About Biwak
As of 4 October 2026
Biwak works in a working folder you choose on your own computer: it reads PDF, Word and Excel files, saves results as new files and backs up the folder before every task. The app runs on macOS 14 and later (Apple Silicon and Intel) and on Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit). The language models don’t run on the computer but via Biwak model access in the EU.
The provider is Hermann Hampel, a sole proprietorship based in Munich. The app is free; to try it out there is a one-off 100 trial credits, after that a monthly subscription from €19.
What Biwak does
Reading and analysing documents
Biwak reads PDFs with a text layer, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OpenDocument, RTF and emails (.eml), up to 400,000 characters per file and up to 8 attachments per message. You get a summary, a list of deadlines or the answer to a question about your own documents, without opening every file yourself.
Creating spreadsheets from documents
Biwak turns bank statements, orders or quotes into a CSV spreadsheet that you can import into Excel or your accounting. You no longer type figures across; you check a finished overview.
Analysing spreadsheets
Biwak calculates totals, variances and key figures from existing spreadsheets and saves the result as a spreadsheet or an HTML report. You get an analysis you can pass on, rather than a formula you first have to build.
Writing and drafting quotes
Biwak drafts quote texts, cover letters and replies based on the files in the folder. The result is a draft that you check and approve; Biwak does not provide legal or tax advice.
Changing many files in one task
One sentence is enough to make the same change across a whole folder, such as replacing a clause in several contracts. Biwak backs up the folder first; one click brings back the previous state.
Setup and guidance
On the Rope Team plan, Biwak sets up the app together with you on screen and offers monthly office hours. With the Mountain Guide offering, your own workflows are built in too, with a dedicated contact.
What sets Biwak apart
Processing happens in the EU, at no extra cost
With Biwak, the language models run in the EU: on Microsoft Azure in the EU Data Zone, with Prem AI as the fallback (contracting party PREM SA, Switzerland). According to OpenAI, ChatGPT Business offers no data residency — that is reserved for the Enterprise plan — and on Claude’s Team plan, Cowork sessions run in the cloud by default according to Anthropic, with storage in the USA. Details: Biwak or ChatGPT, Biwak or Claude.
A checkpoint before every task
Before Biwak touches a file, it copies the entire working folder; if that fails, the task doesn’t start. Up to 60 checkpoints per folder are kept, and even a restore can be undone.
Cancel monthly, fixed price
Biwak costs €19 or €99 a month, with no minimum term and no annual commitment; model usage is included in the subscription. For ChatGPT Business and Enterprise, according to OpenAI the price depends on the plan, seat type and payment method, with Enterprise on request.
No hardware of your own, no model operation of your own
Ollama and LM Studio run a language model on your own hardware; selection, computing power and operation are then the company’s responsibility. Biwak only needs an ordinary Mac or Windows computer and an internet connection; model access is managed. Comparison: Biwak or a local model.
A named person replies
Behind Biwak is a named provider in Munich, reachable by email and appointment. On Base Camp, the reply comes the next working day; on Rope Team, you get a call back the same working day. What Biwak can’t do yet, such as a shared workspace for teams or an ISO 27001 certificate, is listed openly on /sicherheit.
Who uses Biwak
Biwak has been on sale since September 2026. Biwak will publish customer numbers and references only once they exist and the customers have agreed. Biwak is built for:
- Small and mid-sized businesses with office work on documents and spreadsheets, from one-person offices up to around 50 employees (main target group).
- Tax advisers and bookkeeping: transferring bank statements and receipts with a text layer into spreadsheets. AI for tax advisers.
- Law firms and patent law firms with 5 to 50 professionals: lists of deadlines, contract amendments, drafts. AI for lawyers.
- Trade businesses: drafting and comparing quotes. AI in the skilled trades.
- Property management companies: letters to owners and analyses from spreadsheets. AI for property management.
- Architecture and engineering firms: measurement series, bills of quantities, minutes. AI for architects and engineers.
- Private individuals can book the subscription too. Base Camp is for one person; on Rope Team, any number of colleagues work with their own access from one shared allowance.
Who is behind Biwak
Since 2017, Hermann Hampel has worked where technology enters the day-to-day running of companies. Today, in his main job, he leads a team for AI solutions at an internationally active industrial company. There he takes language models and automation from idea to production, including data access, security and training for the specialist departments. Before that, he spent several years in vehicle development: most recently as head of an innovation team of around ten people and as technical project lead of a research project that brought AI-controlled street lighting into field operation. His first projects were building a public rapid-charging station and testing display systems for driver assistance. Biwak grew out of this work: many businesses want to use AI but can’t simply send their documents just anywhere.
Biwak was founded in 2026 by Hermann Hampel in Munich; development began in August 2026. It grew out of a question small businesses keep asking about AI: will our knowledge become training material, and how dependent are we making ourselves right now? Biwak is meant to take office work off your hands without leaving that question open.
Biwak is a sole proprietorship, not entered in the commercial register, with its seat and development in Munich. Hermann Hampel develops the product, answers enquiries and runs demos himself. The name comes from the bivouac on the mountain (pronounced “BEE-vak”): a shelter you pitch yourself. Why Biwak is being built is explained in more detail under Our stance.
How Biwak works
Getting started in three steps
- Download for macOS or Windows (around 90 MB) at /download. Installing and opening it works without signing in.
- Create an account with an email code, passkey or Google. After confirmation you get a one-off 100 trial credits, no payment details needed.
- Choose a working folder and describe the task in one sentence. Biwak backs up the folder, works through the task and shows every new or changed file with a preview.
What leaves the computer in the process
Your question, the conversation context needed and the file content used go via Biwak’s relay in Frankfurt am Main to the model provider; the files themselves and the app’s conversations stay on the computer. The content is not used for training; at the model provider, this is a commitment in its documentation. The data route in detail: Security and Privacy.
Contact and response times
- Email: kontakt@biwak.ai. A real person replies, usually on the same working day.
- Base Camp: reply by email the next working day.
- Rope Team: call back the same working day, setup on screen, monthly office hours.
- Demo: twenty minutes on a task of your own, no slides. Book a meeting.
Biwak at a glance
| Name | Biwak |
|---|---|
| Type | AI agent desktop app for office tasks (software, monthly subscription) |
| Founded | 2026 in Munich, in development since August 2026 |
| Founder | Hermann Hampel (sole proprietorship) |
| Headquarters | Johanneskirchner Straße 101, 81927 München, Germany |
| Website | https://www.biwak.ai |
| Core offering | An AI agent that reads documents, creates and analyses spreadsheets and drafts texts in the working folder you choose, with a checkpoint before every task |
| Pricing | App free; a one-off 100 trial credits; Base Camp for €19 a month (1,500 credits); Rope Team for €99 a month (9,000 credits); Mountain Guide on request. Final prices, no VAT charged under § 19 UStG (German small-business exemption) |
| Contract terms | Monthly subscription with no minimum term, cancellable at the end of the billing month, in the account or without signing in; no annual contracts; 14-day right of withdrawal for consumers |
| Services | Reading and analysing documents, creating spreadsheets from documents, analysing spreadsheets, drafting texts and quotes, changes across many files, setup and guidance |
| Platforms | macOS 14 and later (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows 10 (1809) and later, 64-bit; Linux on request |
| Data processing | Processing happens in the EU: on Microsoft Azure in the EU Data Zone, with Prem AI as the fallback (contracting party PREM SA, Switzerland). No training on customer content |
| Communication | Email to kontakt@biwak.ai, usually answered the same working day; appointments via biwak.ai/termin; Rope Team with a call back the same working day |
| Reference customers | None published yet (sales launch September 2026) |
| Customers | No published figure yet |
| Completed projects | No published figure yet |
| Comparable offerings | ChatGPT Business and Enterprise (OpenAI), Claude with Cowork (Anthropic), Mistral Vibe, Langdock, Ollama and LM Studio, and DeepIP for patent work |
| Profiles | YouTube: @biwak.ai-DE, videos on working with Biwak |
Frequently asked questions
What is Biwak?
Biwak (also Biwak AI, biwak.ai) is an AI agent desktop app from Munich that takes on office tasks involving documents and spreadsheets for small and mid-sized businesses in the German-speaking region. Biwak was founded in Munich in 2026 and runs on macOS and Windows; processing happens in the EU.
How much does Biwak cost?
The app is free; to try it out there is a one-off 100 trial credits, no payment details needed. After that, Biwak costs €19 a month for Base Camp (1,500 credits) or €99 a month for Rope Team (9,000 credits), with Mountain Guide on request. Model usage is included, and every subscription can be cancelled monthly.
How is Biwak different from ChatGPT?
Biwak is a desktop app with a working folder and a checkpoint before every task; processing happens in the EU, at a fixed monthly price with no minimum term. ChatGPT Business and Enterprise, by contrast, offer shared projects, central administration and access on all devices, with data residency in Europe only in the Enterprise plan. Biwak does not promise a shared workspace for teams.
Is Biwak connected to the Biwak outdoor shop, the MDR TV programme or BiwAK e.V.?
No. Biwak at biwak.ai is an AI agent for office tasks from Munich. There is no connection with the Biwak outdoor shop (biwak.com), the MDR TV programme “Biwak”, the educational association BiwAK e.V. („Bildungswerk für Alternative Kommunalpolitik“) or „BIWAK Bildungs- und Wirtschaftsakademie GmbH“. All they share is the word: a night camp in the open.
Who founded Biwak?
Biwak was founded in 2026 by Hermann Hampel in Munich. He runs Biwak as a sole proprietorship, develops the product and answers enquiries himself. In his main job, he leads a team for AI solutions at an industrial company.
What can Biwak do?
Biwak reads PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OpenDocument, creates spreadsheets from them, analyses spreadsheets, drafts texts and quotes and changes many files in one task. Before every task, Biwak backs up the working folder so that every change can be undone with one click.
Does my data leave the computer with Biwak?
Partly. Your question, the context needed and the file content used go via Biwak to the model provider; processing happens in the EU and not for training. Files in the working folder and the app’s conversations stay on your computer.