Fdi Center

What Fdi Center does

FDI Center (legal entity FDI Consulting Services GmbH) is a Berlin-based advisory firm founded in 2017 that provides consulting and capacity-building services to organizations responsible for attracting foreign direct investment. Its clients are national and regional investment promotion agencies, economic development organizations, special economic zones and multilateral institutions, with named engagements spanning more than 25 countries across six continents. The firm delivers eight advisory service lines — Strategy & Organization, Investment Attraction, Investor Support, Aftercare & Retention, Evaluation & Benchmarking, Marketing & Promotion, Investable Projects, and Training & Capacity Development — supplemented by the FDI Excellence Series (co-developed with WAIPA since 2018), the Advanced FDI Leadership Programme (co-developed with the Møller Institute at Churchill College, University of Cambridge, first cohort 2021), and the Towards Gender Equality in FDI (TGEinFDI) initiative launched in 2022.

Name

Fdi Center

Legal name

FDI Consulting Services GmbH

Website

https://fdi-center.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FDI Center is a Berlin-based advisory firm that helps investment promotion agencies, economic development organizations, and special economic zones develop FDI attraction, aftercare, and benchmarking strategies, delivered alongside WAIPA and University of Cambridge training programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Promotion Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Miscellaneous Financial Investment Activities (523999)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Investment Promotion & FDI Facilitation (BPADAMAD)

Keywords

• Investment promotion advisory
• Foreign direct investment consulting
• Economic development advisory
• IPA capacity building
• Investor targeting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Advisory and Consulting Services: Professional advisory services helping investment promotion agencies, economic development organizations, and special economic zones develop and implement investment attraction strategies. Engagements include strategy development, go-to-market planning, investor targeting, and aftercare program structuring.
2. Training and Capacity Development: Delivery of specialized training programs including the FDI Excellence Series with WAIPA and the Advanced FDI Leadership Programme with Cambridge's Møller Institute. Programs are delivered through workshops, residential courses, and digital platforms.
3. Residential Executive Education: The Advanced FDI Leadership Programme at University of Cambridge includes course fees covering accommodation, breakfast and lunch at Møller Institute facilities. Participation is through application only.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FDI Center is a Berlin-based advisory firm that provides professional services to investment promotion agencies, economic development organizations, special economic zones, and multilateral institutions. It helps clients develop and implement investment attraction strategies, conduct investor targeting and go-to-market planning, structure aftercare programs, benchmark performance, and build internal team capabilities through training programs.

Product overview

FDI Center is an advisory firm providing professional services to investment promotion agencies, economic development organizations, and special economic zones. Rather than a software product company, FDI Center offers a portfolio of eight consulting service offerings: Strategy & Organization, Investment Attraction, Investor Support, Aftercare & Retention, Evaluation & Benchmarking, Marketing & Promotion, Investable Projects, and Training & Capacity Development. These services are delivered through advisory engagements, training programs (including the Advanced FDI Leadership Programme with Cambridge University and the FDI Excellence Series with WAIPA), and specialized initiatives like the Towards Gender Equality in FDI program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy & Organization

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully delivered go-to-market reports that clients describe as the best structured they have ever seen
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

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

• AIM GlobalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 January 2023Knowledge partnership announced January 2023 to facilitate sharing of industry insights and expertise on FDI and investment promotion. FDI Center has worked with AIM Global for over ten years. Joint activities include organizing agenda, events, business forums, investment roundtables, capacity building workshops, seminars and training courses. Key event: AIM Congress held annually in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
• ITC (International Trade Center)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 January 2022Co-hosted webinar with WAIPA, German Development Institute (DEI), and World Economic Forum on optimizing national and subnational cooperation on investment facilitation for development. Webinar attended by approximately 120 IPA representatives from around the world.
• OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 October 2021Partnership through EU-OECD Programme on Investment in the Mediterranean and OECD IPA Network. FDI Center moderated OECD workshop on digital transformation in investment promotion and two panels at OECD FDI Qualities Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris. Delivered presentations on digital technology application in investment attraction, promotion, facilitation and aftercare.
• Business Finland, Invest in Canada, Baden-Württemberg InternationalsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 23 July 2021Senior investment promotion experts from these agencies serve as trainers for the WAIPA-FDI Center masterclass on Digital Tools and Techniques for Investment Promotion and Attraction. Four sessions covering digital tools for marketing, lead generation, investor support and virtual roadshows.
• Møller Institute, Churchill College, University of CambridgecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2020Joint development and delivery of the Advanced Foreign Direct Investment Leadership Programme, the world's only academically certified program for senior investment promotion professionals. First cohort launched November 2021. Program covers global environment for investment promotion, innovation and sustainability impact, investor decision-making, and organizational management skills. Delivered by faculty including Cambridge professors, corporate executives (Unilever, Shell, DHL, OECD), and senior IPA leaders.
• DWL HR ConsultingspecializedStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2020Partnership to assist IPAs to identify and recruit qualified talent. World's first and only specialized talent sourcing service for investment promotion and trade professionals. Addresses the challenge of finding professionals with the rare combination of skills required for investment attraction and trade promotion.
• ESCAP (UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2020Active partnership including participation in Asia-Pacific FDI Network meetings, co-hosting of events on gender equality in FDI, and joint initiatives to advance gender equality in investment promotion. Launched Gender Pledge with six new signatories in 2025 marking one-year anniversary.
• World Economic Forum (WEF)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 May 2018WEF published FDI Center's paper on investment facilitation 'Investment Facilitation: A Practical Perspective' as part of the E15 Initiative to strengthen the global trade and investment system. Andreas Dressler participated in WEF workshops on investment facilitation and sustainable development.
• WAIPA (World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 January 2018Long-standing collaboration since 2018 on the FDI Excellence Series training program covering key areas of investment attraction and promotion. Extended in 2019 and ongoing. Delivers training courses including Attracting Quality FDI, Investment Facilitation, Location Marketing, and Digital Tools for Investment Promotion. Programs are open to IPAs worldwide and feature presentations from leading investment promotion agencies.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Conway Advisory: Boutique consultancy advising governments and economic-development organizations on FDI attraction and aftercare strategies. Comparable in scale and customer segment to FDI Center, with similar full-lifecycle IPA service offerings.
• OCO Global: Ireland-based FDI advisory and data firm serving IPAs, governments, and corporates with location selection, benchmarking, and investor targeting services. Closely comparable specialist competitor with similar client base (IPAs and EDOs) and overlapping offerings.
• fDi Intelligence (Financial Times): FT-owned FDI intelligence, benchmarking, and advisory platform serving investment promotion agencies globally (e.g., fDi Strategy Awards). Overlaps with FDI Center in IPA benchmarking, recognition programs, and thought leadership.
• International Economics Consulting Ltd (IECons): Specialist consultancy advising governments, multilaterals, and investment promotion agencies on trade, investment, and economic development policy. Comparable niche positioning and client base, especially in emerging markets.

Emerging players

• HVS International: Global hospitality and real-estate consultancy with location and feasibility advisory work relevant to special economic zones and tourism-focused FDI. Partial overlap with FDI Center's zone and location-decision advisory.

Others

• Investment Monitor: FDI-focused media and intelligence platform that publishes investment-promotion rankings, country reports, and IPA features. Not a direct competitor on advisory but an adjacent industry voice that shapes buyer perception of FDI advisory firms and frequently cites FDI Center research.
• Site Selection Magazine: Long-running publication serving corporate site selectors and economic-development organizations with FDI rankings and analysis. Adjacent to FDI Center's IPA-side focus via the corporate site-selection ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• KPMG Economic Development / FDI Advisory: KPMG's economic-development and FDI advisory practices serve national and subnational governments on investment attraction strategy, incentives, and site selection. Larger-scale incumbent offering overlapping capabilities as part of a broader advisory portfolio.
• EY-Parthenon FDI and Location Advisory: EY's FDI and global location advisory services support governments, IPAs, and multinationals with investment attraction, incentives optimization, and site selection. A large incumbent whose FDI practice competes with FDI Center at the strategy level.
• McKinsey Economic Development Practice: McKinsey's economic-development work includes national and city-level FDI strategies, sector competitiveness, and investment promotion for governments. Competes with FDI Center on large-scale, multi-year IPA transformation mandates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fdi-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Fdi Center