"Generating profit by doing good is not a matter of course in economically oriented companies. But the two are by no means mutually exclusive. With the deep-IN Academy, we want to bring ethical capitalism into today's hyper-complex world and empower business representatives to act in an ethical and moral manner," says founder Prof. Dr. Markus Gabriel from the Institute of Philosophy at the University of Bonn. His academy is based on three pillars: deep-IN person, deep-IN sight, and deep-IN ethicon. It organizes international events and conferences, an innovative social network, and professional management consulting with a philosophical perspective. Overall, the offerings aim to support ethical self-regulation in society.
deep-IN connects business, philosophy, and science
The academy focuses on connecting science and business. At international events and conferences, experts from industry meet with thought leaders from science to engage in conversation. In addition, the management consultancy aims to promote public welfare-oriented thinking in business. “We would work with a bakery to consider how to produce healthy bread that is also very tasty and therefore sells well. This would generate profit and at the same time benefit consumers,” says Markus Gabriel, explaining his consulting approach with a simple example.
The long-term goal is to create an international social knowledge network into which users can feed their diverse knowledge. This knowledge would then be made available to others via talking avatars using artificial intelligence. The social knowledge network “deep-IN sight” is expected to be launched in the spring of next year.
Thinker and founder
Prof. Dr. Markus Gabriel heads the Center for Science and Thought (CST) at the University of Bonn and holds the chair for epistemology, modern and contemporary philosophy. The scientist is a member of the transdisciplinary research areas (TRAs) “Matter” and “Individuals & Societies.” With the founding of the company, he is breaking new ground at the interface between philosophy and business.
Public welfare-oriented spin-offs at the University of Bonn
"The deep-IN Academy is an excellent example of a spin-off that focuses on the common good – not only at the academy itself, but also among the entrepreneurs it advises. At the University of Bonn, we also place a special focus on so-called social entrepreneurs and their start-up ideas with an impact“, emphasizes Sandra Speer, who heads the Transfer Center enaCom at the University of Bonn. Among other things, the university is involved in the Impact Start-up Cluster Region Bonn-Rhein-Sieg ”SoNaR," which was initiated in 2025 and promotes start-up ideas oriented toward the common good.