APROPOS
APROPOS Group is a non-profit, politically neutral think tank specializing in Political Process Design. It operates the Open European Dialogue platform engaging 600+ parliamentarians across 27+ countries, and offers Policy Design Sprints, training, R&D, and a parliamentary fellowship with LSE academic direction.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersBerlin-müggelheim, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What APROPOS does
APROPOS Group is a non-profit, politically neutral think tank specializing in democratic innovation and Political Process Design. The organization operates as a collective of practitioners, researchers, and policy thinkers, with primary operational bases in Berlin and Rome and a connection point in Lisbon. Founded in 2018 by Chiara Rosselli (Executive Director) and Isotta Ricci Bitti (Managing Director), alongside co-founders Peter Woodward, Mia Forbes Pirie, and Caspar Kolster, APROPOS grew out of the Open European Dialogue initiative launched in 2015. Its core methodology integrates dialogue facilitation, human-centered design thinking, adaptive leadership, cognitive and behavioral sciences, and Agile sprint principles, packaged into a proprietary Political Process Design Framework built around the 3 Ps (People, Purpose, Process).\n\nThe organization's portfolio centers on four product lines: the Open European Dialogue — Europe's first informal dialogue platform for elected policymakers, engaging 600+ parliamentarians across 27+ countries since 2015; the Policy Design Sprint — a 7-week collaboration technology for co-designing policy prototypes combining dialogue facilitation with Agile methodology; the Coalition for Dialogue and Collaboration in Politics — a collaborative R&D Hub studying political dialogue tools (launched 2024); and the Policy Mission Fellowship — a five-month program for European MPs with academic direction from the London School of Economics (launched 2026). Complementary services include Political Process Design Training (half-day to three-day immersive courses), Adaptive Leadership Training, Strategy Workshops, and 45-minute process design consultations.\n\nRevenue is generated through institutional grants from major European foundations (Robert Bosch Stiftung, Stiftung Mercator, King Baudouin Foundation, Bertelsmann Stiftung, German Marshall Fund), fee-bearing training and fellowship programs (the Policy Mission Fellowship carries €18,000 per participant), and project-based consulting with foundations, international organizations (IOM, GIZ, UCLG), think tanks (DGAP), and corporate executive teams (Michelin). The go-to-market is event-driven and community-led, relying on convening political dialogues, recruiting parliamentarians into ongoing programs, and building communities of practice. The OECD's Observatory for Public Sector Innovation recognized APROPOS's methods as a global best practice for cross-border collaboration in 2021.
APROPOS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- APROPOS
- Legal name
- APROPOS Group
- Website
- https://aproposgroup.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- APROPOS Group is a non-profit, politically neutral think tank specializing in Political Process Design. It operates the Open European Dialogue platform engaging 600+ parliamentarians across 27+ countries, and offers Policy Design Sprints, training, R&D, and a parliamentary fellowship with LSE academic direction.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
APROPOS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Political Process Design and Democratic Innovation Consulting
- NAICS
- National Security and International Affairs (928), Executive and Legislative Offices, Combined (92114)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Government, Public Policy & Regulatory Congresses (THAHAJAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Government & Public Sector Congress & Summit Planning (THAHACAC), Finance, Economics & Public Administration Congresses (THAHAJAL)
Keywords
Where APROPOS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin-müggelheim
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
APROPOS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Training and Capacity Building Services: APROPOS provides training programs on Political Process Design and facilitation. They offer introductory trainings of half a day to 3 days of full-immersion training. Training is provided to organizations including Robert Bosch Stiftung's Migration, Climate, and Democracy teams.
- Process Design Consultation: APROPOS offers consultation services where clients can book a 45-minute session with an APROPOS Process Designer to start designing for impact.
- Grants and Partnerships: As a non-profit think tank, APROPOS operates through funding from institutional partners and donors including foundations such as Robert Bosch Stiftung, Stiftung Mercator, King Baudouin Foundation, Bertelsmann Stiftung, and German Marshall Fund.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Policy Mission Fellowship is fully funded |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
APROPOS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
APROPOS designs, convenes, and facilitates political dialogue and collaboration spaces for elected policymakers, foundations, international organizations, and corporate leadership teams. Its offerings include the Open European Dialogue platform, multi-week Policy Design Sprints that produce policy prototypes, capacity-building trainings in Political Process Design and Adaptive Leadership, strategy workshops, and the Policy Mission Fellowship for Members of Parliament.
Product overview
APROPOS is a non-profit, politically neutral think tank specializing in democratic innovation and political process design. The company offers a portfolio of interconnected products and services: (1) The Open European Dialogue - Europe's first dialogue platform for elected policymakers; (2) The Policy Design Sprint - a 7-week collaboration technology for co-designing policy prototypes; (3) The Coalition for Dialogue and Collaboration - an R&D Hub for political dialogue research; (4) Political Process Design Training - capacity building for politically-minded actors; (5) Adaptive Leadership Training - leadership methodology training; (6) Strategy Workshops - strategic facilitation services; and (7) Policy Mission Fellowship - a fellowship for European MPs. The organization operates primarily in Europe with teams in Berlin and Rome, and was recognized by the OECD in 2021 as a global best-practice for cross-border collaboration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Open European Dialogue Europe's first politically neutral dialogue platform for elected policymakers, facilitating cross-border and cross-party dialogue and collaboration among European politicians since 2015. Provides spaces for policymakers to connect, engage in meaningful political conversations, and share perspectives across ideological and national borders.
- Policy Design Sprint A collaboration technology for policymaking that assists policymakers in co-designing and testing a policy prototype in under seven weeks. Combines dialogue facilitation, human-centered design thinking, and Agile Sprint methodology. Delivered as online or offline formats with up to 10 policymakers and a dedicated facilitation team.
- Coalition for Dialogue and Collaboration in Politics (R&D Hub) A collaborative research and development hub dedicated to the study of political dialogue and collaboration tools to support effective solution-building for policymaking. Delivers new knowledge and tools for constructive political exchanges.
- Political Process Design Training Capacity building training programmes ranging from half-day introductions to three-day immersive training in political process design and facilitation. Includes the 3 Ps Framework (People, Purpose, Process), Agenda Design, and Process Design Consultation Protocols. Provided to organizations such as Robert Bosch Stiftung's Migration, Climate, and Democracy teams.
- Adaptive Leadership Training Training programmes that disseminate Adaptive Leadership tools and practice to public and private actors, in partnership with the Olivetti Leadership Institute. Used by senior decision-makers worldwide to navigate complex, politically charged challenges.
- Strategy Workshops Design and facilitation of strategic reflection spaces for teams, projects, and organizations. Includes strategic workshops, innovation processes using Design Sprint tools, and future-oriented thinking using scenario planning and foresight methodologies.
- Policy Mission Fellowship A fellowship programme for European Members of Parliament combining dialogue and hands-on policy work to strengthen policymaking capacity. Combines in-person engagements at London and Berlin (residencies and policy lab) with focused online sessions and Adaptive Leadership training, with academic direction from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
- Political Dialogues Convening, designing, and facilitating political dialogues, including coordination and recruitment of political and civil society voices from across the political spectrum. Covers parliamentary exchanges to citizen roundtables.
Quantifiable outcome
- 600+ European policymakers engaged in dialogue across political spectrum since 2015
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use APROPOS
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
APROPOS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
APROPOS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)coreLSE provides academic direction for the Policy Mission Fellowship programme, combining dialogue and hands-on policy work to strengthen policymaking capacity of Europe's leaders. The programme includes London Residency and Berlin Policy Lab components.
- Open European Dialogue Consortium PartnerscoreAPROPOS coordinates the Open European Dialogue in partnership with a consortium of European think tanks and institutions: IAI - Istituto Affari Internazionali, ELIAMEP - Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy, CIDOB - Barcelona Centre for International Affairs, German Marshall Fund of the United States, Stiftung Mercator, Robert Bosch Stiftung, King Baudouin Foundation, and Bertelsmann Stiftung. This consortium supports Europe's first informal dialogue platform for elected policymakers.
- German Marshall Fund of the United StatesminorPartner for the Young Transatlantic Network of Future Leaders design thinking workshop on crafting a transatlantic narrative for future generations.
- U.S. EmbassyminorCo-partner for the Young Transatlantic Network of Future Leaders initiative.
- Heinrich Böll FoundationminorAPROPOS team contributed as Process Designers and Facilitators to multiple editions of the Heinrich Böll Foundation's Annual Foreign Policy Conference.
- The Democratic SocietyminorAPROPOS was engaged by The Democratic Society as facilitators and process designers to host citizen roundtables for Renew Europe in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe.
- Renew EuropeminorAPROPOS facilitated citizen consultations for Renew Europe as part of the Conference on the Future of Europe.
- DGAP - German Council on Foreign RelationsminorAPROPOS team is regularly invited to DGAP's Think Tank School to host sessions on process design for politics and political dialogue as a tool for impactful policymaking.
- European Youth Parliament (EYP)minorAPROPOS assisted the Schwarzkopf Stiftung Junges Europa to design and deliver an online idea development space for the European Youth Parliament's Young European Multipliers for Climate Action (YEMCA) project.
- Schwarzkopf Stiftung Junges EuropaminorPartner organization for the European Youth Parliament's Young European Multipliers for Climate Action initiative.
- Olivetti Leadership InstituteminorAPROPOS contributes process design, facilitation and training expertise to the Olivetti Leadership Institute's efforts to disseminate Adaptive Leadership tools to public and private actors in Italy and across Europe.
- United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)minorCo-steering partner for Mayors Mechanism, a partnership dedicated to amplifying voices of local governments in international discussions on migration.
- Mayors Migration CouncilminorCo-steering partner for Mayors Mechanism, working to connect local governments to state-led migration discussions.
- UN International Organization for Migration (IOM)minorCo-steering partner for Mayors Mechanism, bringing international organization perspective to local government migration discussions.
- GIZ - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale ZusammenarbeitcoreAPROPOS supports GIZ's Global Programme: Shaping Development-Oriented Migration, facilitating transformative dialogues dedicated to protecting and empowering migrant care workers. The first dialogue in November 2024 in Berlin brought together 50 participants from 22 civil society organizations from 11 countries. Made possible with support of BMZ (Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung).
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
APROPOS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- International IDEA: An intergovernmental organization focused on democratic innovation, electoral processes, and constitution-building worldwide. Comparable to APROPOS in its mission to strengthen democratic processes and convene political actors, though operating at a larger global scale with member-state backing.
- Moreillon: A specialized facilitation and process design firm working with political parties, governments, and civic organizations on dialogue and deliberation. Direct methodological peer to APROPOS, offering overlapping facilitation, training, and convening services to similar political and institutional clients.
- European Leadership Network: A cross-party foreign policy network convening European and transatlantic policymakers on security and economic issues. Comparable to APROPOS's Open European Dialogue in convening sitting parliamentarians across parties, and a natural peer on fellowship and policy lab programming.
- The Democratic Society: A democratic innovation organization that designs participatory processes and citizen engagement programs across Europe. Highly comparable to APROPOS in mission, methodology (deliberative and participatory design), and target customers (parliamentarians, EU institutions); the two organizations have already collaborated on citizen roundtables for Renew Europe.
Broad incumbents
- Munich Security Conference: The premier global forum for security policy dialogue among heads of state, ministers, and senior policymakers. Comparable to APROPOS in elite-level political convening, though operating at a vastly larger scale with deeper institutional entrenchment and broader policy remit.
- European Policy Centre: A Brussels-based think tank producing policy analysis and convening EU stakeholders. Comparable to APROPOS as a European policy convener and thought leader, though with broader policy coverage and a more traditional think tank delivery model rather than process design specialization.
- Carnegie Europe: A major European policy think tank part of the Carnegie Endowment network. Comparable to APROPOS as a convener of high-level European policy dialogue, though operating at significantly larger scale with broader policy research and convening capabilities.
- Chatham House: A leading international affairs think tank convening high-level political and policy dialogue. A broad incumbent peer in convening sitting policymakers, offering similar trust-building and cross-party convening infrastructure but with much greater scale and institutional resources.
Emerging players
- Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL): An innovation-focused justice organization that designs new legal and dispute resolution processes. Comparable to APROPOS in applying human-centered design and innovation methodology to institutional and political contexts, though focused on justice systems rather than political dialogue.
- Stiftung Neue Verantwortung: A Berlin-based think tank focused on technology and democratic policy issues. Comparable to APROPOS in being a German-based policy innovation organization with foundation backing, though focused specifically on digital policy rather than cross-party process design.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
APROPOS social profiles
Digital presenceAPROPOS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
APROPOS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
APROPOS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
APROPOS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about APROPOS
What does APROPOS do?
APROPOS designs, convenes, and facilitates political dialogue and collaboration spaces for elected policymakers, foundations, international organizations, and corporate leadership teams. Its offerings include the Open European Dialogue platform, multi-week Policy Design Sprints that produce policy prototypes, capacity-building trainings in Political Process Design and Adaptive Leadership, strategy workshops, and the Policy Mission Fellowship for Members of Parliament.
Is APROPOS a public or private company?
APROPOS is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was APROPOS founded?
APROPOS was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is APROPOS based?
APROPOS is headquartered in Berlin-müggelheim, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does APROPOS make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Training and Capacity Building Services are the primary driver. The others are process Design Consultation and grants and Partnerships.
Who are APROPOS's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are International IDEA, Moreillon, European Leadership Network and The Democratic Society. Broad incumbents are Munich Security Conference, European Policy Centre, Carnegie Europe and Chatham House. Emerging players are Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL) and Stiftung Neue Verantwortung.
Does APROPOS have an API?
No public API is recorded for APROPOS.
What industry is APROPOS in?
APROPOS's product category is Political Process Design and Democratic Innovation Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHAJAF, Government, Public Policy & Regulatory Congresses, with a secondary code of THAHACAC, Government & Public Sector Congress & Summit Planning. Its NAICS code is 928 and its SIC code is 8600.