka World An initiative developed in partnership with Human Unlimited that helps children discover their Eureka moments by pairing them with accomplished mentors ('guides') to nurture their inner genius and inspire creative heroes of the future.
• Publications Books and publications disseminating the scientific research of creativity to a wider public, including the book 'Creativity Matters' featuring contributions from Sonophilia community members. Distributed via Buchshop Bod Verlag.
• Matters.Global A project that maps the interconnectedness of humanity's problems, restating and representing them in new ways to find creative solutions to complex global challenges.
• Sonophilia Supporters' Circle A community membership program of Sonophilians from different walks of life who believe creativity should be accessible to everyone. Members engage with the community, participate in projects, and support the foundation's mission. Membership is free and accessible via Typeform application.
• The Sonophilian Podcast A podcast series featuring interviews with Sonophilians exploring creativity, featuring conversations with artists, scientists, entrepreneurs, and other creative thinkers. Distributed on Spotify Podcasters and Anchor.fm.

Quantifiable outcome

• Two research stipend recipients per year advancing insight problem-solving, collective creativity, and learning sciences research.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Lorentz Center of Leiden UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Sonophilia Foundation supported a landmark Creative Cognition Workshop at the Lorentz Center in January 2025, advancing research exchange between creativity scientists.
• Paris Brain InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Host venue for Sonophilia Foundation participation at the Society for Neuroscience of Creativity Conference in Paris, May 2025, featuring the 'Creativity, Brains & Breakfast' event.
• Human UnlimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership for the My Eureka World initiative, which connects children with successful creative mentors. First program held March 2023 at Schloss Leopoldskron. The initiative aims to help children discover their Eureka moments and bring creativity to the forefront of education.
• Society for Neuroscience of Creativity (SfNc)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 May 2021Partnership announced in May 2021 to advance the scientific study of creativity. The foundation participated in the SfNc Conference in Paris (May 2025) with a 'Creativity, Brains & Breakfast' event. Collaboration focuses on disseminating neuroscience of creativity research to broader audiences.
• IST University of Applied SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 January 2021Series of interactive talks for the international university community exploring creativity in culture, business, and problem-solving. Event held February 9, 2021 with panel of Sonophilia Foundation experts including founder Seda Röder and university professor Dr. Thomas Merz.
• Professor Roger Beaty and Cognitive Neuroscience of Creativity Lab at Penn State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 January 2021Collaboration announced January 2021 to enable field applications and disseminate scientific research of creativity to broader public. Goals include hosting online/analogue meetings and workshops, granting scholarships for field research in Germany and Austria, and producing collaborative publications. Professor Beaty's lab uses neuroimaging to understand creative thinking.
• TalenteRaumminorOthers · 1 January 2017Non-profit organization in Salzburg founded in 2009 for talented children and adolescents. Partnered with My Eureka World for inaugural program, providing student participants from their community.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Burning Man Project: Nonprofit that produces a large-scale creative gathering and supports affiliated arts and community programs globally. Comparable to Sonophilia in mission-driven event production, community-building around creativity, and donor-funded arts programming.
• European Cultural Foundation: Amsterdam-based grantmaking foundation supporting arts, culture, and creative civic participation across Europe. Directly comparable as a European arts/culture grantmaker that funds cross-border creative projects and convenes practitioners through events and publications.
• Sundance Institute: US-based nonprofit foundation supporting independent storytelling and creative artists through grants, labs, and festivals. Directly comparable to Sonophilia as a grantmaking foundation focused on cultivating creative talent and producing public-facing cultural programming across disciplines.
• TED (TED Foundation): Nonprofit media organization that hosts conferences and disseminates ideas through talks and podcasts. Comparable to Sonophilia's gatherings (Creative Leadership Forum) and Sonophilian podcast in format, audience, and cross-disciplinary content mission centered on ideas worth spreading.
• Klaus J. Jacobs Foundation: Swiss-based foundation investing in child and youth development through research and practice, with significant programs in learning sciences. Comparable to Sonophilia as a German-speaking-region foundation funding cognitive/educational research and youth programs with European convening activities.

Emerging players

• The Pollination Project: US-based foundation that awards small daily grants (~$1,000) to social-change and creative projects globally. Comparable to Sonophilia's small per-recipient stipend model and grassroots grantmaking approach, though operating at a different thematic focus.
• Ashoka: Global nonprofit supporting social entrepreneurs and changemakers through fellowships, convenings, and storytelling. Comparable as a mission-driven foundation that combines grantmaking, community building, and public dissemination — though Ashoka focuses on social entrepreneurship rather than creativity research per se.

Broad incumbents

• Adobe Foundation: Corporate foundation of Adobe supporting creativity and education through grants and programs such as Adobe Creativity Scholarships. Comparable in creativity-education mission but with vastly greater resources, brand reach, and US/global scale compared to Sonophilia.

Regional players

• Rubin Museum of Art: New York-based nonprofit museum combining art exhibition with research and programming on Himalayan culture and creativity. Comparable as a cultural nonprofit that pairs research dissemination with public programming and convening, though operating at larger institutional scale and different geographic focus.

Others

• International Centre for Studies in Creativity (ICSC): Academic center at SUNY Buffalo State that conducts creativity research, offers graduate programs, and publishes on the science of creativity. Comparable to Sonophilia's research and dissemination mission around creativity science, though as an academic department rather than a grantmaking foundation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sonophilia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sonophilia Foundation