The starting point for any Germany-focused searcher who wants to identify, filter and research German companies from a single platform before making any contact.
Northdata is a Hamburg-based company intelligence platform that aggregates data from German commercial registries, annual reports and other official publications into a searchable, filterable database covering over 86 million companies across 23 European countries. For search funds focused on Germany it functions as the primary target identification and research tool, allowing a searcher to build filtered lists of companies by sector, revenue, location and legal form, then drill into individual company profiles to understand ownership structures, management history and financial performance.
Why searchers use it
Building a qualified target list before outreach is one of the most time-consuming parts of a search. Northdata removes the need to manually navigate multiple official German registries by aggregating everything into one interface with filters a searcher actually needs: sector, revenue range, employee count, legal form, geographic radius and management change events. The network graph feature is particularly valuable for understanding who owns a target company, whether there are related entities, and how long the current owner has been in the role, all signals that help a searcher prioritise outreach. The watchlist and alert feature also allows a searcher to monitor key targets for relevant events such as management changes or insolvency filings over time.
Core capabilities relevant to search funds
- Power Search: Filter German companies by sector, revenue, employee count, legal form, geographic radius and financial performance indicators to build a qualified target list
- Company profiles: Access financial statements, ownership structures, management history and registry filings for individual targets
- Network graphs: Visualise connections between companies and people to understand ownership structures and identify related entities
- Watchlists and alerts: Monitor target companies and receive email notifications when relevant events occur such as management changes or insolvency filings
- CSV and Excel export: Export filtered target lists for import into a CRM or outreach tool
- European coverage: Covers 23 European countries, though data depth is strongest for Germany, Switzerland and the UK
Honest limitations
The free tier provides basic company information but the Power Search filtering, financial data and export features that a searcher actually needs require a paid subscription. Financial data quality varies by company size since smaller SMEs have limited filing obligations in Germany and some financial figures are estimates flagged as uncertain. Contact details for owners are not available on Northdata and must be sourced separately. Data is updated quarterly rather than in real time.
Getting started
Create a free account to access basic company profiles and test the interface. Upgrade to a paid plan to unlock the Power Search filtering and export features needed for building a target list. A trial of the premium features is available on request.
Pricing
- Free tier available with basic company information and limited search.
- Premium Starter plan at €49 per month, covering unlimited company requests, 100 watchlist entries and 10 CSV exports per day for one user.
- Annual billing available at €490 per year.
- Team plans available from €1,250 per year for five users.
