Simpleclub receives a total of 3 million euros from German family entrepreneurs, including Marie-Christine Ostermann (Rullko), Fabian Kienbaum (Kienbaum Consultants International), and Matthias Bruch (Globus). With this strategic investment, they want to advance digital vocational training in German mid-market companies and thus help alleviate the shortage of skilled workers. Additional investors include existing investor 10x Founders, the VC Bonsai Partners, as well as Florian Glinicke (Glinicke Automobilgruppe), Lutz Goebel and Eva Kempf (Henkelhausen), Eike Klein and Marek Lehmann (U+I Interact), Andreas Krengel (WEPA Gruppe), Stefan Peukert (Masterplan), Hauke Schwiezer (Gen Talents, Startup Teens), Jürgen Schwiezer (former Roche board member), Robin Tschöpe (Leasingmarkt.de), and Gülsah Wilke (2hearts).
“Training people is not just close to our hearts for us, it’s a necessity! Simpleclub ensures that we can provide our next generation with digital and contemporary training”,
explains Marie-Christine Ostermann, managing partner of the family business Rullko and president of the Association of Family Entrepreneurs.
“Simpleclub is a key lever for addressing the shortage of skilled and teaching professionals”
“Simpleclub is a key lever for addressing the shortage of skilled and teaching professionals. This creates a win-win-win situation: apprentices get flexible and personalized training, companies and their trainers are relieved, as are vocational schools and their teaching staff”,
adds Fabian Kienbaum, Kienbaum Consultants International.
The startup plans to invest the funds in digitizing additional vocational training professions. Based on the curriculum frameworks of vocational schools, the startup’s experts in subject matter and didactics create content as text, video, interactive graphics, and exam tasks.
Alexander Giesecke, founder and CEO of Simpleclub, explains:
“We are very pleased about the investment from German mid-market companies. The fact that the impetus for better vocational education comes from the heart of the German economy is an important signal and a result of our strong growth: the quadrupling of our B2B core business compared to the previous year.”
Nicolai Schork, founder and CEO of Simpleclub, adds:
“Our commitment is particularly important right now because we are observing that more and more trainers are retiring. We help address a major cause of the skilled worker shortage.”
