DeepL.com — Jurisdiction & Ownership Research
Legal Entity & Headquarters
DeepL is a German AI research company, formally structured as a Societas Europaea (SE) — a European public company form. The company was originally founded in 2009 as Linguee, and in 2017 the company name was changed to DeepL GmbH. CEO Jaroslaw Kutylowski restructured it into a Societas Europaea in 2021. It is headquartered in Cologne, Germany (Nordrhein-Westfalen).
Founders & Leadership
DeepL was founded in 2017 by Leonard Fink and Jaroslaw Kutylowski, who serves as the current CEO.
Ownership & Investors
DeepL's ownership has evolved through multiple funding rounds, with founders retaining a substantial stake while institutional investors hold significant portions. The company has seen its valuation grow dramatically, reaching $2 billion in 2024.
Key investors include ICONIQ Growth, Index Ventures, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, Teachers' Venture Growth, and Allison Pickens Ventures, among a total of 23 investors. DeepL has raised a total of $536M in funding. Index Ventures led the most recent major funding round. DeepL achieved unicorn status in 2023 with a $1 billion valuation after a $100M+ round.
IPO Outlook
DeepL has begun preliminary discussions with potential advisors regarding a possible listing on a U.S. stock exchange, with a potential valuation of up to $5 billion depending on market conditions. No final decisions have been announced as of the time of this research.
Legal Jurisdiction
There is a split depending on the type of customer:
EU / Consumer Users
DeepL operates under GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation) and the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG). The data controller responsible for processing is DeepL SE.
North American Enterprise Customers
Enterprise agreements are governed by the law of the State of Delaware, with exclusive jurisdiction in the state and federal courts in Kent County, Delaware.
Data Privacy & Security
DeepL adheres to GDPR and holds certifications for security, availability, and confidentiality. User texts are never stored or used for model training without consent, and the platform supports custom encryption including Bring Your Own Key (BYOK).
DeepL holds the following certifications:
- ISO 27001
- SOC 2 Type II
- BSI C5 Type 2
- HIPAA
- GDPR
Summary
DeepL is a privately held German company (structured as a European SE), subject to strict EU and German data law for most users, with Delaware jurisdiction for North American enterprise contracts. It remains independent for now, though a U.S. IPO is being actively explored.