About the company AGNITAS

AGNITAS AG – experience meets innovation

When Martin Aschoff founded the company in 1999, AGNITAS was a pioneer of e-mail marketing in Germany. Today AGNITAS is one of the most renowned and innovative providers of high-quality marketing automation software, which is used around the world for customer-oriented communication.

With E-Marketing Manager (EMM), AGNITAS offers an innovative marketing automation suite for automated campaigns via e-mail, web push, SMS, fax and print to create an individual customer experience. From open source to high-end solutions, the multi-award-winning software flexibly covers various needs. The EMM can be operated as an in-house or SaaS solution and thus meets individual security requirements.

Another product of AGNITAS is e-abo manager – a software-as-a-service solution for subscription management and recurring billing. However, ordering and payment processes are also possible using the software, as are online shop solutions. The software has an integrated CRM.

AGNITAS AG has been headquartered in Munich Riem since 2004. The company is now firmly in the hands of its founder and managing director Martin Aschoff. There are no longer any external investors. Around fourty employees ensure that our customers enjoy optimal support on a daily basis.

Our business purpose

We automate digital communications for businesses and the public sector simply, reliably and securely.

Martin Aschoff, Managing Director and Founder

Martin AschoffFounder and Managing Director

Derivation of the company name

agnitio: Insight

veritas: Wisdom, truth

Company History

  • 2022

    • Several major banks use EMM Inhouse as a secure, high-performance solution for their e-mail communications
    • AGNITAS has no external shareholder for the first time since 2001 and is owned exclusively by management
    • Karsten Schramm (founder of GMX and ginlo) becomes member of AGNITAS supervisory board
    • AGNITAS is officially certified as climate neutral
  • 2021

    • AGNITAS is named "Digital Champion 2021" by Focus Money
    • Introduction of the new Webhook interface
  • 2020

    • 20 years ago the first paid newsletters were sent
    • New communication channel print via the partner Trigger Dialogue/Deutsche Post is connected
    • Interface to Facebook Lead Ads is integrated into EMM
    • AGNITAS becomes licensed Oracle partner
    • ISO recertification 2020
  • 2019

    • AGNITAS turns 20 years old
    • Completely revised version of the popular OpenEMM is released
    • All offices will have air conditioning
    • Focus on other industries besides eCommerce
    • Big anniversary event for customers, employees and friends of the company
  • 2018

    • Relaunch of the AGNITAS website
    • Introduction of teleworking
    • Norbert Stangl becomes new Chairman of the Supervisory Board
  • 2017

    • Surprising death of the managing director Helmut Kunkel
    • Ressurce realigned and redistributed to the remaining managing directors Martin Aschoff and Robert Pietsch
    • Diversification of the product portfolio towards push marketing channels (Webpush)
    • Initial certification according to ISO 27017 (security in the cloud) and ISO 27018 (data protection in the cloud)
    • re-certification according to ISO 27001 (IT security)
  • 2016

    • First supplier of Web Push Notifications
    • Acquisition of the Vatican as customer
    • EMM Inhouse as single server license (complete software on one single server)
  • 2015

    • Redesign of the E-Marketing Manager (EMM): New design of the software with a lot of improvements and new features
    • The number of downloads of the open source software OpenEMM reached the 500.000 mark (current status 527.000)
    • AGNITAS offers Content Marketing by e-mail
  • 2014

    • AGNITAS is 15 years old
    • DEKRA evidenced AGNITAS the highest IT security standard for the whole company with the ISO 27001:2013 certification
    • Development of the Campaign Manager: Tool for planning and managing of automated e-mail campaigns
    • Seal Software Hosted In Germany
    • Nominee for eco Internet Award 2014
  • 2013

    • New for OpenEMM 2013: Plug-in interface, multi-queue sending, context-sensitive online help and web service API
    • EMM supports MySQL as its database
    • Installation of EMM in the Amazon Cloud
  • 2012

    • Start of EMM whitelabel variant
    • Development of an Open Source plug-in solution for e-mail marketing software
    • Relocation of the servers to a new Data Center to give even better availability guarantees
    • EMM Inhouse: Start of a license variant with free MySQL database
    • EMM again in the high-end systems class (2012 study of e-mail marketing software by Absolit)
    • Award: IT innovation prize - Best of 2012 (Certificate)
  • 2011

    • Start of Social Media Manager (SMM) for management and monitoring of social media activities
    • OpenEMM: In the meantime used in over 80 countries
  • 2010

    • Start of OpenEMM Xpress: OpenEMM as a package with preconfigured hardware
    • Extension of the e-abo manager to online-based eCRM
  • 2009

    • Award: Nominee for eco Internet Award 2009
    • Office space extended
    • Membership of ISPA - Internet Service Providers Austria (umbrella organization for Internet business in Austria)
  • 2008

    • EMM Enterprise, an individualized version of EMM for large concerns, is introduced to the market
    • The local AGNITAS development team is expanded to include an international development team
    • New developments through numerous contributions from abroad for the Open Source product OpenEMM
  • 2007

    • Foundation of the eXpress-mailer GmbH, a subsidiary with a flat rate offering for startups and smaller companies
    • Start of the agency program
    • Start of e-abo manager for attracting and managing subscriptions
    • Start of e-seminar manager for online sales and administration of seminars and congresses
    • Award: Open Source Business Award (3rd place)
  • 2006

    • AGNITAS publishes its source code and with OpenEMM offers a free version for download
    • Start of LoyaltyAgent for implementation and operation of a customer bonus program
  • 2005

    • Management team strengthened by Chairman of the Board Helmut Kunkel and the long-time staff member Robert Pietsch
    • Start of TransactionAgent for the sending of transaction mails
    • Relocation of the servers to a new Data Center to handle necessary expansion
  • 2004

    • Martin Aschoff becomes DDV Vice-President (and holds this post until 2008)
    • As DDV Vice-President, Martin Aschoff concludes the fundamental contracts for the Certified Senders Alliance (CSA), AGNITAS is a founder member
    • Start of ShopAgent for reactivation of shopping basket terminations
    • Relocation to larger office premises in the Riem trade event center
  • 2003

    • AGNITAS becomes profitable
    • EMM comes onto the market as a license solution
    • Development of the DDV Code of Ethics – Martin Aschoff actively involved in working out the regulations
    • AGNITAS is the first company in the industry to commit to this voluntary self-checking
    • AGNITAS is again the only German supplier to have a solution classified in the highest class (e-mail newsletter software, market overview for mid-range industry by Absolit)
  • 2002

    • Start of DataAgent for automatic bidirectional exchange of data
    • AGNITAS is the only German supplier to offer a high-end system (market overview of e-mail marketing software by Absolit and Upspring)
  • 2001

    • Involvement of the Ebner publishing group as provider of capital and partner for growth financing
    • Relocation away from the original offices because AGNITAS has grown
  • 2000

    • EMM comes on to the market as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and full-service solution
    • AGNITAS wins its first large customer (Tiscali) in June and by doing so is the first German provider for e-mail marketing
  • 1999

    • Foundation of the AGNITAS company by Martin Aschoff
    • Start of development of the first version of E-Marketing Manager (EMM), a software solution for managing and sending of e-mail marketing campaigns