Linc Gmbh

What Linc Gmbh does

LINC GmbH is a privately held German company headquartered in Lüneburg, founded as a spin-off from Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, that develops personality diagnostics, online assessments, and coaching-based development programs for individuals, teams, and organizations. Its core product is the LINC Personality Profiler (LPP), an online assessment built on the Big Five (OCEAN) model — the dominant validated paradigm in modern personality psychology — that captures personality holistically across character traits, motives, and competencies and delivers a detailed 34-page personalized report. Around this core, LINC has assembled a product family of specialized variants: LPP Team Check for team development, LPP Candidate Check for recruitment with target-actual profile matching, LPP Partner Check for conflict management, LPP Fremdeinschätzung for 360-degree leadership feedback, LINC Career Profiler, LINC Sports Profiler, LINC Coaching Profiler (which integrates five established coaching methods), and Culture_ID for intercultural contexts.

The company monetizes through two primary mechanisms: (1) a sales-led certification model in which coaches, trainers, HR professionals, and consultants pay 890 EUR (ex-VAT) for a two-day online certification workshop that grants the right to use all LPP variants with their own clients, building a network of over 5,500 certified practitioners; and (2) a pay-as-you-go tool-usage model in which certified practitioners order individual LPP reports or contingency packages, with no re-certification fees, annual fees, or minimum order quantities. Enterprise clients are reached through direct consultative sales for in-house certifications and customized products such as 'TIEFENPROFIL FÜHRUNG' (e.g., s.Oliver), supplemented by matchmaking with certified practitioners from the channel network. The go-to-market is event-driven: free 30-minute online info sessions hosted by managing directors Dr. Ronald Franke and Dr. Martin Puppatz serve as the top-of-funnel conversion mechanism, and the company benefits from third-party credibility through partnerships with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) Germany Charter Chapter, the Deutscher Coaching Verband (DCV), and CCE accreditation for 11 continuing-coaching-education units. In 2026, LINC launched LINC COMPANION, an AI-powered digital assistant that supports interpretation of LPP results, marking its first explicit AI product extension. The company serves the DACH region primarily and operates with 11–50 employees.

Name

Linc Gmbh

Legal name

LINC GmbH

Website

https://linc.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LINC GmbH is a German spin-off from Leuphana Universität Lüneburg that develops the Big Five-based LINC Personality Profiler and specialized variants for recruiting, team development, leadership coaching, and elite sports, monetized through a certified-practitioner channel of 5,500+ coaches and trainers and direct enterprise sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personality Assessment Software

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Software Publishers (513210), Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

People Analytics, Assessment & Psychometrics Consulting (BPAHAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Team & Group Executive Coaching (Leadership Teams) (EDABANAF)

Keywords

• Personality assessment tools
• Big Five diagnostics
• HR assessment software
• Coaching certification programs
• Leadership development solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Lüneburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Certification Program Fees: Two-day certification workshops for coaches, trainers, HR professionals, and leaders. Participants pay 890 EUR (excl. VAT) and receive the right to use all LPP variants. The certification includes three free tool usages. Pricing is positioned as significantly cheaper than comparable providers while maintaining high quality.
2. LPP Tool/Survey Fees: After certification, practitioners order tools individually or in contingency packages with price advantages. Reports are only billed when completed and shipped; unused links cost nothing. No re-certification fees, no annual fees, no minimum order quantities.
3. Enterprise HR Solutions: Direct engagement with companies for HR solutions including leadership development, team development, recruiting support, and personnel development using LPP tools. Companies can request in-house certification or engage certified coaches/trainers from the LINC network.
4. Senior Coach Certification: Advanced certification for LPP Senior Coach with deeper knowledge and competencies for professional coaching with the LPP.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

LINC develops and distributes the LINC Personality Profiler (LPP), an online Big Five-based personality assessment that generates a 34-page holistic report covering character traits, motives, and competencies. The company sells two-day certification workshops to coaches, trainers, HR professionals, and consultants (€890 excl. VAT) who then order individual LPP tool reports (Team Check, Candidate Check, Partner Check, Career Profiler, Sports Profiler, Fremdeinschätzung, Culture_ID, Coaching Profiler) to use with their own clients, and also delivers direct enterprise HR solutions for recruitment, leadership development, and team building.

Product overview

LINC Gmbh offers a unified personality assessment platform based on the scientifically validated Big Five model. The core product is the LINC PERSONALITY PROFILER (LPP), an online personality test capturing character traits, motives, and competencies. Multiple specialized variants extend the platform: LPP TEAM CHECK for team development, LPP CANDIDATE CHECK for recruitment, LPP PARTNER CHECK for conflict management, LPP FREMDEINSCHÄTZUNG for 360-degree leadership feedback, LINC CAREER PROFILER for career counseling, LINC SPORTS PROFILER for athletic coaching, and the LINC COACHING PROFILER for integrating coaching methods. The LINC COMPANION adds AI-powered interpretation assistance. Additional offerings include the LINC Coaching Board digital platform, deep profile variants (TIEFENPROFIL FÜHRUNG, and others for agility, stress, sales, and founding), and professional certification programs (LPP Certification Workshop at 890 EUR and LPP SENIOR COACH). All products are available in German and English.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LINC Personality Profiler (LPP): The core Big Five-based online personality assessment tool that holistically captures character, motives, and competencies.
• LINC Coaching Profiler
• LINC Coaching Board
• LINC Companion
• LPP Team Check
• LPP Candidate Check
• LPP Partner Check
• LPP Fremdeinschätzung
• LINC Career Profiler
• LINC Sports Profiler
• Culture_ID

Products and services

• LINC PERSONALITY PROFILER (LPP) Flagship online personality assessment tool grounded in the Big Five (OCEAN) psychological model, generating a detailed 34-page report covering character, motives, and competencies; used by certified practitioners and enterprise HR teams for recruitment, development, and coaching.
• LPP TEAM CHECK Team-focused LPP variant that displays the personality profile distribution across an entire team in one view to support team development, conflict analysis, and collaboration improvements.
• LPP CANDIDATE CHECK Recruitment-oriented LPP variant used for personnel selection, providing systematic fit analysis between a candidate's personality profile and a defined target profile for a position.
• LPP PARTNER CHECK LPP variant for conflict management and couple or partner counseling that compares the personality profiles of two individuals side-by-side in partner or business configurations.
• LPP FREMDEINSCHÄTZUNG (360-Degree Feedback) LPP variant providing 360-degree feedback by systematically comparing self-assessment and external assessment of personality traits, used primarily for leadership development.
• LINC CAREER PROFILER Personality-oriented career counseling tool that aligns individual career choices and development paths with the Big Five-based personality profile.
• LINC SPORTS PROFILER LPP variant for elite sports that connects central performance success factors in sport with an athlete's individual personality profile for sports coaching and performance development.
• LINC COACHING PROFILER Coaching-focused product that combines the Big Five-based LPP personality analysis with five established coaching methods (Inner Team, Beliefs, Drivers, Value Squares, Coping Behavior) to provide structured reflection impulses for coaching and development processes.
• Culture_ID LPP variant capturing and comparing behavioral styles across cultures to enable cross-cultural comparison and sensitivity training.
• LINC COMPANION AI-powered digital assistant (text-based) that supports LPP-certified coaches and end users in interpreting and applying LINC Personality Profiler results, providing scientifically founded and data-secure guidance in natural language format.
• LINC Coaching Board Digital platform that combines whiteboard, video conferencing, digital coaching methods, learning nuggets, and materials for conducting digital coaching and personality-based development processes between sessions.
• TIEFENPROFIL FÜHRUNG (Leadership Depth Profile) Customized deep-profile LPP variant for leadership development, aligning individual personality profiles with leadership competencies and requirements; developed in close collaboration with client HR experts.
• LPP Certification Workshop Two-day online certification program that enables coaches, trainers, HR professionals, and consultants to use all LPP variants (LPP, Team Check, Candidate Check, Partner Check, Career Profiler, Sports Profiler, Fremdeinschätzung, Culture_ID); priced at €890 (excl. VAT) and includes three free tool usages; CCE-accredited for 11 CCEUs.
• LPP SENIOR COACH Certification Advanced certification program that builds on the basic LPP certification, providing in-depth knowledge and competencies required for professional coaching practice with the LINC Personality Profiler.

Quantifiable outcome

• High user acceptance - even psychological laypeople easily understand the results
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• International Coaching Federation (ICF) Germany ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLINC is an official Business Partner of the ICF Germany Charter Chapter. This partnership enables joint marketing activities, credibility signaling through association with the largest global coaching professional federation, and access to ICF's network of certified coaches who may become LPP certification candidates.
• Deutscher Coaching Verband e.V. (DCV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe DCV (German Coaching Association) formally recommends the LINC Personality Profiler as a high-quality instrument for supporting coaching processes. DCV advocates for professional diversity in coaching and sets quality standards. This recommendation serves as a key credibility signal for LINC in the German-speaking coaching market.
• CCE (Continuing Coaching Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCE has accredited the LPP certification workshop as a Continuing Coaching Education program, granting 11 CCEUs (7 Core Competencies + 4 Resource Development) for ICF-certified coaches. This accreditation makes LINC's certification program particularly attractive to professional coaches seeking continuing education credits.
• Leuphana Universität LüneburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLINC GmbH is a spin-off (Ausgründung) from Leuphana University Lüneburg. This academic origin provides scientific credibility and connects the company to the university's research environment, underpinning the scientific foundation of the LPP tools.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Crystal Knows: Crystal Knows applies personality frameworks (DISC-based) to sales and workplace scenarios via SaaS and browser extensions—a digital-first challenger whose AI-assisted interpretation parallels LINC's LINC Companion strategy.
• Traitify: Traitify delivers a visual, mobile-first Big Five personality assessment with API-first delivery—competing with LPP for modern digital HR tech stacks and representing the AI-native direction the assessment category is moving.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry offers a portfolio of talent assessments (KF4D, Voices) bundled into executive search, leadership development, and HR consulting—a broader incumbent that competes with LINC for enterprise HR budgets rather than for individual practitioner tools.
• SHL (assessments): SHL provides occupational personality and cognitive assessments for high-volume hiring and leadership selection—overlapping with LINC's Candidate Check and recruitment use cases inside large enterprise HR functions.
• Gallup (CliftonStrengths): Gallup's CliftonStrengths is a strengths-based assessment widely deployed in enterprise leadership and team development programs; it overlaps with LINC's leadership and team use cases but operates at vastly larger scale with proprietary strengths taxonomy.

Direct peers

• Hogan Assessments: Hogan is a Big Five-based personality assessment suite (HPI, HDS, MVPI) widely used in executive coaching, leadership development, and selection—directly competing with LINC's LPP for the same HR and coaching use cases on a scientifically comparable foundation.
• Predictive Index (PI): PI provides behavioral and cognitive assessment tools (PI Behavioral Assessment, PI Cognitive Assessment) sold to HR teams and consulting partners for hiring and team design—directly overlapping LINC's Candidate Check and Team Check use cases.
• Insights Discovery: Insights Discovery sells a color-based personality/learning styles assessment through a global network of licensed practitioners—the closest structural analogue to LINC's certification-led distribution model, though built on a less scientifically validated framework.
• Thomas International: Thomas offers DISC-based personality assessments and a global practitioner network targeting recruiting, leadership development, and team building—comparable to LINC in product scope and practitioner-led distribution, with a stronger global footprint.
• The Myers-Briggs Company: MBTI operates a practitioner certification model (MBTI Certification) and sells assessment tools into HR, coaching, and team development—mirroring LINC's GTM, though anchored in a typology framework LINC explicitly positions against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance3 records

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 Linc Gmbh