Wirtschaftsförderung Oberbergischer Kreis

What Wirtschaftsförderung Oberbergischer Kreis does

Wirtschaftsförderung Oberbergischer Kreis is the official economic development agency of the Oberbergischer Kreis district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, headquartered in Gummersbach. It operates as an integral department of the district administration under the authority of Der Landrat, delivering free, confidential, and independent advisory services to approximately 16,000 regional companies across 13 municipalities and to private individuals. Its service portfolio spans startup consulting, digitalization advisory, skilled-worker recruitment and retention, grant/funding advisory (NRW.BANK, KfW, ZIM, EU programs), sustainability consulting, succession planning, and broadband/mobile-network coordination. A core function is operating the Kontaktstelle Wirtschaft — a single point of contact that routes business inquiries across all district government departments under TÜV-audited service-level commitments.

The agency does not develop or sell commercial technology products; its underlying "platform" is a curated set of managed networks and partnerships. These include FachKraftWerk Oberberg (13-partner skilled-worker coalition), KIO Kunststoffinitiative Oberberg e.V. (plastics value-chain association founded 2009), IT-Forum Oberberg (47-member IT network), formel f (~500-member women's business lounge), WoMan@Work (career reintegration portal), InnovationHub Bergisches RheinLand, TrendAuto2030plus (automotive transformation), and the TH Köln Campus Gummersbach academic partnership (5,000+ students). Communications channels include a monthly newsletter, a 19+ episode podcast series, events such as DigitalXchange and KMUp, and a Facebook presence.

The business model is fully non-commercial: there is no revenue from service fees, no product pricing, and no external funding rounds. All operating costs are funded through the Oberbergischer Kreis district government budget. The leadership team consists of six named specialists covering skilled-worker development, startup/digitalization consulting, the Kontaktstelle Wirtschaft and KIO management, sustainability/resource efficiency, and broadband/mobile coordination. The entity has earned the RAL-Gütezeichen "Mittelstandsorientierte Kommunalverwaltung" and the "Großer Preis des Mittelstandes – Kommune des Jahres" recognition from the Oskar Patzelt Stiftung.

Name

Wirtschaftsförderung Oberbergischer Kreis

Legal name

Wirtschaftsförderung Oberbergischer Kreis

Website

https://wf-obk.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The official economic development agency of the Oberbergischer Kreis district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, providing free advisory services, managed industry networks, and public-funding facilitation to roughly 16,000 regional companies and private individuals across 13 municipalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gummersbach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Public Funding (District Budget): Funded by the Oberbergischer Kreis district government budget. Services are provided free of charge to businesses and private individuals in the region. No commercial revenue generation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Wirtschaftsförderung Oberbergischer Kreis is a government economic development agency providing free, confidential, and independent advisory services to businesses and private individuals in the Oberbergischer Kreis district of North Rhine-Westphalia. Its core offerings include startup consulting, digitalization advisory, skilled worker recruitment support, funding program facilitation (NRW.BANK, KfW, ZIM, EU programs), sustainability consulting, broadband expansion coordination, and network facilitation across regional industry clusters. All services are provided free of charge, funded through the Oberbergischer Kreis district government budget.

Product overview

Wirtschaftsförderung Oberbergischer Kreis is a government economic development agency providing advisory services, networking platforms, and coordination support for businesses in the Oberberg region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The organization offers a portfolio of consulting services including startup/entrepreneurship consulting (Existenzgründungsberatung), digitalization advisory (Digitalisierungsberatung), skilled worker retention programs (Fachkräftesicherung), grant advisory (Fördermittelberatung), and sustainability consulting (Nachhaltiges Wirtschaften). These services are supported by several branded networks: FachKraftWerk Oberberg (skilled worker network), KIO Kunststoffinitiative Oberberg (plastics industry network), formel f (women's business lounge), WoMan@Work (career reintegration network), and IT-Forum Oberberg (IT sector network). Additional offerings include broadband/mobile coordination (Breitbandausbau-Koordination), a single-point business contact service (Kontaktstelle Wirtschaft), a podcast series, and a monthly newsletter. The organization does not develop or sell commercial software products but instead functions as a public service hub connecting businesses with resources, funding opportunities, and regional networks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FachKraftWerk Oberberg: A network of 13 partners supporting regional companies with skilled worker recruitment and retention.
• KIO - Kunststoff Initiative Oberberg e.V.
• formel f - Die Frauen-Wirtschafts-Lounge
• WoMan@Work
• IT-Forum Oberberg
• Wirtschaftsförderung Podcast

Quantifiable outcome

• Coordinated broadband expansion covering approximately 13,000 private addresses with minimum 50 Mbit/s for all, 81% receiving 100 Mbit/s, 332 businesses and 53 schools with direct fiber connections

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FachKraftWerk OberbergcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of 12 partners including Oberbergischer Kreis, IHK Köln, HWK Köln, Agentur für Arbeit, Jobcenter Oberberg, employers' association, trade union (IG Metall), university (TH Köln), and other regional organizations working together on skilled worker recruitment and retention. Managed by the Wirtschaftsförderung.
• KIO Kunststoffinitiative Oberberg e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompany-driven association of the entire plastics value chain from Oberberg and neighboring regions. Business management is performed by the Wirtschaftsförderung des Oberbergischen Kreises, while the elected board is composed of member companies.
• IT-Forum OberbergcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness network with 47 members from industry, institutions, vocational colleges, and TH Köln Campus Gummersbach. Focuses on linking IT providers and users, establishing a regional marketplace, and supporting broadband expansion.
• InnovationHub Bergisches RheinLand e.V. (InnoHub)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional innovation network bringing together small and medium-sized enterprises, research institutions, and technology providers. Organizes events including DigitalXchange and supports digital transformation and Industry 4.0 initiatives.
• Gesundheitsregion Köln-Bonn e.V. (HRCB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the NRW state health industry cluster. Network of science, research, economy, and healthcare sectors working together on healthcare market opportunities.
• Region Köln/Bonn e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional association for strengthening the economic position of the Cologne/Bonn region. Works with subsidiary Cologne Bonn Business (CBB) on international location marketing.
• formel f - Frauen-Wirtschafts-LoungecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of approximately 500 successful female entrepreneurs and executives under the patronage of the district administrator. Offers regular events, workshops, networking evenings, and support for women entering self-employment.
• WoMan@WorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInformation portal addressing work-life balance topics including career re-entry after childcare or caregiving responsibilities. Provides guidance and connects individuals with advisory services in the Oberbergischer Kreis.
• NRW.BANKcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerState development bank of North Rhine-Westphalia providing financing programs promoted by the Wirtschaftsförderung to businesses in the region, including NRW.BANK.Impuls KI, Mittelstandskredit, Universalkredit, and MittelstandsINKUBATOR NRW.
• KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerGerman development bank providing favorable loans for businesses, including KfW-Unternehmerkredit, KfW-Unternehmerkredit Plus, and ERP-Innovationsprogramm, which are promoted and facilitated through the Wirtschaftsförderung.
• ZIM (Zentrales Innovationsprogramm Mittelstand)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerFederal innovation program for SMEs providing grants for R&D projects. The Wirtschaftsförderung promotes ZIM and supports companies with applications and network building.
• TrendAuto2030pluscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransformation network for the automotive and supplier industry in the Aachen-Bonn-Köln-Gummersbach region. Supports companies in strategic implementation of transformation processes related to electromobility and automotive industry changes.
• Technische Hochschule Köln - Campus GummersbachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity campus in Gummersbach with over 5,000 students. Key partner for talent development, research collaboration, and knowledge transfer between academia and regional businesses.
• Bergisches Energie- und Ressourcenzentrum (BERZ/:metabolon)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert network for sustainable energy solutions providing consultation services on energy supply, renewable energies, and resource efficiency for companies in the Oberbergischer Kreis.
• IHK Köln (Industrie- und Handelskammer)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChamber of Industry and Commerce for Cologne, with a local office in Oberberg. Cooperates on vocational training, business consulting, and skilled worker initiatives.
• Agentur für Arbeit Bergisch GladbachcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFederal Employment Agency office serving the region. Partner in FachKraftWerk for job placement, apprenticeship matching, and career counseling services.
• eurobits e.V.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerIT security cluster operating the NIS2-Anlaufstelle NRW (NIS2 contact point) providing free cybersecurity consulting for small and medium-sized enterprises in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart GmbH: Regional economic development agency serving the Stuttgart metropolitan area. Directly comparable as a public-sector Wirtschaftsförderung providing free advisory services, funding guidance, and skilled-worker/network programs to regional SMEs — same business model, same target segments, same revenue structure (public budget).
• Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie GmbH: State-owned economic development and technology marketing agency for Berlin. Operates the same public-sector model of free business consulting, funding advisory, cluster development, and skilled-worker attraction — directly comparable in mandate and service portfolio, just at a larger city-state scale.
• Wirtschaftsförderung Frankfurt GmbH: Municipal economic development agency for Frankfurt am Main. Closely comparable in structure and service mix (free business advisory, startup support, international location marketing, funding guidance), differing primarily in serving an urban financial-services-heavy economy versus Oberberg's industrial Mittelstand.
• Hessen Trade & Invest GmbH (HTAI): State-owned economic development agency for Hessen. Performs identical functions to the subject company (SME consulting, innovation funding advisory, cluster management, skilled-worker initiatives) but at state level — directly comparable in operating model and revenue structure.
• Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen GmbH (WFS): State-owned economic development company of Saxony. Same public mandate and service architecture as the subject company, supporting SMEs with consulting, funding guidance, and cluster development — comparable across all dimensions except geographic.
• Metropolregion Rheinland GmbH: Public economic development entity covering the Rhineland metropolitan region, overlapping the same NRW geography as the subject. Same public mandate, same advisory-service and network-coordination role, with a broader geographic footprint that makes it both a peer and a potential coordination partner.
• Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen GmbH (WFB): Municipal economic development agency for the city-state of Bremen. Directly comparable as a publicly owned Wirtschaftsförderung providing free business advisory, startup support, and location-marketing services to regional SMEs.
• Hamburg Invest Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft mbH: City-state economic development agency for Hamburg. Same public-sector mandate of attracting businesses, supporting SMEs, and coordinating clusters; comparable service portfolio (consulting, funding advisory, location marketing) with a stronger international-investor focus.

Broad incumbents

• IHK Köln (Industrie- und Handelskammer zu Köln): Statutory Chamber of Industry and Commerce covering Cologne and Oberbergischer Kreis. Overlaps with the subject company on vocational training, business consulting, and skilled-worker initiatives (it is a partner in FachKraftWerk Oberberg), but operates on a broader industry-wide mandate with compulsory membership — a broader incumbent rather than a niche specialist.

Regional players

• NRW.Global Business GmbH: State-owned foreign direct investment agency for North Rhine-Westphalia, operating in the same NRW territory as the subject company. Comparable mandate around attracting businesses and supporting economic development, but focused specifically on international investors rather than the regional SME base, so it is more of a complement than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/facebook
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wf-obk

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Wirtschaftsförderung Oberbergischer Kreis