# Harald Grumser

> Harald Grumser (1960-2026) was the German co-founder and longtime leader of Compart, a Böblingen document software company. He led the business from 1992 to 2021, then chaired its supervisory board until 2022. A former PDF Association board chairman and a 2022 Baden-Württemberg Founders’ Prize lifetime achievement recipient, he also supported regional startups through the Softwarezentrum Böblingen/Sindelfingen and AI xpress.

- **Role:** Software entrepreneur, executive, startup mentor and business angel
- **Organizations:** Compart, PDF Association, Softwarezentrum Böblingen/Sindelfingen, AI xpress, Landkreis Böblingen bleibt bunt e.V.
- **From:** Bühl, Germany
- **Nationality:** German
- **Education:** Physics studies; no degree completion established, University of Karlsruhe (TH), now Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- **Known for:** Co-founded Compart and led it for 29 years., Helped initiate early PDF/A conferences in Stuttgart and Amsterdam., Received the 2017 Brian Platte Lifetime Achievement Award.

## Career timeline

- **1981-1984** — Studied physics at the University of Karlsruhe.
- **1984-1986** — Worked as an editor at Hüthig Verlag in Heidelberg.
- **1986-1987** — Project leader at SOFTPRO GmbH.
- **1988-1992** — Managing director at SOFTPRO GmbH.
- **1992** — Co-founded Compart and began leading the company.
- **2006** — Compart became a founding member of the PDF/A Competence Centre.
- **2008-2010** — Chaired the board of the organization now known as the PDF Association.
- **2017** — Received the Brian Platte Lifetime Achievement Award.
- **2019** — Became advisory board chairman of Softwarezentrum Böblingen/Sindelfingen.
- **2021** — Handed the CEO role to Wolfgang Köstler on July 1; became Compart supervisory board chairman. Co-initiated AI xpress, which opened in October.
- **2022** — Received the Baden-Württemberg Founders’ Prize lifetime achievement award on July 6. GENII acquired Compart shares from Grumser and Christof Mayer in August; his XING profile dates his supervisory chairmanship to September 2022.
- **2026** — Died in August; public tributes were published by the district council and PDF Association.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Compart and led it for 29 years.
- Helped initiate early PDF/A conferences in Stuttgart and Amsterdam.
- Received the 2017 Brian Platte Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Received the 2022 Baden-Württemberg Founders’ Prize for lifetime achievement.
- Co-initiated AI xpress and supported founders in the Böblingen region.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Böblingen district council published a tribute on August 6, recalling his entrepreneurship, mentoring and civic work.
- **2026-08** — On August 20, the PDF Association remembered its co-founder and former board chairman following his death earlier that month.

## Links

- Website: https://www.compart.com/
- LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/in/haraldgrumser/de

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/harald-grumser
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21