Gruendungswerft

What Gruendungswerft does

Gruendungswerft e.V. is a non-profit registered association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 2021 and headquartered in Greifswald, Germany. The organization operates as the largest startup and founding initiative in Northern Germany, providing a community-driven network for founders, startups, self-employed professionals, investors, and corporate partners. It serves over 532 paying members across 14 locations and 12 regional associations (Verbände), spanning from Lübeck to Stralsund across Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein. Operations are volunteer-led through a matrix organization of 14 Standortleitungen (location leads) and 8 Ressortleitungen (department leads), with a board of three co-chairs: Chuck Henjes (CEO and co-founder), Laura Maslo (CEO), and Michael Engel (Finance). The organization states fewer than 20 employees are regularly involved in automated personal data processing, implying minimal or no paid headcount.

The product surface consists of community membership, a dedicated event platform (events.gruendungswerft.com), a private member intranet (member.gruendungswerft.com), a searchable and map-based ecosystem directory (ecosystem.gruendungswerft.com), and a ~600-person WhatsApp community group. The organization runs approximately 50 events per year — including regular Stammtische, the GreenSummit conference, the Himmel der Möwen pitch event, the Hansetum summit, Founders & Investors matching events, and monthly TownHall meetings — and distributes editorial content via its Founders Update digital magazine and ~10,000 social media followers that generate up to 2 million impressions annually. A Benefit and Provisions platform enabling members to offer services and generate commercial cooperation is in development but not yet operational. No proprietary AI/ML, software-as-a-service products, or technology IP are offered.

Revenue is generated through two streams: (1) recurring membership fees paid by individuals, startups, and companies (no public pricing) and (2) a four-tier corporate partner sponsorship program — Bronze at €1,500/year, Silver at €3,000/year, Gold at €5,000/year (capped at 10 partners), and Platinum at €10,000/year (capped at 5 partners). As a non-profit, all revenue is reinvested into the ecosystem. Strategic partnerships include Startup Verband, Ocean Technology Campus Rostock and its Maritime Incubator, all universities and universities of applied sciences in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Digitales Innovationszentrum Greifswald, Zukunftszentrum DeveLUP (Ludwigslust), InnovationPort Wismar, MakerPort Stralsund, and ACCELERATE:MV. Investor members include ESB Invest, Stagge Holding GmbH, GENIUS Venture Capital, Baltic Incubate Business Angel Network MV, and inVENTURE GmbH.

Name

Gruendungswerft

Legal name

Gründungswerft e.V.

Website

https://gruendungswerft.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gruendungswerft e.V. is a non-profit community network founded in 2021 in Greifswald, Germany, connecting 532+ founders, startups, investors, and corporates across 14 locations in Northern Germany via membership, events, and digital platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Community & Entrepreneurship Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

Keywords

• Startup community network
• Entrepreneurship events
• Membership association
• Founder networking
• Corporate sponsorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Greifswald

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Individuals, startups, and companies pay membership fees to join the network. The organization had 532+ paying members as of the data sources.
2. Partner/Sponsor Tiers: Corporate partners pay annual sponsorship fees at four tiers: Bronze (€1,500/year), Silber (€3,000/year), Gold (€5,000/year), and Platin (€10,000/year). All revenue is reinvested into building the startup ecosystem as the organization is non-profit.
3. Benefit and Commission Platform (in development): A commission and benefit platform for members is under development to enable members to offer services and cooperate commercially, generating platform-based revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Gruendungswerft is a non-profit community network that sells memberships to founders, startups, investors, and corporate supporters and operates a year-round program of around 50–100 community events for the Northern German startup ecosystem. Its commercial offerings center on paid individual and organizational community memberships, tiered partner sponsorship packages (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) that give corporate partners visibility and access to talent, and supporting digital infrastructure including an event platform, a member portal, an ecosystem map, and the "Founders Update" digital magazine.

Product overview

Gruendungswerft (Gründungswerft e.V.) is a non-profit, member-based networking and community platform for founders, startups, self-employed professionals, and innovators in northern Germany. It is not a software product platform in the traditional SaaS sense — it does not offer a unified product with modules. Instead, its offering consists of community membership, an events platform, an online member directory/map, a WhatsApp community group (~600 members), a digital magazine (Founders Update), and a benefit/provisions platform (under development). The core offering is the collective network itself, supplemented by in-person and online events, digital reach across social media channels, and a member onboarding/intranet system. There are no individually branded software products or modules offered as standalone offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Founders Update: Regular news format featuring founders and startup stories
• GreenSummit
• Founders & Investors
• Hansetum
• Himmel der Möwen
• TownHall-Meetings
• Bronze Partner
• Silver Partner
• Gold Partner
• Platinum Partner

Products and services

• Community Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 2 million impressions per year across all channels
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Startup Verband (German Startup Association)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The German Startup Association (Startup Verband) is listed as a key association partner of Gründungswerft. The association is one of 12 Verbände affiliated with the network, providing national-level representation and connection to the broader German startup ecosystem.
• Ocean Technology Campus (OTC) RostockcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA strategic partnership with the OTC Rostock and its Maritime Incubator to connect startups with the maritime technology cluster. The collaboration supports founders in accessing research infrastructure, mentorship, industry partners, and funding for maritime ventures. Joint events and communication initiatives are planned.
• Digitales Innovationszentrum Greifswald (DIZ Greifswald)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital Innovation Center Greifswald is a member and strategic partner, providing physical space, startup support, and regional innovation infrastructure. It is one of several DIZ (Digitales Innovationszentrum) locations in the network, including DIZ Schwerin, DIZ Rostock, and DIZ Neubrandenburg.
• FoundersBayminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAn accelerator and consulting member that provides startup acceleration services and education, operating as part of the ecosystem.
• GründerMV (central founding platform of the state)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGründerMV is the central founding platform of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Gründungswerft works closely with it, and some staff (like Maria Zänger) work across both organizations. It provides state-level resources and a project management team (GründerMV project).
• InnovationPort WismarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn innovation center member based in Wismar, providing startup support and regional innovation infrastructure in that location.
• MakerPort StralsundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaker and innovation space member in Stralsund, supporting hardware and maker startups in the ecosystem.
• ACCELERATE:MVminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn accelerator program active in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern that supports startups in the region, with members participating in the Gründungswerft ecosystem.
• All universities and universities of applied sciences in MVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccording to CEO Chuck Henjes, all universities and universities of applied sciences in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are members or partners of Gründungswerft, providing a direct pipeline of talent, research, and entrepreneurship education into the ecosystem.
• Zukunftszentrum DeveLUP (Ludwigslust)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Zukunftszentrum DeveLUP in Ludwigslust is both a member and key partner. It houses the startup coordinator Henrik Wegner, who actively promotes both DeveLUP and Gründungswerft in the region.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Startupbootcamp: A global accelerator network with industry-specific programs. Comparable in mission (supporting early-stage founders through structured programs, mentorship, and investor access) but operates at much larger scale and with corporate sponsorship rather than community funding.
• Founder Institute: The world's largest pre-seed accelerator, operating globally with chapters across Europe. Comparable as both organizations run structured startup programs, mentorship, and investor matching for early-stage founders, though at very different scales.

Direct peers

• Startup Verband: Germany's national startup association. Both organizations are non-profit associations serving founders and startups, and Startup Verband is explicitly listed as a key Verbände partner of Gruendungswerft, making it the closest direct comparable in mission and structure.
• Ocean Technology Campus (OTC) Rostock: A strategic partner maritime incubator in Rostock that connects startups with maritime industry. Comparable as both organizations run industry-specific startup support programs and co-host ecosystem events in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
• FoundersBay: An accelerator and consulting member based in Lietzow that operates inside the Gruendungswerft network. Both organizations run education and acceleration programs for early-stage founders in Northern Germany.
• ACCELERATE:MV: A regional accelerator program in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern whose participants are also members of the Gruendungswerft ecosystem. Both organizations provide startup support, events, and investor connections in the same geography.
• Zukunftszentrum DeveLUP: An innovation center in Ludwigslust whose startup coordinator also serves as Standortleitung for Gruendungswerft. The two organizations co-host events and share resources for founders in the Ludwigslust region.
• GründerMV: The central state-level founding platform of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Both organizations share staff and operate as ecosystem platforms for founders in the same state, with GründerMV functioning as the public-sector counterpart to Gruendungswerft's community-led model.
• InnovationPort Wismar: A regional innovation center in Wismar that is a member and strategic partner of Gruendungswerft. Both organizations provide co-working, startup support, and event programming in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern region.

Emerging players

• Impact Hub: A global network of impact-focused community hubs and incubators. Comparable because both build community-driven ecosystems around entrepreneurship, offer membership tiers, and run events for founders and innovators.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/gruendungswerft
• Xtwitter.com/gruendungswerft
• YouTubeyoutube.com/gruendungswerft
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gruendungswerft
• Instagraminstagram.com/gruendungswerft

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Gruendungswerft