Do you want to start a social enterprise?
Perhaps you already have a concrete business idea and need support with legal or financial questions. Or maybe you have an initial concept and want to explore its feasibility. We’re here to help.
Startup Consulting
Are you in the (pre-)founding or early stage of your social enterprise? Are you based in Berlin or planning to operate from here?
We offer a model free pre- and startup consultation for all social economy enterprises. The goal is to establish this service in Berlin and to support the social economy community. To take advantage of the consultation, you can get in touch directly with us or with advisors from the sector.
A list of consulting organizations, their areas of expertise, and contact details can be found below.
The specific strategies of social entrepreneurship and the challenges faced by social enterprises are only partially covered by existing economic development institutions. This offering aims to make it easier for potential social economy founders to receive tailored (pre-)startup consulting, thereby promoting more successful and sustainable startups.
Consulting organizations
Berlin Start Up School
Target audience:
Founders with an idea for a scalable digital product that makes the world a better place (impact/social startups).
Consulting Focus / Areas of Expertise:
- Idea Development
- Business Model Design
- Legal Consulting
- Strategic Business Consulting
- Marketing & Sales Strategy Development
- Financial Planning
- Defining Mission, Vision, and Values
- Market and Competitor Analysis
- Strategic Partnerships and Networking with Relevant Stakeholders
- Creation of User-Centered Prototypes (including Testing Opportunities)
Languages: English, German
Contact: Constantin “Tino” Schmutzler
Christoph Rohde
Target audience:
Social Entrepreneurs / Social Startups
Consulting Focus / Areas of Expertise:
- Development or refinement of a business model (social enterprise plan)
- Financial planning and feedback on financial plans based on the analysis or development of the business model
- Advising on financing options for social enterprises (impact investing, public funding)
- Guidance on the use of different financing instruments
Languages: English, German
Contact: Christoph Rohde
Johannes Wockenfuß
Target audience:
Founders with an initial social enterprise idea aimed at addressing a societal challenge, as well as existing organizations looking to scale their offerings – particularly those with educational programs
Consulting Focus / Areas of Expertise:
- Development, refinement, and financing of a social and impact-driven business model
- Scaling of social business models
- Development of an impact framework and support in impact analysis
- Creation of a guiding framework (vision, mission, values, principles of collaboration)
- Team development, role definition, and organizational culture enhancement
- Change management and support for innovation processes
- Specialized expertise in the development of educational programs
Languages: English, German
Contact: Johannes Wockenfuß
STATTwerke consult
Target audience:
Socially responsible enterprises, green economy / environmentally focused businesses
Consulting Focus / Areas of Expertise:
- Idea development and refinement of business models and concepts
- Innovative business setup and organizational design
- Strategic business development
- Analysis of growth potential and competitive positioning
- Revenue and profitability analysis
- Financial structuring and financing models; public funding support
- Liquidity management
- Cost management and controlling
- Organization of corporate accounting
- Organizational development
Languages: English, German
Contact: Helmut Geißler
Unlearn Business Lab & tbd*
Target audience:
Founders and employees of social enterprises with a pioneering spirit, who want to experiment with alternative ways of doing business and demonstrate that it can be done differently: regeneratively, fairly, and collectively.
Consulting Focus / Areas of Expertise:
- Human-Centered Entrepreneurship
- Founding and Wellbeing
- Starting Up: An Introduction for Bi_PoC Aspiring Founders
- Discrimination-Sensitive Recruiting
- Unlearn Leadership (FLINTA only)*
- Unlearn Ownership
- Unlearn Financing
- Unlearn Compensation
- Unlearn Diversity
Languages: English, German
Contact: Team Unlearn Business Lab
Weiberwirtschaft eG
Target audience:
Social enterprise founders.
Consulting Focus / Areas of Expertise:
- Support in idea development
- Gap and resource analysis
- Identification and refinement of a business model
- Identification and refinement of an impact model
- Team development
- Networking
- Financing models and fundraising
- Community management
- Selection of appropriate legal forms and organizational structures
- Strategies for building social capital
- Social management and marketing
Languages: English, German, (French), (Italian)
Contact: Katja von der Bey
Additional Services
Consulting Services from the Social Economy Berlin Network
Platform Coops eG
Platform Coops eG advises founding teams and common-good enterprises on cooperative ways of doing business: from inclusive business models and joint corporate governance, to the steps for establishing democratic corporate forms, impact measurement, and climate-friendly practices.
As a pioneer in the cooperative digital economy, the team can share best practices and experiences from a global network of socially and cooperatively run organizations, creating significant innovation impact in Germany. Topics such as cooperative business succession and Web3 organizations are also addressed.
Website: Platform Coops eG
Social Impact gGmbH
Free Retreats & Consulting for Purpose-Driven Organizations!
Do you want to strengthen your team, develop your organization further, or sharpen your growth strategy—but lack the budget for external consulting?
Then the Scale for Good Retreats are just what you need!
What to expect:
- Multi-day retreats with interactive workshops in Flieth-Stegelitz
- Strategic guidance from experienced social impact coaches
- Exchange with other purpose-driven organizations
- Free participation through funding
Retreat Overview:
- 14–17 October 2025 | Scaling
All information & registration can be found HERE
The Scale for Good project is made possible through funding from ESF+ Germany and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
SIGU Plattform
The platform for social innovation and purpose-driven enterprises provides information, support services, and networking opportunities for social enterprises and founders across Germany.
Plattform für Soziale Innovationen & Gemeinwohlorientierte Unternehmen
Consulting Services for Berlin’s Social Economy
Humanitarian Logistics Organisation e.V.
Tools for Impact Instead of Overhead: As a social business, you want to grow, measure your impact, and operate efficiently – without getting lost in a jungle of tools. Humanilog offers an integrated digital solution specifically for social entrepreneurial organizations.
Whether it’s accounting, ERP, CRM, or impact measurement, Humanilog combines technical infrastructure with purpose-driven consulting. Modular, scalable, and values-based.
Learn more and get a free consultation today.
Contact at Social Economy Berlin
Your contact person at Social Economy Berlin for startup consulting is:
Alexander Behm
Project Staff TechNet
alexander.behm@socialeconomy.berlin
030 46 988 227
The free, professional pre- and startup consulting, as well as ongoing support, are part of a reliable infrastructure for the social economy in Berlin. The consulting services in this project are continuously monitored and evaluated to ensure their long-term sustainability.
Information for Consulting Institutions
The services offered by Social Economy Berlin are aimed at (potential) founders in the social economy sector. In addition, we raise awareness among economic development institutions about the functioning and specific needs of social enterprises, with the goal of improving the framework conditions for social businesses in Berlin in the long term. To this end, we offer seminars and workshops on social and solidarity-based economy as well as social entrepreneurship for interested parties.
Are you interested in further information on (startup) consulting for social enterprises?
Please feel free to contact us! info@socialeconomy.berlin