Impulse was started in
Cologne in 1980. The founder was Johannes Gross. In January 2013 the magazine was acquired by Impulse Medien GmbH of which majority stake is held by Nikolaus Förster. which targets decision makers, management consultants,
investors and
entrepreneurs. In 2009 Nikolaus Förster was named the editor-in-chief of the magazine. The magazine sold 135,128 copies in the last quarter of 2004.{{cite web|title=Impulse factsheet ==See also==