Planval

What Planval does

Planval Partners AG is a Swiss boutique consulting firm specializing in sustainable regional development, climate change adaptation, and community planning. The firm was founded by Sebastian Bellwald (~2004-2006) and reorganized into a partnership structure in approximately 2024 under Managing Partner Lorenz Kurtz and Partner Thomas Probst. Operations are delivered from offices in Bern (headquarters), Brig-Glis, and Zürich, with a team of approximately 15 specialists spanning climate science, geography, regional economics, tourism, and innovation coaching.

The firm's core offering consists of three layers. First, project-based consulting services covering analyses, studies, concepts, and strategies across municipal, cantonal, regional, and corporate clients. Second, a proprietary methodology stack — most notably the KlimaScan/KlimaPlan/KlimaFit three-stage toolbox for climate adaptation — combining participatory and design-thinking methods with impact-oriented monitoring. Third, supporting digital infrastructure, including an open-source Projektdatenbank built with regiosuisse and Apollo, and a standardized Kurzberatung short-consultation product (CHF 500 inclusive of VAT). The firm also runs the secretariat for regiosuisse, the SECO-funded Swiss regional development network, which doubles as a referral channel and demand-generation engine.

Revenue mechanics are dominated by longer-cycle public-sector mandates awarded through Swiss municipal and cantonal procurement, supplemented by a small unit-priced consultation offering and a handful of private-sector engagements (notably tourism destinations such as Graubünden Ferien). The firm serves federal agencies (BFE, BAFU, SECO), cantons (Zürich, Luzern, St. Gallen), cities (Bern, Winterthur, Kloten), regional organizations (Naturpark Diemtigtal, Brugg Regio, Regionalkonferenz Oberland-Ost), and selected enterprises, with an emerging international footprint via the FORACCA consortium in Armenia (2023-2028).

Name

Planval

Legal name

Planval Partners AG

Website

https://planval.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Planval Partners AG is a Swiss boutique consultancy (~15 staff, offices in Bern, Brig-Glis and Zürich) that delivers regional development, climate adaptation, and nature-based value-creation services to Swiss municipalities, cantons, federal agencies, and select enterprises.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability and Climate Adaptation Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Land Use Planning (BPAHAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPADALAD), Adaptation & Resilience Planning Platforms (CAPEX Prioritization, Cost–Benefit, NBS) (EUABALAH), Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Sustainable consulting
• Climate adaptation
• Regional development
• Municipal consulting
• Nature-based solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Project-based consulting for municipalities, regions, cantons, and companies covering climate adaptation, sustainable development, regional development, and innovation. Services include analyses, studies, concepts, strategies, project development, and implementation support.
2. Short Consultation (Kurzberatung): A tailored short consultation providing methodological and specialist impulses and networking for specific challenges. Includes preparation, video call consultation (up to 1 hour), and follow-up. Priced at 500 CHF including VAT.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Planval provides consulting and facilitation services for sustainable regional, organizational, and economic development in Switzerland. Core offerings include climate adaptation strategy and implementation support (via the KlimaScan/KlimaPlan/KlimaFit toolbox), municipal, city, and regional development consulting, and nature-based value creation through innovative value chains and business models. Services span analyses, studies, concepts, strategies, project development, business model innovation, community management, and event facilitation, delivered to Swiss municipalities, cantons, federal agencies, and companies.

Product overview

Planval is a Swiss consulting firm (Planval Partners AG / Planval AG) offering advisory services rather than a unified software platform. The company's service portfolio includes methodological toolkits (KlimaScan/KlimaPlan/Klima-Fit for climate adaptation), an open-source project database developed collaboratively, and short consultation services. Core offerings span analyses, concepts/strategies, project development, business model innovation, community management, and event facilitation—focused on regional development, climate change adaptation, and nature-based solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consulting Services (Analysen und Studien, Konzepte und Strategien, Projektentwicklung) Comprehensive project-based consulting for Swiss municipalities, cantons, regions, and companies covering analyses, studies, concepts, strategies, project development, implementation support, business model innovation, community management, and event facilitation in sustainable development and climate adaptation.
• KlimaScan/KlimaPlan/KlimaFit Toolbox

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully developed cantonal climate adaptation strategies for Kanton St. Gallen (2019-2021) with 21 measures and indicator monitoring system
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered international, core, major and supporting.

• FORACCA Consortium (Armenia)internationalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Part of the international FORACCA project (2023-2028) implementing forest restoration and climate-resilient communities in Armenia, providing the Toolbox for climate-resilient municipalities.
• regiosuisse (Netzwerkstelle Regionalentwicklung)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlanval operates the secretariat for regiosuisse, the Swiss network hub for regional development. Regiosuisse is an initiative of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and supports the exchange of knowledge and experience among regional development actors in Switzerland. Planval coordinates the network, organizes events including innoday conferences, and facilitates collaboration between federal, cantonal, and regional stakeholders.
• seeconcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPlanval collaborated with seecon on the BAFU-funded Inkubator Ökologische Infrastruktur project, supporting teams in developing nature-based business models. Seecon provided coaching and facilitation alongside Planval's innovation methodology expertise.
• Netzwerk Schweizer Pärke (Swiss Parks Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with the Swiss Parks Network on the ecological infrastructure innovation project funded by BAFU, supporting the development of business models for sustainable valorization of natural resources in Swiss parks.
• MountecocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with Mounteco on Klimafitte Destinationen Graubünden project, helping tourism destinations adapt to climate change through comprehensive adaptation strategies.
• Explora FuturacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks with Explora Futura on climate-fit destinations in Graubünden, supporting tourism industry adaptation to climate change impacts.
• alpinframajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported alpinfra with the alpinfra innovare program for Swiss mountain municipalities (2023-2024), providing program conception and pilot phase implementation for innovation in mountain regions.
• APOLLO Webagentur und SoftwareunternehmensupportingTechnology or IntegrationAPOLLO is the programming partner for Planval's website and software development, based in Lustenau, Austria.
• id-k Kommunikationsdesign AGsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides concept and design services for Planval's communications and website, based in Bern, Switzerland.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Climate Focus: Climate Focus is an international climate advisory firm providing climate adaptation, land-use and nature-based solutions consulting — closely aligned with Planval's nature-based value creation and climate adaptation niche.

Direct peers

• Interface Politikstudien: Interface is a Lucerne-based policy research and consulting firm advising Swiss public administrations on social, education and environmental policy — overlapping methodology and client base with Planval.
• Infras: Infras is a Zurich-based research and consulting firm advising Swiss public sector clients on transport, energy, environment and climate — directly comparable to Planval's cantonal and federal project portfolio.
• BAK Economics: BAK Economics is a Basel-based economic research consultancy providing regional economic analyses to Swiss cantons and municipalities — comparable to Planval's regional development analytics work.
• Ecoplan: Ecoplan is a Bern-based economic and environmental research/consulting firm serving Swiss federal and cantonal authorities, with adjacent climate and regional development expertise to Planval.
• EBP (Schweizerische Beratungsfirma): EBP is a Swiss planning and engineering consultancy serving public sector clients on mobility, environment and spatial development — closely comparable business model and customer base to Planval.
• seecon (sustainable economics): seecon is a Swiss sustainability consultancy working on resource management, climate adaptation and ecological infrastructure — and is already a Planval implementation partner on BAFU-funded projects.

Broad incumbents

• Wuppertal Institut: Wuppertal Institut is a German research institute for sustainability and climate, undertaking similar climate-adaptation and regional transformation projects to Planval but with significantly broader scope and resources.
• Stockholm Environment Institute: SEI is an international policy research institute working on climate adaptation, resilience and sustainable development globally — comparable to Planval's FORACCA Armenia-style international adaptation work, but at much larger scale.
• Öko-Institut: Öko-Institut is a larger German applied research institute working on environmental and climate policy across Europe — comparable climate-adaptation consulting capability to Planval but at a much larger scale and broader scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/planval-ag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Planval