Verein Zur Forderung Ethisch-nachhaltiger Geldanlagen

What Verein Zur Forderung Ethisch-nachhaltiger Geldanlagen does

VenGa e.V. (Verein zur Förderung ethisch-nachhaltiger Geldanlagen e.V.) is a registered charitable non-profit association founded in September 2017 in Hamburg, Germany (Vereinsregister 23452). The organization provides financial education on ethical and sustainable investing to individual private investors and, secondarily, to financial services companies and advisors that participate as sponsoring members. Its mission is explicitly educational — it states it does not offer investment tips or personalized advice — and addresses German-speaking consumers seeking to align personal values with investment decisions while avoiding greenwashing.

The core product set is content- and community-led: the Geldradio podcast (61+ episodes distributed on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Castbox) featuring experts from finance, civil society, and academia; irregular public lectures and webinars with recordings archived on YouTube; an email newsletter managed via CleverReach; and downloadable educational materials including a consumer guide co-produced with RENN.nord and a 2023 V-Check E-Book. The organization applies explicit minimum exclusion criteria (no defense, fossil fuels, nuclear energy, UN Global Compact violations) and offers a free advisory-referral service connecting members with vetted Fördermitglied professionals. There is no proprietary technology platform; the stack is WordPress, CleverReach, BorlabsCookie, and betterplace.org for donations.

The revenue model comprises three streams: individual membership dues (€60/year for adults, €12/year for youth), Fördermitglied sponsoring-member fees (€500–€5,000/year from financial services companies, advisors, and foundations), and donations via betterplace.org. The go-to-market is community-led and organic — no paid advertising — relying on content marketing, public events, and word-of-mouth. Leadership consists of board members Granit Bajrami, Thomas Schönberger, and Gerlinde Suling, with Martin Nieswandt serving as managing director (Geschäftsführer).

Name

Verein Zur Forderung Ethisch-nachhaltiger Geldanlagen

Legal name

VenGa e.V. (Verein zur Förderung ethisch-nachhaltiger Geldanlagen e.V.)

Website

https://venga-ev.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VenGa e.V. is a Hamburg-based charitable non-profit association that provides independent financial education on ethical-sustainable investing to German-speaking individuals and operates a sponsoring-member network of 21 sustainable-finance organizations, supported by membership dues, sponsoring fees, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Education and Sustainable Investing Literacy

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Education & Coaching (Digital Programs, Tools) (FSAGADAH)

Keywords

• Sustainable investing education
• Ethical financial literacy
• ESG investment guidance
• Nonprofit financial association
• Greenwashing avoidance resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg-wandsbek

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from individual members. Adults pay €60 per year; youth members pay €12 per year. This is the primary recurring revenue stream sustaining the association's operations.
2. Fördermitglied (Sponsoring Member) Fees: Financial services companies, advisors, and foundations pay annual fees of at least €500 up to a maximum of €5,000 to become sponsoring members. In return they receive logo placement, newsletter mentions, and opportunities for expert presentations at VenGa events.
3. Donations: VenGa accepts donations through its partner betterplace.org. The association operates as a charitable non-profit and relies on donations to supplement membership revenue for organizing events and educational activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VenGa e.V. is a charitable non-profit association that provides independent financial education on ethical-sustainable investing in plain language. It delivers educational content through the Geldradio podcast, public events and webinars, a newsletter, and downloadable consumer guides, while offering free referrals to a curated network of sustainable finance professionals (Fördermitglieder). The association explicitly does not sell financial products or provide investment advice.

Product overview

VenGa e.V. is a non-profit association (Verein) focused on promoting ethically sustainable investments. The organization offers an integrated suite of educational products and services: the Geldradio podcast as its core media product providing independent financial education on ethics and sustainability; public educational events and webinars on ethical investment topics; a newsletter service for ongoing education; a free consultation referral service connecting members with sustainability-focused financial experts; and downloadable educational materials including the V-Check E-Book and consumer guides. All offerings emphasize financial education rather than investment advice, aiming to help individuals make informed decisions aligned with their personal values regarding sustainable investing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Geldradio: Podcast by VenGa e.V. that critically and independently discusses money, ethics, and sustainability topics with experts from finance, civil society, and culture.

Products and services

• Geldradio Podcast An independent podcast series by VenGa e.V. that critically and educationally discusses money, ethics, and sustainability. Features interviews with experts from finance, civil society, academia, and culture on ethical investing and sustainable finance. Distributed on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Castbox.
• Educational Events and Webinars Public lectures, webinars, and discussion events on ethical-sustainable investment topics, organized irregularly in collaboration with civil society actors and VenGa's Fördermitglieder. Recordings are archived on the VenGa YouTube channel.
• Email Newsletter A subscription email newsletter informing subscribers about upcoming VenGa events, new podcast episodes, and knowledge content from the sustainable finance space. Distributed via the CleverReach email marketing platform.
• Free Advisory Referral Service A free referral service that connects VenGa members and website visitors with sustainability and finance experts from the association's Fördermitglieder network for personal consultation on investments, insurance, and retirement planning.
• VenGa V-Check E-Book A digital booklet (E-Book) created by Andreas Enke in collaboration with V-Check Bank, providing guidance on how to evaluate sustainable investment options. Updated 2023 edition.
• Consumer Guide: Assessing Sustainability of Investments A consumer-facing brochure (Leitfaden für Verbraucher*innen zur Beurteilung der Nachhaltigkeit von Geldanlagen) co-produced by RENN.nord and VenGa e.V. as a guide for evaluating the sustainability of money investments. Available for download on the VenGa website.
• YouTube Channel Content Library Video recordings of past online seminars and events, including the Geldradio podcast episodes, accessible on-demand on VenGa's YouTube channel.
• Individual Membership (Adult and Youth) Annual membership of VenGa e.V. for private individuals. Adults pay €60/year and youth pay €12/year. Includes access to events, newsletter, and educational content.
• Fördermitglied (Sponsoring Membership) Annual sponsoring membership for financial services companies, advisors, and foundations, with contributions from €500 to €5,000 per year. Benefits include logo/backlink on the website, newsletter listing, presentation opportunities at VenGa events, and expert contribution opportunities to the newsletter.

Quantifiable outcome

• 61+ podcast episodes published on ethical finance and sustainability topics
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RENN.nordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenGa co-produced the 'Leitfaden für Verbraucher*innen zur Beurteilung der Nachhaltigkeit von Geldanlagen' (consumer guide for evaluating the sustainability of investments) together with RENN.nord. This guide is a core educational product of the association and is available for download on the VenGa website.
• urgewald.orgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenGa references the Global Coal Exit List produced by urgewald.org as a key information source for its minimum exclusion criteria. The association uses this resource to identify coal-related companies that should be excluded from ethical investments.
• betterplace.orgminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenGa uses betterplace.org as its donation collection platform. Supporters are directed to donate through betterplace.org to support the association's charitable educational work.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• wikifolio: German retail-investing platform that publishes trading ideas and educational content around sustainable investing themes. Partial overlap: serves same end-investor audience but operates as a for-profit investment platform rather than a non-profit educator.

Regional players

• Triodos Bank Germany: European ethical bank with German operations focused on sustainable finance, retail banking, and impact investments. Comparable as a values-aligned financial institution serving the same audience of ethically motivated investors in the DACH region.
• GLS Bank: Germany's largest ethical bank and a Fördermitglied of VenGa. Comparable as a key player in the German ethical-finance ecosystem whose depositors share the same values-based investor persona that VenGa educates, though it operates as a regulated bank rather than educator.
• Umweltbank: German ethical bank specializing in environmental and social impact financing, including renewable energy and organic farming projects. Sits in the same German ethical-finance ecosystem that VenGa educates consumers about.

Broad incumbents

• Morningstar Germany: Major investment research provider with sustainability ratings (Sustainability Globe) and broad educational content on ESG investing. Comparable as an authoritative ESG information source for German retail investors, but as part of a much broader for-profit research portfolio.
• ISS ESG (formerly oekom research): One of Europe's leading ESG research and corporate ratings providers, serving institutional investors with sustainability analysis. Comparable in producing independent sustainability assessments that feed investment decisions, but operating at institutional scale rather than retail education.

Direct peers

• fair-finance (Fair Finance): DACH platform that evaluates banks and financial products on ethical/sustainability criteria and publishes guides for consumers. Comparable to VenGa as a non-commercial evaluator of sustainable finance products aimed at retail users in German-speaking markets.
• Better Finance for All: European federation representing financial services users, providing independent education and advocacy on retail investment topics including sustainability. Comparable as an NGO providing unbiased investor education across Europe.
• Finanzwende e.V. Berlin-based German non-profit that combines independent research, civil society advocacy, and public-facing education to push the financial system toward sustainability. Directly comparable to VenGa in mission, non-profit structure, and educational/community-led GTM.
• Forum Nachhaltige Geldanlagen (FNG): DACH industry association for sustainable investments that educates professionals and consumers on ESG/sustainable investing, maintains market data, and runs certifications. Closely comparable to VenGa in mission around education and ecosystem-building for ethical investing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCt5pJj6vogzRwIIOMCU1pVQ
• Xx.com/VenGa_eV
• Facebookfacebook.com/VenGaeV
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/venga-ev

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Verein Zur Forderung Ethisch-nachhaltiger Geldanlagen