MTÜ diversophy

What MTÜ diversophy does

MTÜ diversophy is an Estonian non-profit organization (Mittetulundusühing) that develops and distributes card-based intercultural competence training games under the diversophy® brand. Founded by Dr. George F. Simons in 1972, the organization has built a catalog of over 100 game versions spanning 70+ topics, including country-specific cultures (Argentina, China, Germany, USA, and others), thematic skills (global negotiation, teamwork, DEI, intersectionality, sustainability), and specialized contexts such as healthcare and refugee acculturation. Each game is structured around a proprietary five-card framework — Share, Risk, Choice, Smarts, and Guide — that facilitators deploy to drive structured group dialogue, and is delivered as a PowerPoint digital download, a print-it-yourself file, or a printed card deck of up to 280 cards.

The business model combines unit-priced product sales (€29–€59 per game) through an e-commerce storefront with fee-based workshop facilitation, custom game development, and licensing or royalty arrangements for co-developed content and translations. Customers span multinational corporations (Deutsche Post, France Telecom, American Express), higher education institutions (JAMK University, Espeme/EDHEC, University of Burgundy), independent trainers and consultants, NGOs and refugee organizations, healthcare providers, public agencies, SMEs, and self-directed individuals. The organization pursues a hybrid go-to-market combining product-led direct sales, event-driven demand generation at SIETAR congresses, and community-led engagement through free bi-weekly online sessions and an Ambassador certification program.

MTÜ diversophy operates as a distributed global network of international collaborators and interns drawn from 20+ countries, with the founder retaining editorial control rather than a traditional corporate hierarchy. Notable public-sector engagements include the USAID/Turkmenistan Negotiation Skills seminar (2014). Active expansion vectors include the Africa & Decolonisation initiative, thematic product lines (ECOdiversophy, diversiSMILES, diversiDARE, diversiDENTITY, diversiTASTES, NEUROdiversophy), and ongoing translations into more than 10 languages. The entity is structured as an Estonian non-profit, and no revenue, funding, or headcount figures are disclosed in public materials.

Name

MTÜ diversophy

Legal name

MTÜ diversophy

Website

https://diversophy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MTÜ diversophy is an Estonian non-profit that designs and distributes card-based intercultural competence training games across 70+ topics and 10+ languages, serving corporations, universities, trainers, NGOs, and government agencies worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tallinn

HQ country

Estonia

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Operations

Revenue model

1. Game Product Sales: One-time sale of card-based learning games as digital downloads (PowerPoint files) or print-on-demand. Games come in full deck (up to 280 cards) and mini-deck (100 cards) formats. Standard products priced at €29–€59 depending on format and size. Digital delivery within 2 working days; printed copies within 20 working days. Express courier available worldwide from ~€200.
2. Workshop & Training Services: Fee-based workshop facilitation services for organizations, corporations, universities, and government agencies. Workshops use diversophy® games as the core learning instrument. Includes both virtual (post-2020) and in-person formats. Customized workshop content available on request.
3. Custom Game Development & Licensing: Customization of existing games to meet specific organizational learning objectives, industry needs, or cultural requirements. Also available as co-development of new game topics with external authors (with authorship agreement including royalties). Translations into additional languages generate licensing revenue with shared royalties.
4. Pro Bono & Free Offerings: Free game sessions (every 1st and 3rd Thursday online) serve as marketing/try-before-you-buy. Pro bono games provided for social causes, including the Ukraine Acculturation Project with free translations available. Free games also available for specific social projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

MTÜ diversophy designs, develops, and sells card-based intercultural learning games used by trainers, educators, corporations, universities, and government agencies to build cultural competence and cross-cultural communication skills. Its diversophy® game library spans over 100 versions covering 70+ country-specific and thematic topics in more than ten languages, delivered as printed card decks or digital PowerPoint downloads. The organization complements game sales with fee-based workshops, custom game development, an Ambassador certification program, and free recurring online game sessions for community engagement.

Product overview

MTÜ diversophy is a non-profit organization specializing in the creation of intercultural learning games for trainers and educators. The core offering consists of card-based diversophy® games available in over 100 versions across multiple languages. The product portfolio includes: (1) Country-specific games covering cultures worldwide (Argentina, Australia, China, Denmark, USA, etc.); (2) Skills development games covering global teamwork, negotiation, cultural competence, and DEI; (3) Thematic games addressing decolonization, gender identity, humor, food culture, and sustainability; (4) Healthcare-specific games for US multicultural healthcare contexts. Games are delivered as physical card decks, digital downloads (PowerPoint), or print-it-yourself formats, with mini-decks (100 cards) and standard decks (up to 280 cards) available. Complementary services include free online game sessions, facilitated workshops, the Certified Ambassador Program, the Africa & Decolonisation initiative, a podcast series, webinars, and custom game development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• diversiDARE: A game focusing on critical areas of culture that have been largely avoided in meetings, collaboration, professional engagement, education, training, research and serious conversation.
• diversIDENTITY
• diversiSMILES
• diversiTASTES
• ECOdiversophy

Products and services

• diversophy® Country Card Games Card-based intercultural learning games focused on specific countries and cultures (e.g., Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Vietnam, etc.). Each game includes up to 280 cards covering values, facts, and behaviors needed to interact successfully with people from that culture, with facilitator guides and debrief materials. Sold as digital PowerPoint downloads or printed card decks at €29–€59.
• diversophy® Skills Games Skills development games covering topics such as global negotiation, inclusive teamwork, intercultural communication, cultural competence, NEUROdiversophy, gender identity, intersectionality, humor across cultures, food culture, and sustainability. Designed to help participants thrive in diverse environments through experiential card-based learning.
• Workshops Interactive workshop series designed to promote cultural understanding and collaboration through diversophy® games, group projects, and facilitated discussions that cultivate deeper appreciation for various cultures. Delivered to corporations, universities, government agencies, and organizations in virtual (post-2020) and in-person formats; customized workshop content available on request.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30,000 people have played diversophy® games on the SIETAR Intercultural Learning Center on Second Life alone.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• JAMK University of Applied Sciences (Finland)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Since 2015, diversophy® has partnered with JAMK University's 'JAMK United for Refugees' educational project in Jyvaskyla, Finland. Together they created games in English, Finnish, and Arabic to facilitate acculturation between local hosts and migrants. The project involved students from over 15 countries including local migrants.
• Turkmenistan Institute of International Relations / USAID / Ministry of Foreign Affairs of TurkmenistanminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2014In 2014, the Turkmenistan Institute of International Relations, with USAID and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, launched a five-day Negotiation Skills seminar introducing international practices for strategic negotiations. diversophy®'s Global Negotiation game provided interactive learning for this seminar.
• Baltartek (International Stream)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013In 2013, participants of the International Stream of Baltartek were addressed on the topic of intercultural communication via stories, diversophy®, Cultural Detective®, and other interactive experiences.
• Project Management Institute (PMI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012In 2012, diversophy® provided a presentation at the Project Management Institute in Paris on the theory and practice behind Global Teamwork, demonstrating the use of diversophy® games in project management contexts.
• SIETAR (Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008In 2008, diversophy® was a sponsor and creator of the SIETAR Intercultural Learning Center on Second Life, offering 19 playable samplers in English and Spanish. Over 30,000 people played these games. In 2009, diversophy® again sponsored SIETAR India's third Annual Congress in Pune. Ongoing conference and workshop collaboration continues through the present.
• m2studio (Munich)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2000In 2000, diversophy® entered a partnership with m2studio in Munich to develop a multilingual online version of the diversophy® game, customizable for internet use or installation on organizational networks. This was the first major digital/online version of the product.
• MULTUS Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1992In 1992, diversophy® collaborated with MULTUS Inc. to redesign and expand the game as a tool for domestic diversity training in the USA. This partnership led to the development of the full board game addressing differences and how to handle them, with new card sets covering Gender, Disability, and Sexual Orientation.
• Africa & Decolonisation Initiative ContributorscoreOthersThe Africa & Decolonisation initiative is under the direction of Confidence Happiness Evwodere and involves a collaborative network of cultural researchers, game developers, cultural practitioners, volunteers, and interns working to embed African perspectives into intercultural competence training. This initiative represents a new strategic direction for diversifying the content and authorship of diversophy® games.
• Podcast Co-hosts and ContributorsminorOthersPodcast episodes feature co-hosts including George Simons (founder) and Quinten. Episodes cover topics such as Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions, culture shock, food and culture, and game demonstrations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kozai Group: Provides intercultural training, consulting, and organizational development services to corporations, governments, and educational institutions. Directly comparable as an intercultural training services provider with corporate and government clients similar to diversophy's customer base.
• Hofstede Insights: Commercializes Hofstede's cultural dimensions framework through country comparison tools, certification, and training. Directly comparable as a methodology-driven intercultural training vendor whose framework is referenced in diversophy's own podcast content.
• Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI): Provides the IDI assessment tool and intercultural competence training programs used by corporations, educators, and consultants worldwide. Directly comparable as a packaged intercultural competence methodology sold to the same trainer and institutional buyer.
• Cultural Detective LLC: Develops card-based and online intercultural training tools for global teams, with a methodology centered on authentic cultural perspectives contributed by people from each culture. Closely parallels diversophy's gamified, country-and-skill-specific approach to intercultural competence training.
• RW3 CultureWizard: Delivers online intercultural and global leadership training for multinational companies and globally distributed teams. Comparable to diversophy as an intercultural competence training vendor targeting the same enterprise L&D buyer.

Others

• SIETAR (Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research): International professional association for intercultural educators, trainers, and researchers that has hosted diversophy content, conferences, and the Second Life Learning Center. Comparable as an ecosystem player that distributes and legitimizes intercultural training products to the same professional community.
• Wiley (Pfeiffer imprint): Publishes Pfeiffer training materials, assessments, and facilitator guides used by corporate trainers and HR professionals. Adjacent as a publisher of training content that competes for the same facilitator/educator wallet share diversophy targets.

Broad incumbents

• Berlitz Corporation: Global language and intercultural training corporation serving corporations and consumers with a much broader portfolio (language, leadership, cross-cultural). Comparable as an incumbent provider of intercultural training to the same multinational enterprise segment diversophy addresses, though at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/george-simons-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 MTÜ diversophy