hidden champion

Coined by German businessman Hermann Simon in 1996.

hidden champion (plural hidden champions)

1. (business) A relatively small and little-known but highly successful company.
   • 2012 April 14, “What Germany offers the world”, in The Economist‎:

     Omnipresent but obscure, family owned but by no means puny, Beckhoff is among thousands of “hidden champions” that account for much of Germany's prowess as a manufacturer and exporter.

   • 2016, David B. Audretsch, Erik E. Lehmann, The Seven Secrets of Germany: Economic Resilience in an Era of Global Turbulence, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 32:

     Since one of the disadvantages of being a hidden champion is that by striving to remain understated and hidden from the public and, more importantly, large global competitors, the champion also remains somewhat hidden from highly skilled employees and university graduates as a potential employer.

   • 2023 August 24, Anna Cooban, quoting Holger Schmieding, “Why some are calling Germany 'the sick man of Europe' once again”, in CNN‎:

     That adaptability is what sets Germany apart from many other economies, argues Schmieding, and can be attributed to its large number of small and medium-sized businesses — its Mittelstand — which are able to react “nimbly to a shifting competitive landscape.” “Germany is the undisputed global champion of ‘hidden champions’,” he said.

• big fish in a small pond

• hidden champions on Wikipedia.Wikipedia