women in mobility

What women in mobility does

Women in Mobility (WiM) is a Cologne-based, volunteer-driven non-profit network (legally a gUG, Gemeinnützige Unternehmergesellschaft) founded in 2015 to advance the visibility, networking, and professional development of women working in the mobility industry across the D-A-CH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and the United Kingdom. It operates 13 volunteer-led regional hubs (e.g., Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, München, Rhein-Ruhr, Stuttgart, Österreich, Schweiz, London) and runs two flagship event series: the annual WiM Luncheon at the InnoTrans trade fair (held for ten consecutive years through 2024) and the WiM Summit (most recently held in Frankfurt in 2019 with approximately 200 attendees, with the next edition announced for 2027).

The organization's core offerings include a membership/participation platform hosted on a Wix-built website, a mentoring program delivered in cooperation with MentorMe, a job board, a prototype speaker database, a merchandise shop via Spreadshop, and a long-running editorial blog (Mobility News / Mobilmacher*in) profiling women in the sector. Education partnerships with TU Berlin, TU Dortmund, TU Wien, and Universität St. Gallen provide discounted scholarships to community members, and WiM co-organizes the Shaping Mobility Awards with VDV, VCD, DVWG, and Dr. Ines Kawgan-Kagan. Its technology stack is intentionally light: no proprietary platform or AI/ML systems, relying instead on third-party tools (Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Analytics, CleverReach) for operations and on social platforms (LinkedIn, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads, X, Bluesky) for distribution.

WiM's business model is entirely non-commercial. The organization is donation-financed (spendenfinanziert) and accepts individual contributions via PayPal. Corporate Economic Partnerships — including Alstom, Deutsche Bahn, BearingPoint, EY, Scheidt & Bachmann, and VRR — provide financial or in-kind support (venue, discounted event tickets, speaker honoraria) in exchange for employer-branding and DEI alignment. Merchandise sales via Spreadshop are stated to be profit-neutral, with proceeds supporting the mission. All participation, mentoring, hub events, blog content, and the newsletter are free. The organization is led by three Managing Directors (Geschäftsführerinnen) — Mady Christ, Dr. Kerstin Wendt, and Kerstin Dämon — who took over from founding leaders Anke Erpenbeck, Coco Heger-Mehnert, and Dr. Sophia von Berg on November 17, 2024.

Name

women in mobility

Legal name

Women in Mobility (WiM) D-A-CH gUG (haftungsbeschränkt)

Website

https://womeninmobility.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Women in Mobility is a Cologne-based, volunteer-run non-profit network founded in 2015 that connects women across the D-A-CH mobility industry through 13 regional hubs, mentoring, events, scholarships, and advocacy, funded by donations and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations / Spenden: Women in Mobility is funded entirely by donations and volunteer work. The organization receives direct monetary donations from individuals and supporters who believe in its mission. A dedicated donation page (PayPal) allows supporters to contribute.
2. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorship: Companies support WiM through economic partnerships (e.g., Alstom, Deutsche Bahn, BearingPoint, EY, Scheidt & Bachmann, VRR) and Event Partnerships, providing financial or in-kind support (venue donations, discounted/free tickets, speaker honorarium donations) in exchange for association with the network.
3. Merchandise Sales: WiM operates a Spreadshop selling merchandise (e.g., apparel with WiM branding). All proceeds go toward supporting the network's mission. The organization states it earns no profit from the shop.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Women in Mobility runs a volunteer-based, donation-funded nonprofit network that connects women in the mobility industry across the D-A-CH region and the UK through 13 regional hubs, flagship events (WiM Luncheon at InnoTrans, WiM Summit), mentoring, scholarships, a job board, a speaker database, and an editorial blog. All community participation, events, mentoring, and content are offered free of charge to individuals, with operations funded by donations and corporate/educational partnerships.

Product overview

Women in Mobility is a D-A-CH networking organization (gUG) for women in the mobility industry, offering a suite of community-driven services rather than a unified software product. The core offering combines a networking platform with regional hubs, professional development programs (mentoring, scholarships), event programming (WiM Luncheon, WiM Summit), and a speaker database. Additional services include a job board, editorial blog (Mobility News), and merchandise shop. The organization facilitates partnerships with industry companies, universities, and mobility organizations to deliver visibility and career advancement opportunities for women in the sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Women in Mobility Network Membership

Named customers16 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AlstomcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015Alstom is listed as an Economic Partner (Wirtschaftspartner) of Women in Mobility. As a leading rail mobility company, Alstom supports WiM's mission through funding, event partnerships, and visibility initiatives, helping WiM advance its goals of promoting women in the mobility sector.
• Deutsche BahncoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015Deutsche Bahn is listed as an Economic Partner (Wirtschaftspartner) of Women in Mobility, supporting the network through financial contributions, event collaborations, and industry visibility initiatives.
• BearingPointcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015BearingPoint is listed as an Economic Partner of Women in Mobility, supporting the network's activities and events as part of its DEI and employer branding initiatives.
• EYcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015EY is listed as an Economic Partner of Women in Mobility, supporting the network through financial and/or in-kind contributions to WiM's events and programs.
• Scheidt & BachmanncoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015Scheidt & Bachmann is listed as an Economic Partner of Women in Mobility, contributing to the network's funding and visibility initiatives.
• VRR (Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015VRR is listed as an Economic Partner of Women in Mobility, supporting the network as a public transport authority committed to diversity in the mobility sector.
• TU BerlincoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015TU Berlin is an Education Partner (Bildungspartner) of Women in Mobility, offering discounted scholarships to women in the WiM community for programs at the university.
• TU DortmundcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015TU Dortmund is an Education Partner of Women in Mobility, providing discounted scholarship access to WiM community members.
• TU WiencoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology) is an Education Partner of Women in Mobility, offering discounted scholarships to WiM community members.
• Universität St. GallencoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015Universität St. Gallen is an Education Partner of Women in Mobility, offering discounted scholarship access to WiM community members.
• MentorMecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015MentorMe is a Cooperation Partner through which WiM offers its community discounted mentee-ships, providing structured mentoring programs to women in the mobility sector at preferential rates.
• Messe KarlsruheminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015Messe Karlsruhe has stood by WiM for years as a cooperation partner, providing event slots and support for the network's visibility at trade events.
• PANDAminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015PANDA is a Cooperation and Network Partner of Women in Mobility, collaborating on shared goals of advancing women in their respective professional communities.
• Women in CyclingminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015Women in Cycling is a Cooperation and Network Partner collaborating with Women in Mobility on shared initiatives to promote women in the mobility sector.
• herCareerminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015herCareer is a Cooperation Partner collaborating with WiM, typically through career-focused events and programs targeting women professionals.
• VDV (Verband Deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015VDV is a Cooperation and Network Partner of Women in Mobility. VDV jointly organizes the Shaping Mobility Awards with WiM and VCD, advancing the visibility of young mobility researchers and women in the sector.
• VCD (Verkehrsclub Deutschland)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015VCD (Verkehrsclub Deutschland) co-organizes the Shaping Mobility Awards with DVWG and Dr. Ines Kawgan-Kagan. WiM serves as a visible collaborator and co-organizer, providing the platform and community network for the awards and the associated research visibility.
• DVWG (Deutsche Verkehrswissenschaftliche Gesellschaft)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015DVWG co-organizes the Shaping Mobility Awards alongside VCD and Dr. Ines Kawgan-Kagan. The awards recognize outstanding theses in mobility research, with WiM serving as a key community partner and platform for promoting the initiative.
• InnoTranscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015InnoTrans, the world's leading trade fair for transport technology, hosts the annual WiM Luncheon event organized by Women in Mobility. WiM has organized this networking event at InnoTrans for ten consecutive years (2015–2024), giving WiM members visibility on a major international stage.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Women in Cycling: Germany-based nonprofit network for women in the cycling sector; listed as a cooperation partner of Women in Mobility. Operates a similar volunteer/community model targeting women in a specific mobility sub-vertical.
• Women in Rail: UK-based nonprofit organization that supports women working in the UK railway industry. Closest direct peer by mission: a national women-in-mobility network offering mentoring, events, and visibility, with the WiM UK (London) hub in the same geography.
• herCareer: German career-event and women-in-business community; listed as a cooperation partner of Women in Mobility. Targets a similar audience of professional women in D-A-CH through events and career programming.
• Femtec: D-A-CH nonprofit network supporting women in STEM and engineering careers, founded on university-corporate partnerships. Directly comparable to WiM in its D-A-CH footprint, women-in-technical-career mission, and university-linked scholarship model.

Broad incumbents

• Women Who Code: Global nonprofit network supporting women in technology careers, with mentorship, events, and job-board services. Mirrors WiM's network/membership model but at significantly larger scale and in an adjacent (rather than mobility-specific) sector.
• Women in Tech: International nonprofit advocating for women in technology through events, awards, and content. Comparable to WiM in mission structure (visibility, networking, advocacy) but operates at a broader tech-industry scope rather than mobility.
• AnitaB.org: Global nonprofit advancing women in computing and technology, operating programs, awards, and research. Comparable to WiM in DEI mission and network/advocacy model, though at substantially larger scale and a different vertical.

Emerging players

• fembit: Germany-based women-in-tech community. Smaller and more nascent than WiM in the D-A-CH DEI-network landscape, but pursues an overlapping volunteer/community model targeting women in technical careers.

Others

• Black Lane: Premium chauffeur and mobility service positioning around quality and safety. Not a women's network, but thematically adjacent as a commercial mobility brand engaging with the women-and-mobility narrative that WiM advocates for.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/womeninmobility
• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/womeninmobility
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/womeninmobility
• Instagraminstagram.com/womeninmobility

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about women in mobility