Career Captain

What Career Captain does

Career Captain GmbH operates a gamified apprenticeship recruitment platform targeting the German vocational training (Ausbildung) market, connecting companies seeking apprentices with students exploring career options. Its core product is a library of interactive mini-games that simulate specific vocational professions, allowing students to experience typical tasks of each trade before applying. The library spans 50+ professions from baker and butcher to mechatronics technician and IT specialist, with each game representing domain-specific task simulation work that constitutes the platform's primary content moat.

The technology stack consists of a web-based gamified career simulation platform built on Azure cloud infrastructure (Azure Blob Storage for images and game assets), supplemented by a physical plug-and-play Gamestation unit for offline use at trade shows and events. The product suite has expanded into seven SKUs: the foundational Unternehmensprofil (Company Profile), the physical Gamestation, Website Integration that embeds games on employer sites, Individualisierte Berufsspiele (customized games branded to a specific employer), Unternehmensinseln (3D virtual company environments), Berufskarten (QR-code job cards), and a branded Gamestation-Stehtisch. The platform architecture follows a core-plus-modules commercial model with a seamless "Spielen-zu-Bewerben" (Play-to-Apply) handoff into employer application processes.

Career Captain runs a B2B2C go-to-market: students access all games for free without registration, schools use the platform without charge for Berufsorientierung classes (with 140+ partner institutions onboarded), and companies pay for visibility, profile listings, physical Gamestation rentals, embedded website games, and customized game development. Pricing is annual subscription for most SKUs with one-time licensing for individualisierte games; specific price points are not publicly disclosed. Distribution combines a regional direct sales team targeting Bavarian enterprises (with named customers including Infineon, Lidl, EDEKA Südbayern, Ed. Züblin, Bayernwerk, Zollner Elektronik, and Sparkasse Niederbayern-Mitte) with a school channel network and institutional partnerships with regional craft chambers such as the Handwerkskammer Niederbayern Oberpfalz. The company operates from three offices in Bavaria (Osterhofen HQ, Deggendorf, Regensburg) and reports 190,000+ game views, 15,000+ monthly new interactions, 140+ partner schools, and 6,500+ candidates converted into employer application pipelines.

Name

Career Captain

Legal name

Career Captain GmbH

Website

https://career-captain.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Career Captain GmbH operates a gamified apprenticeship recruitment platform in Germany, connecting companies seeking apprentices with students via 50+ interactive vocational profession simulations, a physical Gamestation, and a network of 140+ partner schools across Bavaria.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Apprenticeship Recruitment Software

NAICS

Apprenticeship Training (611513), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Apprenticeships, Internships & Work-Based Learning Programs (BPACANAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Experiential Learning & Internships/Co-ops (EDALABAG), Sector-Specific Internship Programs (e.g., STEM, Business, Health, Arts) (EDAIAFAI)

Keywords

• Gamified recruitment platform
• Apprenticeship recruiting
• Vocational career simulation
• Talent acquisition platform
• Career orientation software

Headquarters

HQ city

Deggendorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Revenue model

1. Unternehmensprofil (Company Profile): Base product for companies to present themselves on the Career Captain platform, including listing on Google search for career orientation keywords.
2. Gamestation Rental/Sale: Physical or digital game stations for trade shows and events, including plug-and-play units for offline use at career fairs.
3. Website Integration: Integration of career games into company websites, requiring a company profile subscription.
4. Individualisierte Berufsspiele: Customized career games branded to specific companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Career Captain operates a gamified apprenticeship recruitment platform that lets German students play interactive mini-game simulations of vocational professions (Ausbildungsberufe). Companies purchase a Unternehmensprofil (Company Profile) listing and optional modules such as a physical plug-and-play Gamestation unit, website integration, customized career games, and 3D Unternehmensinseln (Company Islands) to attract apprentices, while schools and students access the career games for free.

Product overview

Career Captain is a gamified vocational training (Ausbildung) recruiting platform that operates on a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering consists of the Unternehmensprofil (Company Profile), which serves as the foundational listing and presence on the platform, and the Gamestation, a physical plug-and-play gaming station for events. Additional paid add-on modules extend the platform: Website Integration allows companies to embed career games on their own sites; Individualisierte Berufsspiele tailors games to a company's specific operations; and Unternehmensinseln creates immersive 3D company environments within the game world. Supporting add-ons include Berufskarten (QR code cards linking to games) and a branded Gamestation-Stehtisch. The platform enables students to explore professions through interactive mini-game simulations, ultimately funneling them toward the companies' application processes. Key platform metrics include over 190,000 game views, more than 140 partner schools, and over 6,500 qualified candidates transitioned to company hiring pipelines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Unternehmensprofil (Company Profile) A subscription-based company profile listing on the Career Captain platform that allows German companies to present themselves to young job seekers, gain Google search visibility for career orientation keywords, and connect with potential apprentices through the Play-to-Apply funnel. Sold to companies seeking apprentices.
• Gamestation A plug-and-play physical gaming station for career fairs, events, campaigns, and waiting areas that lets students play career exploration mini-games with high scores and interactive tasks. Sold to companies for use at recruiting events and trade shows.
• Integration auf der eigenen Website (Website Integration) An add-on module that embeds Career Captain career simulation games directly on a subscribing company's own website, enabling students to try out professions on the company's domain and enhancing employer branding. Requires a Company Profile subscription.
• Individualisierte Berufsspiele (Customized Career Games) Custom-built occupational simulation games tailored to reflect a specific company's operations, work environment, and corporate branding, sold as a one-time license to companies seeking differentiated apprenticeship marketing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 190,000+ game views with 15,000+ monthly new interactions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Handwerkskammer Niederbayern OberpfalzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChamber of Crafts representing tradespeople in Lower Bavaria and Upper Palatinate. Multiple specialized profiles on Career Captain platform for different crafts including bakers, carpenters, and installation mechanics.
• Garten-, Landschafts- und Sportplatzbau Bayern e. V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBavarian association for garden, landscape and sports field construction. Partnership for connecting member companies with apprentices.
• Handwerkskammer Niederbayern Oberpfalz - BäckerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialized partnership with bakery crafts division of the chamber.
• 140+ Partner SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchools across the region actively using Career Captain in career orientation lessons. The platform provides free BO-Unterrichtsstunden (career orientation classes) for schools.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Indeed Germany: Global job search engine with a major German presence that includes apprenticeship listings. Comparable as a destination for both students and employers in apprenticeship recruitment, with significantly larger scale and SEO reach than Career Captain.
• StepStone Germany: One of the largest general job boards in Germany, including dedicated sections for apprenticeships and entry-level roles. A broad incumbent that competes for the same employer recruitment budget as Career Captain, though it is not specialized in gamified career exploration.
• Xing (New Work SE): Leading German-speaking professional network and job platform owned by New Work SE, including entry-level and apprenticeship opportunities. Broad incumbent that overlaps with Career Captain on employer branding and early-career recruitment.
• Bundesagentur für Arbeit - Jobbörse: The German Federal Employment Agency's official job board, which lists apprenticeship (Ausbildung) positions and provides free career orientation services. A government-run broad incumbent whose reach and SEO footprint in Germany significantly exceed Career Captain's.

Direct peers

• Praktikum.de: German internship and orientation portal that matches students and graduates with companies for internships, apprenticeships, and traineeships. Overlaps with Career Captain's career exploration and employer-matching functionality.
• ausbildung.de: One of Germany's largest dedicated apprenticeship search portals, connecting school leavers with Ausbildung opportunities across industries. Directly comparable to Career Captain in serving the same B2C student audience and B2B employer customers in the German apprenticeship market.
• Azubiyo: German apprenticeship matching platform that helps students find Ausbildung positions and supports employer recruitment. Competes with Career Captain for the same apprenticeship-recruitment budget and student funnel in Germany.

Emerging players

• Talention: German SaaS vendor specializing in recruitment marketing and employer branding tooling for mid-sized employers. Adjacent to Career Captain because both sell into German HR/employer-brand budgets and compete for the same recruitment-tech wallet, though Talention is software-only and not student-facing.
• d.vinci HR: German HR-tech provider offering applicant management and onboarding solutions, including tools targeted at apprenticeship recruitment. An emerging player that competes with Career Captain for the same apprenticeship-recruitment use case but from a software/ATS angle rather than gamified marketing.
• Handwerkskammer apprenticeship portals: Official apprenticeship matching services run by German Chambers of Crafts (Handwerkskammern) to connect trades companies with apprentices. A regional/emerging player that overlaps with Career Captain's trades-profession content and serves part of the same Handwerkskammer-adjacent audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Career Captain