So.real Gmbh

What So.real Gmbh does

SO.real GmbH is a Stuttgart-based digital transformation and social media consulting firm serving primarily B2B clients across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Founded in 2020 and operating with 1–10 employees, the company is led by co-founders Lars Kroll (CEO) and Nathalie Kroll (Managing Director). It offers a portfolio spanning consulting services, training programs, community subscriptions, and free browser-based utilities, addressing digital communication, AI literacy compliance under the EU AI Act, social media management, performance marketing, corporate influencer programs, SEO/SEM and podcast production. Named enterprise clients include BARMER, Mastercard, LBBW, Würth Elektronik, Triumph International, Caritas, DEKRA Arbeit, BAG Selbsthilfe, Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken and BWGV Stuttgart.

The firm's revenue model combines professional services (custom consulting engagements, IHK-certified training, workshops and seminars) with subscription revenue (Social-Media-Circle at €490/year), one-time digital product sales through an online shop, and lead-generation via the free Social-Media-Shorts newsletter reaching 5,000+ subscribers across 156+ editions. Two proprietary browser-based tools — the Safe-Zone-Checker (a deterministic visual-overlay preview for social media safe zones) and the LinkedIn Post Formatter (Unicode-based text manipulation) — are positioned as free inbound-marketing utilities rather than monetized products. Strategic partnerships include Meta (Business Partner and Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate status), IHK certification authority, DHBW Stuttgart, Hootsuite and GoTo for webinar delivery, with no external funding disclosed to date.

The technology stack is intentionally lightweight and service-led rather than platform-led: free utilities run client-side in the browser, training is delivered via webinar infrastructure, and there is no proprietary machine-learning model or data flywheel evident in the public material. A near-term operational signal is the firm's announced parental-leave transition at the founder level, which has already shifted the newsletter to a monthly cadence and creates execution risk for a two-person leadership team during a period in which it is launching new SKUs (AI literacy course, subscription community, online shop) and pursuing DACH-wide expansion.

Name

So.real Gmbh

Legal name

SO.real GmbH

Website

https://so-real.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SO.real GmbH is a Stuttgart-based digital transformation consulting firm serving DACH-region B2B clients with social media management, performance marketing, AI literacy training, and content strategy, supplemented by a paid expert community, digital products shop, and free browser-based social media utilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Marketing Consulting

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Public Relations Agencies (541820), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAGANAA

Corporate Leadership & Management

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Professional Development & Training Materials

Keywords

• Digital transformation consulting
• Social media management
• Online marketing strategy
• AI literacy training
• Corporate influencer programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Transformation Consulting Services: Core consulting services for digital transformation including social media management, corporate influencer programs, content marketing strategy, and digital communication. Services are customized per client and priced based on project scope and duration. The AGB indicates project-based pricing with optional prepaid packages.
2. Training & Education Programs: Revenue from workshops, seminars, IHK-certified courses, webinars, coaching, and blended learning programs. Includes offerings like Social-Media-Manager Advanced certification, Social-Media-Camp events, and custom corporate workshops.
3. Online Shop - Digital Products: Sale of digital products and course materials through the online store (soreal.shop.copecart.com). Includes recorded webinars, whitepapers, and SME (Social-Media-Engineer) series modules on topics like custom GPTs, social media trends, and personal branding.
4. Social-Media-Circle Membership: Annual subscription model for the Social-Media-Circle expert group at 490 EUR net per year for non-clients. Includes monthly live sessions, recordings, materials, and exclusive offers. Existing clients receive free access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

So.real GmbH is a Stuttgart-based consulting firm that supports German-speaking businesses through digital transformation projects, providing social media management, online marketing strategy, content production, corporate influencer programs, performance marketing, podcast production, and AI literacy training. The firm combines advertising/marketing psychology with digital execution, supplemented by workshops, seminars, certifications, and proprietary free browser-based tools.

Product overview

So.real GmbH is a Stuttgart-based digital transformation and social media consulting firm offering a broad portfolio of professional services, educational products, and free browser-based tools. Its core service offerings span social media management, performance marketing, content production, corporate influencer programs, SEO/sEM, and AI literacy training (KI-Verordnung course). The company also operates an Academy (SO.live) delivering workshops, seminars, keynotes, and blended-learning programs on digital transformation. Two notable free tools are offered directly via the website: the Safe-Zone-Checker (a browser-based image/video overlay preview tool for social media platforms) and the LinkedIn Post Formatter (a Unicode text-formatting tool for LinkedIn posts). The company further serves its audience through a paid expert community (Social-Media-Circle, €490/year), a free weekly Social-Media-Shorts newsletter (~5,000 subscribers), and an online shop for digital products and recordings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SO.live: Live events, workshops, seminars and keynotes for digital transformation and social media education
• SO.passion
• SO.ready
• SO.newsletter
• SO.blog
• Social-Media-Circle
• KI-Verordnung / AI Literacy Act Kurs

Products and services

• Corporate Influencer Program Consulting and training program to help companies develop and deploy their own employees as brand ambassadors on professional social platforms (notably LinkedIn) for reach, customer acquisition, and employer branding.
• Content Marketing Strategy, planning, and production of digital content across multiple channels to build brand authority, engage target audiences, and drive inbound traffic and conversions for B2B clients.
• Content Production Production of multimedia content including photography, video, graphics, and written materials tailored for social media and digital marketing use.
• Digital Communication for Non-Profits Specialized social media and digital communication consulting for non-profit organizations, associations, and charitable institutions, including TTPA-compliant advertising guidance.
• KI-Verordnung / AI Literacy Act Course Online blended-learning course covering the EU AI Act, AI literacy requirements, and responsible AI use in the workplace, delivered in modular form and certified upon completion.
• Performance Marketing Paid advertising campaigns across Meta, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Google Ads, and YouTube aimed at lead generation, revenue growth, brand visibility, and recruiting.
• Podcast Production End-to-end production of podcast series, including concept development, recording, editing, and distribution support for corporate clients.
• Social Media Management Full-service management of corporate social media accounts across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and XING, including content planning, posting, community engagement, analytics, and optimization.
• Social Media Recruiting Use of social media platforms and targeted advertising to attract, identify, and recruit qualified candidates, supported by employer branding content on professional and consumer networks.
• Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Search engine marketing covering paid search (SEM/SEA), search engine optimization (SEO), Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and content strategies optimized for AI-powered search and answer engines.
• Advertising Copy & Copywriting

Quantifiable outcome

• Within one month, a post on the topic 'KI-SEO, GAIO, AEO, GEO, LLMO' ranked #1 on Google and in AI Overviews citations

Named customers11 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

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Meta (Facebook, Instagram)coreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial Meta Business Partner and Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate. The partnership enables SO.real to access Meta's latest features, advertising tools, and platform developments, while providing clients with certified expertise on Meta's advertising and marketing solutions.
• IHK (Industrie- und Handelskammer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHK-certified training provider offering professional certification programs including Social-Media-Manager Advanced and Social-Media-Werbeanzeigen courses. The partnership validates training quality through the German Chamber of Commerce system.
• DHBW Stuttgart (Dual University Baden-Württemberg)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual study partnership providing practical training opportunities for students. Listed as a dual partner company on the DHBW Stuttgart website.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• KMS Team: Munich-based social media and integrated communications agency serving mid-market and enterprise clients in DACH. Comparable offering across social media management, content production, and corporate communications consulting.
• Scholz & Volkmer: Wiesbaden/Berlin-based digital brand communications agency offering strategy, content, and platform solutions to enterprise clients. Closely comparable on B2B digital communications and content-driven brand transformation in the DACH market.
• Hype Group: Munich-based influencer marketing and communications agency with strong DACH enterprise focus. Comparable on social-first campaign execution and influencer strategy for regulated industries such as finance and healthcare.
• Territory Influence: Hamburg-based influencer and content marketing agency within the Bertelsmann-owned Territory network. Directly comparable on corporate influencer strategy and brand storytelling for DACH enterprise clients.
• 365 Sherpas: Munich-based corporate communications and executive positioning consultancy with a strong focus on C-suite thought leadership and corporate influencer programs. Closely comparable to SO.real's Corporate Influencer offering and DACH B2B focus.
• TLGG Agency: Berlin-based digital transformation and social media consultancy founded by a former Twitter Germany executive, now part of Accenture Song. Directly comparable on digital transformation consulting, social media strategy, and DACH enterprise client base.

Broad incumbents

• Serviceplan Group: Munich-headquartered, Europe's largest independent creative agency group with digital, media, and content capabilities. Larger incumbent serving the same enterprise DACH client base with broader integrated offerings.
• Edelman Germany: German arm of global PR firm Edelman, with strong corporate communications, public affairs, and B2B marketing capabilities. Overlaps with SO.real's digital communications and corporate content offerings for enterprise clients.
• Zum goldenen Hirschen: Berlin/Hamburg-based integrated creative and communications agency group serving major DACH brands. Broader incumbent with adjacent capabilities in brand strategy, social campaigns, and corporate communications.
• Ogilvy Germany: Frankfurt-based office of global advertising and brand consulting network. Larger incumbent offering integrated social, performance, and brand strategy to multinational and DACH enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/so_real_gmbh
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4ky3dm1HPoJTc-LgWs4Z0w
• Facebookfacebook.com/SO.real.GmbH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/so-real-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/so.real.gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 So.real Gmbh