youCcom smartLion GmbH

What youCcom smartLion GmbH does

youCcom smartLion GmbH is a privately held German B2B consulting firm founded in 2015 and headquartered in Essen, specializing in organizational development and change management. The company combines a proprietary, legally protected holistic organizational model with the smartDecision Cockpit, a software platform that provides role-based access, benchmarking data, workflow tracking, and automated reporting across organizational levels. Its core offering centers on a structured 10-week consulting process — from organizational diagnosis to measure derivation, implementation tracking, and impact control — supported by modules including the GBpsych psychosocial risk assessment tool and a 360-degree feedback instrument for leadership development.

The firm serves mid-market to large enterprise clients across manufacturing, metal, electronics, environmental services, and cultural/educational institutions (including Landbell AG and Goethe-Institut), as well as German hospitals undergoing KHZG-driven digital transformation. It also delivers change-management coaching to SMEs in North Rhine-Westphalia through government-subsidized programs (INQA-Coaching, Fit für die Zukunft, Coach2Change) that cover 80% of consulting fees. Revenue is generated primarily through custom-quoted professional services engagements, with software access to the smartDecision Cockpit embedded in or layered on top of consulting work.

The company markets itself through content-led thought leadership anchored by CEO Karsten Steffgen, an extensive article library, a free downloadable Management Guide, and participation in industry bodies including Wirtschaftsrat Deutschland and Offensive Mittelstand. With 7 employees, youCcom operates as a boutique consultancy that has completed over 400 projects reaching 200,000+ employees and 4,000+ executives across 250+ organizations over a decade.

Name

youCcom smartLion GmbH

Legal name

smartLion GmbH

Website

https://youccom.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

youCcom smartLion GmbH is a German boutique B2B consultancy that delivers organizational development and change management services via its proprietary smartDecision Cockpit platform, serving mid-market to large enterprises across manufacturing, healthcare, and SME segments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organizational Development Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Change Management & Transformation Consulting (BPAHAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organization Design & Change Management Consulting (BPAHACAD), Organization Design & Restructuring (BPACAJAB)

Keywords

• Organizational development consulting
• Change management services
• Psychological risk assessment
• Leadership development tools
• Digital transformation advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Essen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Organizational Development Consulting Projects: Core consulting engagements in organizational development and change management. Projects follow a structured 10-week core process: organizational diagnosis, targeted measure derivation and prioritization, implementation tracking, and impact control across all organizational levels. Pricing is customized based on organization size and scope.
2. INQA-Coaching and Funded Consulting Programs: Government-subsidized consulting services (80% funded) for SMEs, including INQA-Coaching, Fit für die Zukunft, and Coach2Change programs, providing change management and digital transformation coaching at subsidized rates.
3. Software Licensing / SaaS (smartDecision Cockpit): The proprietary smartDecision Cockpit software is provided as part of consulting engagements. Revenue may include ongoing software access fees for ongoing monitoring, tracking, and benchmarking within the cockpit platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

youCcom smartLion GmbH delivers organizational development and change management consulting services for German enterprises, combining scientifically validated psychological diagnostic models with the proprietary smartDecision Cockpit software platform. The company runs structured 10-week core processes covering organizational diagnosis, measure derivation, implementation tracking, and impact control across all organizational levels. It also offers standalone software tools for psychosocial risk assessment (GBpsych) and 360-degree executive feedback, alongside advisory services for digital transformation, crisis/conflict management, and teambuilding.

Product overview

youCcom smartLion GmbH offers a platform-plus-services model centered on the smartDecision Cockpit (youCcom Cockpit) - a holistic software solution for organizational development and change management. This core software platform integrates organizational diagnostics, real-time monitoring dashboards, and action tracking capabilities. The product portfolio includes specialized modules such as the Gefährdungsbeurteilung psychischer Belastung (GBpsych) for psychological risk assessment and the 360-Grad-Feedback-Tool for leadership evaluation. Complementing the software are consulting services covering organizational development & change management, digital transformation & AI adoption, crisis/conflict management, and teambuilding events. The company also provides educational resources like the youCcom-Glossar. All offerings are grounded in scientifically validated organizational psychology models and business economics methodology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• smartDecision Cockpit: Software platform for holistic organizational development and change management process control
• youCcom

Products and services

• smartDecision Cockpit Holistic software platform for organizational development and change management, providing an interactive dashboard for real-time monitoring of organizational health metrics, measure tracking, and action management across all levels of an organization. Designed for enterprise HR/OE teams and consulting engagements.
• Gefährdungsbeurteilung psychischer Belastung (GBpsych) Psychological risk assessment tool for evaluating workplace stress factors, organizational resilience indicators, and employee well-being, supporting organizations in meeting German occupational health and safety legal requirements.
• 360-Grad-Feedback-Tool A 360-degree feedback instrument for executives and managers, enabling multi-source feedback assessments across various leadership competency dimensions for sustainable leadership development.
• Organisationsentwicklung & Change-Management Beratung Consulting services providing scientifically validated organizational diagnostics, change management methodology, and implementation support for organizational transformation processes, structured around a 10-week core process.
• Digitale Transformation & KI-Einführung Advisory services supporting organizations in digital transformation initiatives, including AI adoption strategies and digital process optimization for healthcare, manufacturing, and corporate clients.
• Krisen-/Konfliktmanagement-Systeme Systems and methodologies for managing organizational crises and conflicts, including mediation, intervention, and workplace violence prevention services for HR leaders and management teams.
• Teambuilding-Events Event-based team-building experiences, including the 'The Taste' event series and other curated engagements designed to strengthen team dynamics, collaboration, and group cohesion.
• youCcom-Glossar A comprehensive glossary of central organizational development and change management terms, licensed to the Goethe-Institut for use in its educational content as authoritative reference material.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of derived measures implemented within 18 weeks
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Goethe-InstitutcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Goethe-Institut has entered into a licensing/partnership agreement to use youCcom's glossary 'Die zentralen Begriffe der Organisationsentwicklung' (The Central Terms of Organizational Development) for its educational content. This validates youCcom's content library as authoritative educational material in the German cultural and educational sector.
• INQA (Initiative Neue Qualität der Arbeit)coreStrategic or Co-development PartneryouCcom participates as a certified provider in the INQA-Coaching program, offering 80% subsidized change management consulting services for SMEs nationwide. Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
• Land Nordrhein-Westfalen / Europäische Union (Just Transition Fund)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancing partners for regional subsidized programs Fit für die Zukunft and Coach2Change, which are funded at 80% for SMEs in the Rhine region and northern Ruhr area. youCcom delivers consulting services under these programs.
• AXA Versicherung AGminorOthersAXA Versicherung AG serves as youCcom's professional liability insurance provider (Berufshaftpflichtversicherung), required for consulting operations.
• Partner Offensive MittelstandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKarsten Steffgen is a partner of the Offensive Mittelstand, a German initiative supporting SMEs in quality-oriented business development.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kienbaum Consultants International GmbH: Leading German HR and management consultancy offering organizational development, change management, and leadership advisory services to mid-market and large enterprises. Directly comparable in core service lines, target customer (German Mittelstand and large corporations), and consulting-led delivery model.
• Metaplan GmbH: German organizational development and strategy consulting boutique focused on facilitating change processes and strategic conversations inside complex organizations. Overlaps with youCcom in scientifically grounded OD methodology and enterprise change engagements.
• hkp/// group GmbH: Frankfurt-based HR and compensation consultancy serving large German enterprises, with overlapping practices in organizational design, HR strategy, and change management. Comparable target buyers and advisory engagement model.
• promerit GmbH: German HR and organizational effectiveness consultancy combining HR strategy with digital tools and analytics. Comparable in HR/OD advisory, target buyer (German enterprises), and use of proprietary diagnostic frameworks.
• gp-unlimited GmbH: German change management and organizational consulting firm focused on transformation, leadership, and cultural change projects for German enterprises. Direct peer in change management scope and Mittelstand client base.

Broad incumbents

• Mercer Deutschland GmbH: Global consulting arm of Marsh McLennan offering HR transformation, change management, and organizational design services to large enterprises in Germany. Broader incumbent with deeper resources but less specialized in Mittelstand OD methodology.
• Egon Zehnder GmbH: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with significant German operations, providing leadership assessment and organizational advisory to large German enterprises. Comparable in leadership and executive development offerings though broader in scope.
• Korn Ferry (Korn Ferry GmbH): Global organizational consulting firm providing leadership development, organizational design, and change advisory to large German enterprises. Overlaps in OD and leadership consulting but serves as a broad, multi-practice incumbent rather than a specialized German Mittelstand OD boutique.
• Deloitte Consulting GmbH: Big Four consultancy in Germany offering Human Capital and Transformation services including organizational change, leadership, and digital transformation. Competes for the same German enterprise change-management mandates with a much broader portfolio.

Regional players

• Signium International (Germany): Global executive search and leadership advisory with German practice, serving DACH-region enterprises on leadership assessment and organizational topics. Comparable in leadership consulting and German enterprise buyer base but more focused on executive search than pure OD.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youccom-smartlion

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 youCcom smartLion GmbH