DADB uses a scalable multi-channel revenue model that has been designed for both institutional partnerships and direct sales.

B2B: Private and State-recognized Universities

Our courses are directly integrated into private university curricula as elective modules that students are required to take as part of their studies. Upon successful completion of the elective module, students receive credit points. Financing is provided directly by the university when included in the university’s own tuition fee, or by students themselves, via our platform. This model makes it possible for DADB to achieve a level of income that recurs every semester, without ongoing and intensive sales activity.

B2G – Public Sector Education and Training Programs

Our courses are embedded in state-funded educational programs, augmenting offline training and/or courses focused on skills development. In our B2G operations, financing is mainly provided by public sector bodies. DADB generally operates in cooperation with local partners, whether through content licensing arrangements, or on the basis of project-specific revenue and/or profit-sharing models.

B2C – Direct Bookings by Individual Learners

Learners can book directly-and complete the entire course-on the DADB platform. This sales channel is a volume-based model that is made possible by our highly scalable automated distribution infrastructure.

The pricing of DADB courses is consistently geared towards local market conditions, and reflects what learners and institutions are prepared to pay. Our competitive price structure is made possible by our highly efficient, AI-supported course production, which allows flexible and cost-efficient scaling.

B2B: Private and State-recognized Universities

Pricing is based on market research and consultation with partner universities.

30-hour elective courses are marketed for INR 2,950 incl. VAT (approx. EUR 32).

B2G: Public Sector Education and Training Programs

The prices here are typically set by the state-run institutions responsible for public education programs. As a rule, prices are set at INR 49 incl. VAT (approx. EUR 0.55) per 60-minute period. With an average course duration of 200 to 300 periods, this amounts to approximately 10,000-15,000 INR (approx. 110-165 EUR) per participant.

B2C: Direct Bookings by Individual Learners via the DADB Platform

DADB offers Value Added Courses (VACs), most of which contain around 5 hours of content. Learners with an interest in a specific topic can access the relevant VAC directly on the DADB platform for less than INR 1,000 incl. VAT (approx. EUR 11). Further discounts are available when booking multiple courses.

Thanks to standardized production processes and modular course formats, DADB is able to offer high-quality content at a price that is appropriate for the target market- realizing the benefits of scale effects at the same time as ensuring accessibility.

DADB has already laid the foundation for recurring revenues in several areas, particularly in the B2B segment:

Our courses are integrated by universities into their curricula as elective courses. This means that they are established as part of a curriculum that does not change from one year to the next, and that DADB elective courses remain important and relevant for every new intake of students.

In the B2G sector, programs typically run in several stages over a period of 6 to 24 months, which also provides a certain degree of predictability and revenue consistency.

In addition, a high-performance CRM system is currently being implemented that will offer systematic support for cross-selling, upgrades and after-sales processes. This system will provide the base on which to build a scalable pipeline to generate recurring revenue across both institutional and individual sales channels.

With the current DADB production team in Berlin, we have successfully demonstrated that our AI-supported production processes can work operationally, and that these processes are also scalable. Production times have already been significantly reduced with no loss of content quality or didactic value. Indeed, we have already noticed certain quality improvements as a result of the new approach to production.

We are currently preparing for a further expansion of production capacity, in Germany as well as in our target markets. Decentralized production units in local markets will enable us to react more quickly to locally specific requirements in the future, but also with more localized precision in terms of culture and language. We have identified this as a key lever for international scaling.

DADB works with a hybrid sales model with scalable margin profiles.

In the B2B segment (private universities), we achieve gross margins of 70-85%. Content is produced once and then integrated into a curriculum, which leads to predictable, recurring revenue.

For our B2G work with public education providers, we operate on a project basis over terms of 6 to 24 months with gross margins of 40-60%, depending on the project structure and the particular services that DADB agrees to provide as part of each individual project.

The B2C segment is heavily dependent on Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC).  With  automated course delivery and a growing platform, we plan to actively work on reducing CAC, so that we can scale this channel profitably.

With AI-supported production, modular content and clear pricing strategies, we are able to acheive high efficiency and attractive margins across all sales channels.

Market entry in India is associated with considerable administrative, regulatory and operational hurdles for foreign providers. DADB has already successfully overcome these challenges and-with DADB India-is fully registered and locally anchored as an independent market player. In addition to established administrative structures, DADB has a nationwide sales network in the B2B and B2G channels that is specifically oriented towards the Indian higher education and training sectors.

We have gained invaluable practical experience over the last two years, in tendering processes, with curriculum integration, and in partner development. This experience gives us the basis for rapid and efficient expansion into comparable markets, such as those in Africa, where similar regulatory and structural challenges exist.

Cooperation with Indian universities is a multi-stage process. First, a dedicated representative from DADB works directly with university faculty to identify and agree on the DADB programs that are relevant for the university in terms of subject and content. On this basis, a Letter of Intent (LoI) is then signed, which sets out the goal of having the selected courses approved by the university’s own Board of Studies (BoS) for integration into the curriculum. As soon as this is confirmed, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) follows as a contractual framework for the cooperation. MoUs are legally binding agreements, and the basis on which DADB courses can be offered to students as of the following semester.

The revenue of just under EUR 100,000 generated to date stems from MoUs from previous semesters. The LoIs and MoUs that are now signed will have an impact on revenue from the second half of 2025 and form the basis for scalable growth in the B2B segment.

DADB benefits from the proven international experience of a management team with a successful record of realizing comparable market entries. We can also draw on the operational knowledge and experience gained from our market entry in India. To accelerate expansion, we work with local partners who are already active in the target education markets. In order to access the relevant universities, authorities and funding programs more quickly, we are currently developing country-specific cooperation models for countries including Indonesia and South Africa-we are not working alone. A lengthy process of market entry is avoidable, as the relevant international experience and local strategies are already being put in place.

DADB will always have its own sales teams on site in new target markets. This ensures that we have a better understanding of market requirements, as well as a better sense of what motivates the partners with whom we cooperate. This approach also means that we are able to respond flexibly to local expectations. We are also planning local production teams in the respective regions to provide locally specific content, with locally relevant examples. Currently, we are also developing technical solutions that will enable us to offer our courses in more languages in the future. A key part of this will be to ensure that we can make effective use of AI-supported translation and language modules.

The sales target of EUR 12 million by mid-2026 is based on a conservative extrapolation of the value of existing business activities and contracts already initiated.

The most important growth levers are as follows:

B2B Scaling in India:

Over 175 universities are already-or will soon be-DADB partners. We expect to welcome more than 250 universities as partners by mid-2025. This will generate growing and recurring revenue with every new semester. Most of these partnerships will start generating revenue as early as the second half of 2025.

B2G Programs: 

Pilot projects are already underway with Skill Councils. This pilot stage has given us a solid basis for further projects with state education providers, where we are already in the final stages of negotiations.

B2C Launch from 2025: 

With our favorable price structure and automated distribution, we expect strong volume growth with low unit costs.

The target of EUR 12 million assumes that we will activate around 300,000 paying users across all three sales channels by the end of 2026. This figure can be considered realistic given the existing structures, partner networks and platform logic.

The seed investment of EUR 4 million is clearly directed towards growth acceleration, technology development and market penetration:

EUR 1.8 million: Working Capital Reserve

Past experience shows that incoming payments can be delayed, particularly in the B2G business. To avoid liquidity bottlenecks and maintain operational capacity, a portion of the investment is allocated to cover operating expenses.

EUR 1.0 million: Tech Development

Preparatory work has been done for projects related to process automation and the further acceleration of production. The plan is to implement these projects:

– Introduction of a Data Asset Management System (DAMS)
– Development of a Small Language Model (SLM) for AI-supported editing
– Optimization of the CRM system (Salesforce) for sales management

In parallel, we plan to start initial development work for the proprietary DADB learning platform (planned for 2026). The focus here will be on adaptive learning, exam monitoring/proctoring, AR/VR and interactive user networks.
EUR 0.7 million: Team Expansion

With the goal of scaling both production and sales operations, targeted investments are being made in the recruitment of additional employees. The focus here is on content production and expanding the sales network.

EUR 0.5 million: Marketing & Market Entry

Targeted B2B marketing measures will start in July 2025, with the clear aim of activating university partners. In addition to social media and content campaigns, DADB hackathons and on-site DADB roadshows are also planned. Expansion into new target markets will be flanked by market-specific campaigns.

In the early phase, the focus was strongly on content development and market preparation, particularly regarding regulatory processes, accreditation and course integration at universities. These phases are naturally lengthy in the B2B and B2G business and this led to a delayed start to sales.

In addition, the original approach to course pricing, based on higher prices, did not generate the expected demand. We identified that end users in the target markets are more acutely price-sensitive than anticipated, and that decisions about course selection are often guided by influential professors and institutional recommendations. As a result, the sales model was changed to reflect the need for more integration into partner university curricula, and for volume-driven pricing strategies.

Key Learnings:

– Direct monetization through individual customers is scalable only to a limited extent without good relationships with institutions.

– The curriculum & partnerships approach creates predictable, recurring sales.

– Sustainable sales growth in the B2G segment is heavily dependent on reliable local implementation partners who are familiar with the tendering logic, project implementation and payment flows in the respective markets. 

This experience has already informed our implementation of updated business strategy and market approach. This is reflected in the sales growth achieved since 2024, and the identification of opportunities to scale, beginning in the second half of 2025.

No sales have yet been generated in the B2C channel, as work was needed to clarify the legal and tax framework for direct sales in India. These requirements have now been met, and the corresponding functions are currently being integrated into the learning platform.

The go-live of the B2C offering is planned for May 2025, after which we expect the first revenues from this channel.

DADB is able to counteract the effects of semester-dependent sales cycles in the B2B business with effective risk management, but we are also focused on using the semester cycle as an opportunity for scaling.

As soon as a course is included in a university’s curriculum, it is offered to students in every new semester, regardless of sales activity. This generates predictable, recurring revenue with very low ongoing costs.

With the B2G programs running in parallel and the launch of the B2C channel from May 2025, DADB also has high-volume sales alternatives that are not tied to semester cycles, and which further contribute to stabilizing the sales base.

The result is a robust, multi-channel sales model that can absorb cyclical fluctuations, and which can also-in part-make strategic use of the cycle.

The central principle of our digital education philosophy is:

“Never lose the attention of your learners”

Various studies* show that the attention span in digital learning formats is usually only between 3 and 5 minutes. Due to this, we have developed a highly structured, interactive course structure that is specifically designed to respond to the way learners behave in a digital environment.

Our courses are divided into “periods” with a total duration of approximately 40-45 minutes. This is a format that meets both the requirements of university elective modules and is informed by the standard duration used in many school systems, as well as in the series episode format (e.g., Netflix, Amazon Prime).

Each period follows a fixed didactic structure:

2 min. Introduction to the topic

4 x (3-5 min. Lesson + 2 min. Learning control after each lesson)

10-12 min. Practical application (e.g. expert interview, video contribution, guided exercises)

3 min. Summary

This structure ensures a high degree of interactivity and repetition, and that content is anchored sustainably for the learner. It also demonstrably increases learner engagement, regardless of prior knowledge or the context in which they are learning.

* Bannister, N., et al. (2020). “The impact of video length on viewer attention in online learning.”; Gupta, M., & Bansal, R. (2022). “Cognitive Load and Engagement in eLearning: A Study on Attention Span in Online Learning.”

Learning controls and assessments are a central component of our course architecture, helping ensure didactic and technical quality. On the one hand, assessments allow learners to directly  self-assess their learning progress. On the other hand, the DADB approach to assessment will form the basis for the planned adaptive learning system: In future, learners who have not mastered certain content will be automatically guided to supplementary course modules or revision content, in an AI-guided process. In addition, learning controls are the most important lever for guaranteeing interactivity and attention: Without the successful completion of a quiz block, the next component cannot be unlocked.

This creates a clear, focused learning path with a high level of activation, regardless of how quickly a student learns or how much prior knowledge they have.

A central challenge of digital education lies in transferring theoretical content into real-life application scenarios. DADB consistently meets this challenge by always integrating practical application components as a separate didactic block. Various targeted formats are used for this:

Expert Interviews (“Seven Questions”)

In this format, Leading experts and specialists from industry and research institutions respond to a concise set of questions about current market developments, practical relevance and career prospects.

Video Contributions

Students gain exclusive insights into the production processes and industrial projects of selected partner companies.

Guided Exercises

Ideal for learning how to apply and exploit theoretical concepts, formulas and technical processes. Guided exercises are used to deepen understanding and reinforce learning objectives.

Interactive and Animated Exercises

Using drag-and-drop, simulations and virtual labs, learners are able to experience practical applications in a digital environment-even for complex technical topics.

These formats promote the transfer of knowledge, and the educational content is associated with increased motivation, relevance and employability. This approach is key differentiating feature of DADB in the global EdTech market.

DADB uses digital final exams, which are usually taken as multiple-choice tests. Various question types are used, including single answer, multiple answer and match & order formats. We are currently developing additional AI-supported exam formats to further increase interactivity and question complexity.

Exam proctoring is generally only carried out at the request educational partners in B2B and B2G. It can be automated using AI-based proctoring, whereby learners are monitored via video and audio throughout the entire duration of the exam and any anomalies are immediately documented and reported. Alternatively, we also offer live supervisor proctoring, which involves real-time monitoring by a supervisor via video stream.

With this approach, we are creating a reliable examination system that meets the requirements of our international educational partners, and which anticipates the future introduction of quality standards in online learning.

Once a course examination has been successfully completed, the certificate is automatically generated via the learning platform. It contains all relevant course and performance data and can be accessed digitally immediately. The DADB certification process makes use of blockchain technology, which makes the authenticity of the certificates verifiable at all times, ensures secure administration of certificates and makes it easy for learners to share their certificate via platforms such as LinkedIn, WhatsApp or email.

DADB uses AI in several phases of course production to increase speed, scalability and efficiency:

Avatar and Speech Synthesis

Our AI-generated voices and avatars mean that our audio-visual content is made available more quickly and more cost-effectively than is possible with traditional video production.

Content Optimization

Texts, graphics, study notes, learning assessments, course introductions and summaries are structured, created and didactically adapted. with the help of AI tools.

Despite this automation, quality assurance through human quality control remains a central component of our process:

The editorial and production teams check all content-regardless of whether it was created using AI or manually-for technical accuracy, linguistic clarity and didactic stringency.

Subject matter experts (e.g., professors) provide final input and approval after completion.

This combination of AI-supported production and a quality-assured review process ensures that DADB courses are both valid in terms of content and scalable in terms of production.

DADB’s AI-supported production process is based on a specially developed course structure that was created with a great deal of specialist, didactic and technological expertise. The combination of modular course logic, AI-supported editing, automated video creation and quality control by subject matter experts is highly specific in this form and tailored to our target markets. There are currently no plans to patent individual components, as these are predominantly intelligent combinations of existing technologies. Instead, DADB relies on complex workflows that are difficult to imitate in their entirety-especially without access to the depth of content, the network of experts and the didactic know-how.

An internal AI task force is being set up to continuously expand the DADB’s technological advantage in this area, and to integrate new developments directly into the production process.

This gives us an edge in innovation that is always evolving and difficult to catch up with, even without formal patent protection.

The academic expertise of the professors we work with is the foundation of a DADB course. Accordingly, we attach great importance to sustainable, partnership-based cooperation.

The content is provided on a voluntary basis. The rights of use for the course production are transferred to DADB, while the professor may use the created material free of charge for their own teaching. The production does not incur any costs for the professor. An expense allowance may be paid for selective services within the scope of the production, such as content consultation.

The professor receives an annual revenue share from DADB amounting to 3% of all revenues generated by the respective course.

The collaboration continues even after publication: The professor informs DADB about changes in content or scientific developments, which are usually incorporated into the existing courses on an annual basis. In this way, we ensure that our content remains didactically consistent and up-to-date.

The planned Small Language Model (SLM) is specifically trained for DADB-specific course content, terminology and didactic structures. It thus serves as a customized resource for our editorial teams.

In contrast to generic AI models, the SLM enables significantly more precise, faster and more consistent creation of course introductions, learning assessments, summaries and study notes.

SLM will automate repetitive work steps, particularly in the areas of content structuring, linguistic simplification and didactic standardization, thereby significantly reducing both production time and editorial correction loops.

The aim is to accelerate course production in a scalable way without having to resort to external models, while at the same time to be able to systematically map the didactic DNA of DADB with the Small Language Model.

Over the course of 2024, it became apparent that key operational targets-particularly in the areas of sales, team structure and controlling -were not being achieved as planned. Sales expectations were clearly missed, the recruitment strategy did not meet the requirements for a scalable sales and administration team and there were uncertainties in the internal management processes.

These developments were identified at an early stage, analyzed in a structured manner and systematically addressed. At the beginning of 2025, an organizational realignment was initiated in which key roles were filled with experienced specialists, with a focus on sales, finance, HR and marketing. The new sales team has in-depth experience in both sales and commercial environments.
The restructuring processes largely went smoothly. Existing partnerships were maintained with professionalism, and potential market disruption was avoided through clear communication and continuity in the working relationships with our partners.

To date, DADB has been financed by two shareholders. In order to fulfill the requirements  of the planned Series A financing round, the shareholder portfolio is now being expanded in a targeted manner. The aim is to bring in strategic investors who will contribute additional capital, market access and expertise, while maintaining a balanced ownership structure.

DADB is committed to a transparent and fair shareholding structure in which minority shareholders are also well protected. The following rules, along with others, are planned:

– New investors receive preferred shares (Class A Shares) with a liquidity preference, meaning that that they are first to receive any proceeds in the event of a sale.

– A five-member advisory board model is to be introduced. The new investor is given a monitoring role-i.e., a say without operational involvement.

– One share corresponds to one vote-there are no special voting rights.

– The core team remains committed for a lock-up period-i.e., no quick sales of shares by the management.

– There is an option for the majority shareholder to examine the possibility of a partial exit for minority investors within two years-when economically or commercially viable.

– DADB is actively seeking an exit (e.g., sale or IPO) within the next five years.

– Standard tag-along and first-out rights ensure that minority shareholders are not disadvantaged in the event of an exit and are allowed to sell along with the company.

With this structure, DADB is able to create reliability, planning security and equal treatment for all shareholders regardless of the size of their shareholding.

Due to the financial framework conditions to date, it has not yet been possible to implement any performance-related bonus payments. DADB is currently focusing on targeted, non-monetary benefits, including subsidies for public transport, company health insurance and pension schemes.

The most important long-term incentive is the VSOP program (Virtual Stock Option Plan), which has been active in Germany since 2023 and in India since 2025. It enables key employees to participate in the future success of the company, thereby strengthening long-term motivation and loyalty.

In addition, there are variable, performance-related salary components at management level that are linked to clear operational and strategic targets. In this way, DADB combines short-term performance incentives with the objective of building value in the long-term.

Naturally, the team around CEO and founder Torsten Herfert brings significant experience and a strategic vision, particularly with regard to the development of internal process structures and international market expansion.

That said, DADB has been designed as a team project from the outset. Operational responsibility does not rest with individuals but is clearly shared among an interdisciplinary core team. All central functions-from tech and content to sales, finance and HR-are staffed by experienced specialists. There are also back-up structures for each key role, so that operational continuity is maintained even when individuals are absent.

This means that DADB is already positioned in such a way that competence, responsibility and decision-making ability are firmly anchored in the team, and not exclusively tied to founder figures.

The establishment of a scientific advisory board is being actively worked on in Germany and in India. The aim is to incorporate the latest research developments and technological advances into our own course development at an early stage, and to continuously safeguard the academic quality of our content.

For the current financing round, we are also looking for strategic partners who have relevant networks in politics, business or the international education sector-whether to facilitate new market entry, establish institutional cooperation or strengthen our visibility in key target regions.

The goal is clear: To have an advisory board and group of investors who can help shape DADB financially, structurally and strategically.

In the long term, DADB sees itself as a global technology and content provider for scalable higher education, with a strong focus on future technologies and eLearning solutions. Depending on market development and possible partner structures, there are several strategically conceivable scenarios from 2028 onwards:

Market Leader in Technology-related Course Content

DADB establishes itself as a leading provider of modular, accredited learning content in technology subjects – which could be seen as a kind of “Intel Inside” for digital higher education in the Global South.

Platform Providers with University-affiliated Networks

Based on the planned learning platform, an ecosystem of students, universities and educational institutions will be created, supplemented by community features, adaptive learning formats and AR/VR content. In addition to DADB content, this ecosystem could also be open to external providers.

Global Licensor and Technology Service Provider

DADB makes its production processes, AI tools and didactic structure available to third-party providers, either as a white label model or via license agreements with ministries of education or university alliances.

Strategic Exit

In this scenario, DADB becomes part of an international EdTech group, a media network or a specialized impact investor. This could be through majority takeover, platform integration, or an IPO.

Regardless of the scenario, the core idea remains the same: DADB democratizes access to high-quality, industry-relevant higher education that is supported by technology, modular, and internationally scalable.

The DADB business model enables several exit options in the medium term. Specific scenarios depend on further market penetration, sales growth and the role of strategic partners. We have identified the following possible exit scenarios:

Strategic Tale (Trade Sale)

An acquisition by an international EdTech group, a media or a technology consortium is likely as soon as DADB is structurally anchored in multiple markets.

IPO (Initial Public Offering)

Another scenario is the preparation of an IPO, in or after 2029 – provided that the revenue base, market position and platform maturity have been established in a scalable manner by then. This would be a realistic step, particularly where there is platform focus and B2C penetration.

Secondary Sale

A partial or complete sale of the investment to a growth or impact investor (e.g., as part of Series A or Series B) is also possible, either to generate liquidity or to restructure the investment.

Buyback Model (Subordinated)

In the long term, a structured buyback by DADB itself is also conceivable, if strategically desirable and feasible in terms of capital.

The overall aim is to offer investors a clear exit scenario-by 2028 at the latest-aligned to maximum enterprise value, high market attractiveness, and exit-relevant synergies.