What Matters Gmbh

What What Matters Gmbh does

What Matters gGmbH is a Dortmund-based non-profit educational organization (gemeinnützige GmbH) that designs and delivers Holocaust remembrance programs, anti-discrimination training, and travelling exhibitions for corporations, sports organizations, law enforcement bodies, and universities across Europe and Israel. The organization was founded in 2011 by Dr. Andreas Kahrs and Daniel Lörcher, emerging from an initial educational trip organized for Borussia Dortmund fans to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Its core offerings include a portfolio of in-person educational programs (memorial site seminars at Auschwitz, Mittelbau-Dora, and other sites), specialized curricula such as "The Police and the Holocaust" co-developed with Villa ten Hompel, the EU-funded "Building Bridges" antisemitism initiative with the World Jewish Congress and CEJI, corporate history programs for clients like Evonik Industries and DSW21, and travelling exhibitions including "Sport. Crowd. Power. Football Under National Socialism" and "Spirit, Strength, Legacy."

The organization operates without proprietary technology infrastructure — it does not build software, platforms, or AI products. Its delivery model relies on human facilitation, workshop moderation, exhibition curation, and project-based partnerships with memorial sites, sports leagues (DFL, Bundesliga), and Jewish community institutions (World Jewish Congress, Jewish Community of Dortmund). Revenue is generated through project-based grants from foundations such as Alfred Landecker Foundation, Stiftung EVZ, Schering Stiftung, and Hans und Bertold Finkelstein Stiftung, supplemented by fees for bespoke corporate programs.

The current team comprises six members: two founder-directors, one office manager, two project managers (one of whom also serves as Data Protection Officer), and two facilitators. Operational geographies span Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, and Israel. Key strategic anchors include a partnership with Borussia Dortmund dating to 2011, joint initiatives with Chelsea FC, and institutional cooperation with Germany's top football governing bodies.

Name

What Matters Gmbh

Legal name

what matters gGmbH

Website

https://whatmatters.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

What Matters gGmbH is a Dortmund-based non-profit that designs and delivers Holocaust remembrance programs, anti-discrimination training, and travelling exhibitions for corporations, sports organizations, police institutions, and universities across Europe and Israel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dortmund

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

What Matters gGmbH is a nonprofit educational organization that develops and delivers values-based projects addressing antisemitism, racism, and discrimination. The organization designs and runs traveling exhibitions on football under National Socialism, multi-day memorial site seminars at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Mittelbau-Dora, and Villa ten Hompel, corporate educational programs for works councils and employees, specialized police training on the Holocaust, EU-funded antisemitism monitoring initiatives, and student seminars at memorial sites in cooperation with academic partners.

Product overview

What Matters GmbH is a nonprofit educational organization (gGmbH) that does not operate a traditional software product. Instead, the company offers a portfolio of educational programs, traveling exhibitions, and training seminars focused on Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism. The core offerings include traveling exhibitions such as 'SPORT. MASSE. MACHT.' (Sports, Crowds, Power) and 'Spirit, Strength, Legacy' about Hakoah Vienna; educational programs including memorial site seminars, educational trips to Auschwitz and other sites, and corporate training programs for companies like Evonik and DSW21; specialized initiatives like the 'Police and the Holocaust' training program; and the 'Building Bridges' EU initiative for antisemitism monitoring. These offerings are delivered through workshops, seminars, exhibitions, and guided educational trips rather than software products or platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SPORT. MASSE. MACHT. (Sports. Crowds. Power. Football Under National Socialism)

Named customers6 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

Partnerships

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

• World Jewish CongresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary strategic partner for antisemitism prevention work and Jewish life advocacy. Joint initiatives include 'Together Through Sport' initiative launched at UN Human Rights Council, 'Combating Antisemitism in Sport' project, Building Bridges networking events, and Police and the Holocaust education program. The partnership provides Jewish community perspective across all projects.
• Villa ten HompelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentral partner for police education on Holocaust history. The memorial site in Münster, a former command center of the Ordnungspolizei, serves as point of reference for educational programs. Co-developed 'On the Trail of the Perpetrators' project and Police and the Holocaust training modules.
• Sports Museum BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer of 'Sport. Crowd. Power. Football under National Socialism' exhibition. Joint project to examine football's history during Nazi era and commemorate Jewish and non-Jewish athletes who were persecuted.
• DSW21 (Dortmunder Stadtwerke)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term cooperation including #WeRemember light-rail train design, 'From Dortmund to Auschwitz' educational program for trainees and employees, and corporate history appraisal during Nazi period.
• Borussia DortmundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership since 2011 for anti-discrimination work and Holocaust remembrance. Includes educational trips to Auschwitz, corporate responsibility initiatives, and joint events with international partners (Chelsea FC) to combat antisemitism.
• Chelsea FCmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership with Borussia Dortmund for antisemitism awareness. Joint Champions League events, commemorative ceremonies for Julius Hirsch, and sharing best practices on discrimination prevention in football.
• DFL (Deutsche Fußball Liga)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for regular training sessions and public events related to antisemitism prevention in German football. Includes fan affairs department cooperation and education programs.
• DFB Cultural FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for cultural and educational projects in German football relating to Holocaust remembrance and discrimination prevention.
• Maccabi World Union / Kfar MaccabiahmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost partner for 'Spirit, Strength, Legacy' exhibition at Maccabi Sports Museum in Ramat Gan, displayed alongside International Maccabiah Games.
• CEJIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgian NGO and consortium partner in EU-funded Building Bridges project for monitoring and implementing EU strategy against antisemitism.
• Fritz Bauer InstitutmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for student seminars at Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial site, providing scholarly framework for university-level Holocaust education.
• Evonik IndustriesmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCorporate client for memorial site seminars at Mittelbau-Dora. Focus on forced labour under National Socialism for works council members, examining history of Evonik's predecessor companies.
• ADIRAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for 'From Dortmund to Auschwitz' educational project, contributing to educational program delivery.
• German Football MuseumStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Dortmund-based educational projects connecting football history with Holocaust remembrance.
• Jewish Community of DortmundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for educational programs and encounters with Jewish life today as part of educational trips and corporate programs.
• Stiftung Historische Museen HamburgmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for hosting 'Sport. Crowd. Power.' exhibition at Kultur Kontor Hamburg venue.
• Stiftung Hamburger Gedenkstätten und LernortemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for exhibition programming including public guided tours on topics like persecution stories during National Socialism and football in concentration camps.
• BundesligamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-founder of 'Spirit, Strength, Legacy' Hakoah Vienna exhibition, supporting international Holocaust remembrance through sports.
• Charlton AthleticminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-founder of Hakoah Vienna exhibition supporting Jewish sports heritage and remembrance.
• InfrontminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSports media company, co-founder of Hakoah Vienna exhibition.
• Austrian Cultural ForumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-founder supporting exhibition on Austrian Jewish sports heritage.
• World Jewish Congress IsraelminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-founder of exhibition partnership supporting Jewish sports heritage recognition in Israel.
• Frankfurter Initiative Studierender am IG Farben CampusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for student seminar at Auschwitz, providing student perspective and engagement.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kick It Out: UK-based football anti-discrimination charity addressing racism, antisemitism, and discrimination across English football. Directly comparable to what matters' work with BVB and Chelsea FC, with the same sports-sector anti-discrimination remit in a different league/ecosystem.
• Fare Network: European anti-discrimination in football network coordinating campaigns, monitoring, and education across UEFA-affiliated national associations. Directly comparable to what matters' EU-funded 'Building Bridges' antisemitism strategy implementation work in football.
• Anne Frank House: Amsterdam-based museum and educational organization dedicated to Anne Frank's life story and Holocaust remembrance, running school programs, exhibitions, and anti-discrimination work across Europe. Directly comparable to what matters in combining a memorial/historical site with active contemporary antisemitism-prevention programming.
• Facing History and Ourselves: US-headquartered nonprofit that provides Holocaust and human rights education resources to schools, organizations, and communities. Closely comparable to what matters in mission (Holocaust remembrance + contemporary discrimination work), delivery model (educational programs and workshops), and target audience (corporations, educators, civic institutions).
• Show Racism the Red Card: UK/European anti-racism charity using sport — particularly football — to deliver educational programs tackling racism, antisemitism, and discrimination. Closely aligned with what matters' sports-led antisemitism and discrimination education approach.
• March of the Living International: International organization coordinating educational trips to Auschwitz-Birkenau and Holocaust remembrance programming for students and adults worldwide. Directly comparable to what matters' Auschwitz seminar programs for university students and corporate groups.

Broad incumbents

• Anti-Defamation League (ADL): Major US-based civil rights organization fighting antisemitism and all forms of hate through education, training, and advocacy. Operates in overlapping antisemitism-prevention space but at vastly larger scale and with broader scope than what matters' niche.
• Yad Vashem: Israel's official Holocaust remembrance center operating a world-leading museum, archives, and international educational programming. Overlaps with what matters on Holocaust education but as a much larger, state-affiliated institution rather than a niche sports/corporate specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/what-matters-ggmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 What Matters Gmbh