Weltweit

What Weltweit does

Weltweit is a German non-profit association (eingetragener Verein, e.V.) headquartered in Bad Soden am Taunus, founded in 2014. It trains international students in Germany as so-called "bridge-builders" and deploys them to support local development initiatives in the Global South across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe.

The organization's core product is a structured training-and-deployment program for international students, supplemented since 2022 by the Action Network Worldwide digital platform, which functions as a network infrastructure connecting the 525 trained alumni with partner NGOs and project opportunities. Programs are delivered through 22+ active projects, including the Kaleka Project (€1.6M, EuropeAid), Green Bridges (€462K, Erasmus+), and Blue Economy Lab (€392K, Erasmus+).

Weltweit's revenue mechanics are typical of a German grant-funded association: the bulk of inflows come from institutional grants (EuropeAid, Erasmus+, DAAD, BMZ, Engagement Global), supplemented by individual memberships at €30/year (€15 reduced) and donations that are passed through 100% to projects. The operating model is lean, with 1-10 paid staff and a large volunteer base. Competitive positioning relies on registered e.V. status, audited grant-compliance history, and an established international student pipeline at German universities, which together create barriers to entry for comparable NGOs bidding on the same EU-funded programs.

Name

Weltweit

Legal name

Weltweit – Gesellschaft zur Förderung lokaler Initiativen e.V.

Website

https://welt-weit.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Weltweit is a German non-profit association, founded in 2014, that trains international students as "bridge-builders" to support local development initiatives across 22+ countries in the Global South, funded primarily through EU and German institutional grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Cooperation

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

Keywords

• International development cooperation
• Project management training
• Capacity building programs
• Community development projects
• Refugee integration support

Headquarters

HQ city

Bad Soden Am Taunus

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees: €30 per year for working members and €15 per year for students, unemployed, and social welfare recipients. Monthly pro-rata options are available. Membership provides access to annual reports, newsletters, participation in information events, and project assemblies.
2. Donations and Project Funding: Weltweit receives donations from individuals and institutional funders which are passed through directly to local initiatives in the Global South. Administrative costs are covered by membership fees, ensuring 100% of donations reach local projects. The organization also receives project-based institutional funding from bodies such as EuropeAid, DAAD, BMZ, Erasmus+, UNDP GEF, and private foundations.
3. Event and Workshop Revenue: Revenue generated through the organization and facilitation of workshops, training programs, and seminars, often co-financed by institutional partners such as DAAD. Participation may be free or subsidized for target beneficiaries (international students, DAAD alumni).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Weltweit trains international students in Germany in participatory project planning, monitoring & evaluation, and communication/storytelling, then networks them with experts and institutions and helps them raise funds for sustainable development projects in their home countries in the Global South. It also coordinates DAAD-funded alumni seminars and operates the Action Network Worldwide (ANW) platform for ongoing peer learning among alumni and project managers.

Product overview

Weltweit e.V. is a non-profit development organization (not a software product company) that offers a portfolio of training, networking, and project support services. The core offerings include Project Management Workshops (covering participatory planning, monitoring & evaluation, and storytelling), networking facilitation through the Action Network Worldwide platform, and fundraising advisory services. The organization also coordinates DAAD-funded educational workshops including GIS training, sustainable finance, and permaculture courses. Weltweit supports various development projects globally, including the Kaleka Project in Borneo, Green Bridges virtual exchange program, Blue Economy Lab in Latin America, and the Start N'Light rural electrification initiative in Sierra Leone.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Action Network Worldwide: A networking and learning platform established in 2022 for alumni of workshops and active project managers of Action Network organizations. It is a curated and closed platform accessible by invitation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 525 international students further educated
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Long-standing collaboration with the German Academic Exchange Service to deliver project management workshops and summer academies to international students. DAAD provides funding and institutional access; Weltweit provides program design and delivery expertise.
• 2811 Social EnterprisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChilean-founded organization active across Latin America and Germany. Long-term partner in climate education projects; co-coordinator of Blue Economy Lab and Green Bridges Erasmus+ projects.
• BluoVerda e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by Mariana Vidal Merino (Weltweit team member). Active in Latin America. Partner in Blue Economy Lab and host of the Gender & Environment webinar.
• Borneo Institute (BIT) – Yayasan Borneo InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndonesian partner led by Standy Christianto (Weltweit Project Manager). Implementing the Kaleka Project for indigenous Dayak communities on Borneo and the earlier Communal Seedhouse project. Co-applicant for EuropeAid funding.
• LPPSLH – Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengembangan Sumber Daya dan Lingkungan HidupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndonesian research and development organization based in Java. Partner in the Kaleka Project, focusing on economic aspects and connecting farmers to national markets.
• Environmental Conservation Action (ECA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Kibaha District Beekeeping Project in Tanzania since 2017. Working to protect coastal ecosystems and introduce sustainable livelihoods through beekeeping.
• PAANI – Peoples Access to Adequate Natural InfrastructurescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNepal-based NGO founded by Bhav Narayan Jha (Weltweit team member). Partner in the integration of local farm production with school feeding program in Nepal.
• ClimaClicminorGTM or Marketing PartnerClimate lottery organization. Partner in the Start N'Light project (2024) and host of Climaaward2026 in which Weltweit participated with the bamboo project in Mozambique.
• Hochschule RheinMain (RheinMain University of Applied Sciences)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner supporting the Focus Bamboo II DAAD Alumni Seminar in Mozambique in 2025.
• ASSAMBA – Associação dos Amigos do BambucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMozambican partner organization. Implementing the Matutuine Bamboo Park project and partner in the Green Bridges project. Recipient of the Focus Bamboo II DAAD Alumni Seminar.
• GreenTransformation2050 (GT2050)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted external evaluation of the Start N'Light project. Partner in the Green Bridges consortium.
• Give&GrowminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAction Network partner that invites participants to the Intercultural Partnership and Volunteer Management online workshop.
• DomSpain SLUminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish partner in the Blue Economy Lab Erasmus+ project, collaborating on the blue economy and maritime sector development in Latin America.
• Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios (UNIMINUTO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColombian university partner in the Blue Economy Lab project, focusing on vocational education and training for the maritime sector.
• Centro de Formación Técnica Instituto del Medio Ambiente (IDMA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChilean technical training institute partner in the Blue Economy Lab project.
• Goethe-Institut KolumbienminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman cultural institute active in Colombia. Listed as a partner organization on the Weltweit network page.
• Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Fakultät für Agronomie und ForstwirtschaftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor public university in Mozambique. Listed as a partner organization on the Weltweit network page.
• UNESCO World Network of Mountain Biosphere ReservesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational UNESCO network. Listed as a partner organization on the Weltweit network page.
• Entwicklungspolitisches Netzwerk Hessen (EPNH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment policy network in the German state of Hesse. Weltweit e.V. has been a member since 2017.
• One TeamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization on the Weltweit network page. Organization active in the development sector.
• CEARE Peru (Centro de Energías Renovables y Acceso)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeruvian organization focused on renewable energy and access. Listed as a partner organization on the Weltweit network page.
• Hessen AgenturminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment policy agency of the German state of Hesse. Listed as a partner organization on the Weltweit network page.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Experiment e.V. Small German non-profit that runs student and youth exchange programs with a comparable training, networking, and bridge-builder logic, operating internationally with German-headquartered coordination.
• NABU International Foundation: Small German environmental NGO funding and coordinating biodiversity and climate projects in the Global South; comparable environmental-development overlap and partner-led delivery model.
• weltwärts: Federal German volunteer service sending young adults into development partnerships worldwide; comparable institutional funding base and bridge-builder positioning.
• Right. Now. (Verein Wasser für alle): Small German non-profit funding water and sanitation projects in the Global South; close structural parallel in size, association status, and donor-funded project-portfolio model.
• Childaid Network: Small German non-profit supporting community-led education and self-help projects in the Global South; directly comparable as a small Verein with Global South project funding and donor-pass-through operations.
• German Toilet Organization: Small German e.V. supporting WASH and sanitation projects internationally; functionally comparable as a small Verein with project grants, donor pass-through, and German-headquartered coordination.
• Andheri-Hilfe Bonn: Small Bonn-based German INGO supporting self-help projects in India and Bangladesh; analogous scale, association structure, and Global South project focus.
• ASA-Programm / Engagement Global gGmbH: German-funded program placing young professionals in development cooperation placements abroad; direct functional parallel to Weltweit's bridge-builder workshop-to-project pathway.

Broad incumbents

• Engagement Global gGmbH: Larger German service organization that administers ASA, weltwärts, and other development-volunteer programs; broader portfolio than Weltweit but the operating-model reference point for the workshop-to-bridge-builder pipeline.
• Welthungerhilfe: Major German INGO funded by BMZ with global project portfolios across multiple continents; the dominant reference in the same funding and partner ecosystem, operating at a much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/weltweit.e.v
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/weltweit-e-v

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 Weltweit