The verdict in three sentences
A venture capital firm in Frankfurt needs a website that serves two audiences at once: founders who want to know whether to pitch, and LPs who check governance and seriousness before a first meeting. Frankfurt agencies typically quote EUR 15,000 to 40,000 for this kind of site, while Kolonell's fixed grid sits at EUR 2,700, 4,500 or 8,200 depending on the tier, with copywriting, project management and three months of support included. The real decision rests on the three-year total cost and on what the site must prove, not on the headline price alone.
What a VC site in Frankfurt has to prove
Founders compare funds quickly: thesis, stage, cheque size, partners, portfolio support, how to pitch. LPs and co-investors look for a stable team, clear governance and restraint. In Germany, communication about fund performance to the general public is a sensitive area for firms supervised by BaFin, so the site stays factual and avoids return figures. This is not legal advice.
| Page | What it must prove | Audience |
|---|---|---|
| Investment thesis | Sectors, stage, geography, cheque range stated plainly | Founders |
| Portfolio | Companies actually backed, with their consent, no invented metrics | Founders, LPs |
| Partners and team | Who decides, background, how to reach them | Founders, LPs |
| Platform and support | What happens after the cheque (hiring, follow-on, network) | Founders |
| Pitch submission | A short form collecting only what is needed, with a clear retention period | Founders |
| Insights | Notes on the thesis, published regularly | Founders, press |
| Impressum and privacy | Provider identification required in Germany, GDPR and BDSG notice | Everyone, authorities |
The pitch form deserves attention. Data minimisation under the GDPR means asking for a deck link and a few fields, not a full company file, and stating how long submissions are kept. The Impressum obligation, now set out in the Digital Services Act (Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz, DDG), applies to business websites in Germany and is often missing on fund sites built abroad.
Frankfurt market prices versus the Kolonell grid
Local figures below are a 2026 ballpark drawn from typical agency quotes and public agency rate pages in the Rhine-Main area; they cover design, development and basic content, excluding third-party costs.
| Option | Typical 2026 cost (EUR excl. VAT) | Timeline | What is usually included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelance designer and developer | 4,000 to 10,000 | 6 to 10 weeks | Design and build, copy supplied by the fund |
| Frankfurt digital agency | 15,000 to 40,000 | 8 to 14 weeks | Workshop, design, build, light copy editing |
| Premium branding agency | 45,000 to 120,000 | 3 to 6 months | Brand identity, full copy, photography direction |
| Kolonell Starter | 2,700 | 3 to 4 weeks | Core pages, native English or French copywriting, 3 months of support |
| Kolonell Growth | 4,500 | 3 to 4 weeks | Thesis, portfolio, team, insights and pitch form |
| Kolonell Premium | 8,200 | 4 to 6 weeks | Multilingual tier, languages set in the quote, advanced design |
Every Kolonell tier includes a project manager reachable in your time zone and delivery in 3 to 4 weeks (4 to 6 for Premium). The details are on the international offer page. An LP portal, a data room or a CRM integration are priced on quote, at Kolonell as at any agency.
Hidden costs and the three-year view
The headline price rarely tells the whole story. These items appear in almost every fund site project, whoever builds it.
| Cost item | 2026 ballpark (EUR) | Who usually pays |
|---|---|---|
| German translation of a 9,000-word site | 1,400 to 2,300 (0.15 to 0.25 per word) | Third party |
| Partner portraits and team photography | 1,500 to 4,000 | Third party |
| Lawyer review of Impressum and privacy notice | 800 to 2,500 | Third party |
| Hosting and monitoring per year | 300 to 1,200 | Market assumption |
| Maintenance after the support period, per year | 1,500 to 6,000 | Market assumption; on quote at Kolonell |
| LP portal or data room integration | On quote | Separate project |
Over three years, a Frankfurt agency site at EUR 25,000 plus EUR 4,000 a year of maintenance (market assumption) reaches around EUR 37,000 before third-party costs. A Kolonell Premium site at EUR 8,200 with the same maintenance assumption after the three included months stays near EUR 20,000. The gap narrows if you need heavy integrations, which are on quote everywhere.
When a local agency is the better choice
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Choose a Frankfurt agency if you want in-person brand workshops at your office, a full German-first identity built from scratch, or one supplier already running your LP reporting and events. A local agency also makes sense if your compliance team insists on a contractor under German jurisdiction. Kolonell suits funds that already have a clear thesis and want a precise, fast site in English or French, with German added through the multilingual tier.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Mainline Ventures, a two-partner seed fund in Frankfurt. The fund chooses Kolonell Premium at EUR 8,200 for an English and German site. Third-party costs: translation of 9,000 words at EUR 0.20, so EUR 1,800; partner photography EUR 2,500; lawyer review EUR 1,500. First-year total: EUR 14,000. The best local quote received was EUR 32,000 for the build alone, so EUR 37,800 with the same third-party costs. The difference of EUR 23,800 funds roughly three years of market-rate maintenance, which the partners will request on quote once the three months of support end.
FAQ
Do we need a German version if our founders write in English?
Not always: most deal flow arrives in English. The Impressum and privacy notice still need to be complete, and a German version helps with Mittelstand co-investors; translating 9,000 words costs around EUR 1,800.
Can we show fund performance on the site?
Funds generally avoid publishing returns to the public, and BaFin-supervised firms must be careful with any marketing of their funds. Keep the site to thesis, team and portfolio, and route LP material through a gated area priced on quote.
How long does a VC site take with Kolonell?
Delivery takes 3 to 4 weeks for Starter and Growth, 4 to 6 weeks for Premium. The main risk to the timeline is portfolio consent: allow one week to confirm which companies agree to be listed.
What does the pitch form need?
A deck link, a few fields (stage, sector, amount sought) and a stated retention period, for example 12 months. Collecting less data reduces your GDPR exposure and speeds up triage.
Is maintenance included?
Three months of support are included in every tier. After that, maintenance is on quote; local market rates sit around EUR 1,500 to 6,000 a year (market assumption).
Let's scope your project. Tell us your thesis, your two audiences and whether German is needed, and we will match you to Growth or Premium with a 3 to 6 week timeline. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
