Business Succession Marketplaces in Germany: A Comprehensive Comparison of All Key Platforms
Where can you find companies for sale in Germany? A structured comparison of all relevant succession marketplaces and platforms – from nexxt-change to Viaductus – including strengths, weaknesses, and concrete recommendations.
Anyone looking to buy a company in Germany faces a confusing landscape of platforms: dozens of exchanges, broker platforms, regional chamber exchanges, and specialized marketplaces exist side by side—without clear structure or a central overview.
This article brings order to this. Which platforms are available, what do they offer, who are they suitable for—and why is a single platform not enough for a serious search?
Why Choosing the Right Platform Matters
The choice of the right search platform determines which part of the market you see—and which you don’t. This is not a trivial issue: a significant portion of companies seeking successors are never listed on the major public exchanges. Owners advertise discreetly, through brokers, regional chamber networks, or tax advisor contacts.
If you search exclusively on a single exchange, you will see at best 20 to 30 percent of the relevant market.
Overview of the Most Important Platforms
nexxt-change – the Government’s Reference Exchange
nexxt-change.org is Germany’s largest and best-known business succession exchange. It is operated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, the KfW banking group, the DIHK, the Central Association of German Crafts, and other partners.
Strengths:
- Free for buyers and sellers
- Largest selection of public listings (currently over 6,000 offers)
- Regional network with around 730 partners (Chambers of Industry and Commerce, Chambers of Crafts, savings banks)
- Government quality control—each listing is reviewed by a regional partner
- 19,000 successful matches since 2006
Weaknesses:
- Only publicly advertised companies are visible
- Search function and filter options are relatively basic
- No direct contact—initial inquiries go through regional partners
For whom: The first point of contact for anyone new to the search. An essential component of any structured succession search.
Deutsche Unternehmerbörse (DUB) – the Platform with the Widest Reach
dub.de has been online since 2011 and describes itself as the platform with the widest reach for business transactions in Germany. It is backed by the Handelsblatt network.
Strengths:
- Large number of listings, including in the higher price segment
- Additional marketplaces for insolvency purchases, consultants, and franchises
- Buyer exchange—interested buyers can also list themselves
Weaknesses:
- Listing costs several hundred euros (for sellers), which can deter small businesses
- Lower quality control of listings compared to nexxt-change
- Focused more on medium-sized and larger SMEs
For whom: Interesting if you are also considering larger transactions or the mid-price segment (from around €500k).
Viaductus – the Meta-Search for Business Succession
viaductus.de takes a different approach than traditional exchanges: instead of hosting its own listings, Viaductus aggregates offers from over 70 broker websites, marketplaces, and succession exchanges into a single search.
Strengths:
- Broadest market coverage through aggregation of 70+ sources
- AI-supported classification and enrichment of listings
- Structured search by industry, region, price range, and other criteria
- One search replaces dozens of individual searches on different platforms
- Especially useful for buyers who are not yet sure which industry or size category to focus on
Weaknesses:
- No own listings—pure aggregation of publicly available offers
- Does not cover the discreet, non-public part of the market
For whom: Ideal as a central search interface that covers multiple platforms simultaneously. Saves considerable time compared to manual searches on dozens of individual platforms.
KERN Unternehmensnachfolge – Advisory-Integrated Marketplace
die-nachfolgespezialisten.eu is the exchange of KERN – Unternehmensnachfolge, a nationwide network of M&A advisors specializing in the mid-market segment.
Strengths:
- Not just a marketplace but also offers advisory services
- Access to non-public listings through the advisor network
- Around 40 successfully brokered transactions annually (own figures)
Weaknesses:
- Smaller volume of public listings
- Advisory services are fee-based
For whom: Interesting if you want professional support throughout the process, not just access to listings.
IHK and Chamber of Crafts Exchanges – Regional but Underrated
Almost every Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) and Chamber of Crafts in Germany operates its own succession exchange or acts as a regional partner of nexxt-change. For example, the IHK Munich offers a platform that combines its own listings from the IHK successor pool with nexxt-change offers.
Strengths:
- Strong regional focus
- Direct contact with local advisors
- Proactive brokerage: registered users are contacted about suitable offers
- Free of charge
Weaknesses:
- Usually a small volume of listings per chamber
- Quality and timeliness of listings vary widely
For whom: Indispensable for anyone searching in a specific region. Combined with nexxt-change and Viaductus, it provides complete regional market coverage.
Other Specialized Platforms
Calandi – marketplace focused on smaller transactions, offering free promotional video production for sellers as an additional service.
firma-verkauf.de – nationwide exchange for buying and selling businesses, focusing on retail and services.
Stabwechsel – unique approach: shows only interested buyers (MBI candidates), not companies. Interesting for sellers actively seeking buyers.
nachfolge-boerse.de (Dr. Ing. Preißing AG) – specialized in architects and engineers.
DATEV-Kanzlei-Börse – specialized in tax advisory professions, requires DATEV membership.
Landarztbörse – specialized in medical practices and medical care centers.
How to Combine Platforms: A Search Strategy
No single platform covers the entire market. A structured search uses multiple sources in parallel:
Layer 1 – broad market coverage:
Viaductus as an aggregator for the publicly listed market. One search replaces manual searches on 70+ individual platforms.
Layer 2 – government reference:
nexxt-change as a mandatory check—many listings appear here that do not show up on commercial platforms because the government exchange is free.
Layer 3 – regional contact:
Chamber of Industry and Commerce or Chamber of Crafts in the target region—register as a buyer to be proactively informed about new offers.
Layer 4 – active network:
Tax advisors, M&A consultants, or industry contacts—for the non-public part of the market.
Covering all four layers gives a realistic chance of gaining a comprehensive overview of the relevant market.
What No Exchange Shows: The Discreet Market
The most important part of the market is the one that is nowhere visible. Estimates suggest that a significant portion of all successions happen completely discreetly—without public listings, through personal networks, tax advisor recommendations, or direct approaches by potential buyers.
The most attractive companies—stable cash flows, loyal workforce, no turnaround cases—often never appear on an exchange because the owner has already found a suitable candidate through their network.
This means: those who rely solely on exchanges face a systematically selected subset. Companies that find a buyer quickly are often already gone. What remains often has structural reasons.
This is not an argument against exchanges—they are an indispensable entry point. But it is an argument for actively searching in parallel within networks.
Conclusion: Aggregation Beats Single-Platform Search
The German market for business succession is too fragmented for a single-platform strategy. Serious buyers need an approach that combines multiple sources—from the government’s nexxt-change to commercial exchanges, regional chambers, and active networks.
Platforms like Viaductus, which aggregate this fragmented market and make it searchable in a structured way, significantly reduce search effort—but cannot replace the active, network-based part of the search.
The best strategy: both in parallel.
Further Articles on Viaductus
- Business Succession in Germany: Numbers, Facts, and Paths at a Glance
- 8 Mistakes New Successors Most Often Make
- 5 Steps to Your Own Company
- Financing a Business Acquisition
- Search Now on Viaductus – Over 70 Sources at a Glance
Christopher Heckel
Co-Founder & CTO
Christopher has led the digital transformation of financial solutions for SMEs as CTO of SME financier Creditshelf. viaductus was founded with the goal of helping people achieve their financial goals with technology for corporate acquisitions and sales.
About the author
Christopher Heckel
Co-Founder & CTO