leetHub St.Pauli e.V.

What leetHub St.Pauli e.V. does

leetHub St.Pauli e.V. was a Hamburg-based, non-profit charitable association (eingetragener Verein, gemeinnützig) founded in 2016 by Julia von Weymarn, Sven Mangels, and Björn Weide to support people with refugee or migration backgrounds in developing business ideas and achieving self-sufficiency through entrepreneurship. The association operated a portfolio of integration and entrepreneurship programs including MoveON (a 4-6 month mentoring-driven incubator run with The Human Safety Net/Generali), the RIC (Refugee Innovation Challenge) 12-week incubator, Ice Academy (a Ben & Jerry's work-integration pilot), KioskConnection (encounter spaces at six Hamburg kiosks), Gründungscoaching, and OpenCafé community events. Until 2022 the organization also ran a coworking space with 13 workstations in the St. Pauli area that hosted dependent integration initiatives such as Start with a Friend, kohero Magazin, bee4change, Sprachbruecke Hamburg, and Triaphon.

The business model was a donation-and-grant non-profit structure with no commercial revenue. Funding came from individual donations, supporting memberships priced at 60 EUR or more annually, corporate partnerships (notably Generali via The Human Safety Net and Ben & Jerry's), and government/funder grants channelled through programs such as the federal 'Menschen stärken Menschen' initiative and the 'Landungsbrücken - Patenschaften in Hamburg stärken' cooperation project between Bürgerstiftung Hamburg and Mentor.Ring Hamburg e.V. The primary customer segment was refugees and migrants in Hamburg seeking entrepreneurship pathways, with a secondary segment of local Hamburg volunteers and mentors providing expertise in business, taxes, and marketing.

The association ended coworking operations by the end of 2022 and closed entirely at the end of 2024 due to insufficient funding, and is currently in the process of formal dissolution.

Name

leetHub St.Pauli e.V.

Legal name

leetHub St.Pauli e.V.

Website

https://leethub.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

leetHub St.Pauli e.V. was a Hamburg-based non-profit association that supported refugees and migrants through entrepreneurship programs, mentoring, coworking, and community events, funded by donations, memberships, and grants until its closure at end of 2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Integration and Refugee Support Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Migrant Integration Enterprises (Livelihoods, Services) (BPAGALAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Immigrant & Refugee Workforce Integration Programs (EDAAAOAJ)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship support services
• Refugee integration programs
• Community coworking spaces
• Mentoring and coaching services
• Nonprofit charitable association

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg-wandsbek

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Financial donations from individuals supporting the non-profit association's projects and events. The organization is gemeinnützig (charitable) and all donations flow directly into programs.
2. Membership Fees: Annual supporting membership fees of 60 euros or more, providing donors with community access and event invitations.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Support from companies through financial contributions, knowledge sharing, coaching sessions, lectures, and other cooperative arrangements.
4. Government/Funder Grants: Funding from programs such as 'Menschen stärken Menschen' federal program and 'Landungsbrücken - Patenschaften in Hamburg stärken' cooperation project.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

leetHub St.Pauli e.V. was a non-profit charitable association that supported people with refugee or migration backgrounds through entrepreneurship programs, mentoring, and community-building initiatives based in Hamburg. It delivered incubator programs (MoveON, RIC), employment integration projects (Ice Academy, Gründungscoaching), community encounter formats (OpenCafé, KioskConnection), and operated a coworking space hosting partner initiatives. The organization closed at the end of 2024 due to lack of funding.

Product overview

leetHub St.Pauli e.V. was a nonprofit association (e.V.) based in Hamburg, Germany, operating since 2015 and closed at the end of 2024 due to lack of funding. The organization offered a portfolio of social programs focused on integration through self-efficacy and entrepreneurship, comprising incubator programs (MoveON, RIC), employment integration initiatives (Ice Academy, Gründungscoaching), community encounter programs (OpenCafé, KioskConnection), and coworking facilities. The programs were designed to support people with refugee or migration backgrounds in developing business ideas, achieving self-employment, and integrating into German society.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MoveON: 4-6 month incubator program supporting people with migration and refugee backgrounds toward self-employment through mentoring, in partnership with The Human Safety Net.
• KioskConnection
• Ice Academy
• RIC (Refugee Innovation Challenge)

Products and services

• MoveON A 4-6 month incubator program supporting people with migration and refugee backgrounds in developing their business ideas and building their own companies through mentoring and coaching, run in cooperation with The Human Safety Net (Generali).
• Gründungscoaching (Founding Coaching) Coaching services for founders with business plans and specific questions, offered in collaboration with The Human Safety Net and Social Impact Lab.
• KioskConnection An initiative creating unusual encounter spaces at kiosks across Hamburg, facilitating dialogue and community building between different population groups through SpeedMatch and games.
• Ice Academy A pilot project (2018) in cooperation with Ben & Jerry's combining four-month work placements with business training workshops to promote entrepreneurial thinking for people with refugee backgrounds.
• RIC (Refugee Innovation Challenge) A 12-week incubator program (July-October 2016) supporting refugees and local people in jointly developing innovative business ideas as social entrepreneurs, covering themes such as Housing and Integration, Language Learning, and Empowerment.
• OpenCafé Regular meeting events held on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month, creating a welcoming space for refugees and Hamburg citizens to connect over coffee and cake, exchange ideas, and support each other.
• Coworking Space An open office space with 13 workstations where various initiatives worked together, fostering exchange, dialogue, and collaborative atmosphere.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3200+ tandem partnerships formed through Start with a Friend network initiative

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• The Human Safety Net (Generali)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoveON incubator program was run in collaboration with The Human Safety Net. The Human Safety Net supported people with refugee and migration backgrounds on their path to self-sufficiency through a mentoring program. Generali logo appears on program materials.
• Ben & Jerry'smajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIce Academy was a pilot project in cooperation with Ben & Jerry's in the area of labor integration in Hamburg (summer 2018). People with refugee backgrounds worked summer jobs at Ben & Jerry's while participating in business training at leetHub.
• Social Impact LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoaching for founders with business plans was offered in collaboration with The Human Safety Net and Social Impact Lab.
• Bürgerstiftung HamburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentoring program was funded through the federal program 'Menschen stärken Menschen' from the cooperation project 'Landungsbrücken - Patenschaften in Hamburg stärken' of Bürgerstiftung Hamburg and Mentor.Ring Hamburg e.V.
• Mentor.Ring Hamburg e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in 'Landungsbrücken - Patenschaften in Hamburg stärken' cooperation project that funded the mentoring program.
• Start with a Friend e.V.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerInitiative operating from leetHub coworking space. They match tandem partnerships between refugees and locals at eye level. Had formed over 3200 tandems nationally by March 2018.
• kohero Magazin (formerly Flüchtling-Magazin)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerInitiative operating from leetHub coworking space. Founded by Syrian journalist Hussam Al Zaher in 2017, publishes stories from refugees about their experiences, published online and in print.
• bee4changeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInitiative operating from leetHub coworking space. Supports integration of refugees through beeMentor project matching volunteers with refugee families for six months.
• Freie Deutsch-Syrische GesellschaftminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInitiative operating from leetHub coworking space. Promotes communication and interaction between Germans and German-Syrians through events and cultural activities.
• Inner Flow YogaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInitiative operating from leetHub coworking space. Community of people focused on inner development and mindfulness practices.
• PinboardsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInitiative operating from leetHub coworking space. Community platform for associations, cooperatives and companies to involve members in community life.
• Sprachbrücke Hamburg e.V.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerInitiative operating from leetHub coworking space. Conversation rounds for adult migrants in German language, held at leetHub space.
• TriaphonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInitiative operating from leetHub coworking space. Non-profit providing 24-hour telephone translation service for hospitals and medical practices to improve care for patients with language barriers.
• leetboys Ideenwerft Hamburg (Weide)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBjörn Weide's advertising agency regularly supports leetHub with creative services. The founder's company provides ongoing marketing support.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Social Impact Lab: Incubator and coworking space for social entrepreneurs in Germany. Already a documented partner of leetHub, it offers comparable programming (incubation, coaching, coworking) for impact-oriented founders.
• Social Impact Initiative: European programme fostering social entrepreneurship with refugee and migrant support components. Highly comparable in target audience (impact-oriented founders, often with migration background) and incubation model.
• Start with a Friend e.V. Berlin-based non-profit pairing refugees with locals in one-on-one tandem partnerships. Co-located at leetHub's coworking space and the source of the 3,200+ tandem partnership outcome cited in leetHub's data.
• StartUp Refugees: German non-profit focused specifically on supporting refugees in launching their own businesses. Closest direct peer to leetHub's MoveON and RIC incubator programs, with nationwide reach and similar target audience.

Regional players

• Bürgerstiftung Hamburg: Hamburg community foundation that funded leetHub's mentoring via the 'Landungsbrücken' program. Operates in the same city and integration-funding space as a funding intermediary rather than direct program provider.

Emerging players

• ProjectTogether: German non-profit community for social innovators and entrepreneurs that runs programs analogous to leetHub's incubator work, with broader geographic reach and a stronger digital community layer.
• MitOst e.V. Network for cultural exchange and civic engagement across Europe. Comparable in supporting integration initiatives, mentoring, and community-building for migrants, though with a broader cultural-policy mandate.
• Kiron Open Higher Education: German-based non-profit offering refugees access to higher education and pathways to employment. Comparable in serving refugees with structured programs that combine education and integration, though with a stronger academic focus.

Broad incumbents

• betterplace.org: Germany's largest online donation platform for non-profits. Represents the broader ecosystem in which leetHub raised donations and supporting memberships, and is a comparable channel-dependent organization.

Others

• Haus des Stiftens: Munich-based service provider for non-profits, including donation infrastructure, volunteer management, and benefits programs. Comparable as a back-office enabler for the type of small integration non-profit that leetHub operated.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/leetHub-1734162606819830
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leethub-st.pauli-e.v.

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 leetHub St.Pauli e.V.