DOEN Participaties

What DOEN Participaties does

DOEN Participaties BV is the social impact investment arm of Stichting DOEN, a Dutch charitable foundation established in 1991 and headquartered in Amsterdam. Its mission is to accelerate transitions toward a regenerative economy, a solidaire (inclusive) society, and radical imagination by providing early-stage equity, loans, and grants to pioneering social and sustainable enterprises. The investment vehicle sits alongside three grant-making vehicles operated by the parent foundation — Stichting DOEN (international regenerative economy and imagination), VriendenLoterij Fonds (social solidarity and Dutch imagination), and Postcode Loterij Buurtfonds (Dutch neighborhood projects) — forming a layered capital toolkit that allows DOEN Participaties to function as a "catalyst" investor before handing off mature initiatives to follow-on financiers.

Stichting DOEN's funding base is anchored by long-standing annual contributions from the Postcode Loterij (€24.3 million in 2025) and VriendenLoterij (€7.2 million in 2025), with the lottery operators collectively reaching more than 3 million Dutch participants. As of 2025, the DOEN ecosystem supports 236 forerunners and more than 1,018 resident initiatives annually, while DOEN Participaties' own portfolio comprises 69 entrepreneurs (57 Netherlands-based and 12 international). Strategic customer segments include regenerative economy pioneers (e.g., circular materials, regenerative agriculture, climate solutions), social solidarity/social enterprises serving marginalized populations, and arts/culture initiatives under the "power of imagination" theme.

In March 2025, DOEN Participaties broadened its international footprint by participating in the US$55 million Equator VC fund for early-stage African climate tech startups alongside IFC, British International Investment, Proparco, GEAPP, and Shell Foundation. The organization is led by executive director Jasper Snoek and Directeur Participaties Idriss Nor, with approximately 50 staff distributed across Directie, Communicatie, Impact Investing, Programma Management, and Operations functions. Its regulatory standing is reinforced by CBF "Erkend Goed Doel" certification and ANBI status, providing tax-efficient access to Dutch philanthropic capital.

Name

DOEN Participaties

Legal name

DOEN Participaties BV

Website

https://doen.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DOEN Participaties is the social impact investment arm of Dutch Stichting DOEN, providing early-stage equity, loans, and grants to pioneering sustainable and social enterprises in the Netherlands and internationally, with a current portfolio of 69 entrepreneurs across regenerative economy, social solidarity, and arts themes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Impact Investing / Early-Stage Venture Capital

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Impact Investing & Social Finance (Funds, CDFIs, Microfinance) (BPAGALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Sector & Blended Finance Arms (IFC-type) (BPADACAJ), Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Impact investing
• Early-stage venture capital
• Social enterprise finance
• Sustainable investment
• Foundation-backed capital

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. DOEN Participaties - Impact Investment Returns: DOEN Participaties invests equity and provides loans to innovative social and sustainable enterprises, seeking both financial returns and social/environmental impact. Proceeds from exits and loan repayments are reinvested into new portfolio companies. Revenue comes from investment returns, dividends, and exit proceeds from portfolio companies.
2. Stichting DOEN - Postcode Loterij & VriendenLoterij Funding: Stichting DOEN receives annual contributions from the Postcode Loterij (€24,303,520 in 2025) and VriendenLoterij (€7,200,000 in 2025). This funding is used to provide subsidies, loans, and participations to pioneering initiatives across three themes: regenerative economy, social solidarity, and power of imagination.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DOEN Participaties is the direct impact-investment vehicle of Stichting DOEN, providing equity participations (minority stakes), subordinated loans, and follow-on capital to early-stage, innovative social and sustainable enterprises. Investments are organized around three themes: a regenerative economy (climate, circular, agriculture, biodiversity), social solidarity (inclusion, labor participation, care, education), and radical imagination (art, culture, media). Beyond capital, DOEN offers non-financial support through its network, coaching, and follow-on capital to scale impact.

Product overview

DOEN Participaties is the social impact investment company (maatschappelijke investeringsmaatschappij) of Stichting DOEN, operating as a distinct entity from the foundation's grant-making activities. As a social impact investor, DOEN Participaties provides equity participations and investments in innovative, social, and sustainable enterprises, functioning alongside the foundation's subsidies and loans as part of a comprehensive financial toolkit. The investment company focuses on early-stage ventures working on circular economy, climate solutions, and social innovation across the Netherlands and internationally, with a portfolio of 69 entrepreneurs as of 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DOEN Participaties BV: The social impact investment company of DOEN that has been participating in innovative, social and sustainable enterprises for over 25 years.

Products and services

• DOEN Participaties — Equity Participations Minority equity participations for early-stage, innovative Dutch and international impact ventures across regenerative economy, social solidarity, and radical imagination themes. Designed for founders seeking risk-tolerant, mission-aligned investors who also provide coaching and network access.
• DOEN Participaties — Subordinated Loans Subordinated loan financing to early-stage Dutch and international impact ventures that complements equity participations and supports ventures that are not yet ready for, or do not fit, equity structures.
• Co-Investment Program Co-investment alongside other public and private investors in impact deals, enabling larger ticket sizes and shared due diligence for portfolio ventures.
• Postcode Loterij Buurtfonds Grant funding for neighborhood-led social and sustainable projects in the Netherlands, channeled via Stichting DOEN and presented alongside DOEN Participaties' investment offering.
• VriendenLoterij Fonds Grant program that funds cultural and social-impact initiatives in the Netherlands, drawing on contributions from the VriendenLoterij.

Quantifiable outcome

• 236 pioneers and 1,018 resident initiatives supported in 2025 alone
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Triodos Investment Management: Dutch-based impact investment manager running multiple sustainable and inclusive funds across Europe. Directly comparable to DOEN Participaties in theme (regenerative economy, social inclusion), geography (strong Netherlands base), and target customer (early-stage impact enterprises).
• FMO (Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank): Netherlands-based development finance institution investing in early-stage and growth-stage enterprises in developing countries with blended finance tools. Comparable to DOEN Participaties in mission-driven investing, blended-finance structuring, and emerging-markets climate focus (e.g., co-investor in Equator VC ecosystem).
• Acumen: Global impact investor with patient capital funds (e.g., Acumen LatAm, Acumen West Africa) focused on early-stage entrepreneurs solving poverty. Comparable to DOEN Participaties in early-stage, high-risk, impact-first cheque writing and emerging-markets focus.
• Bridges Fund Management: UK-based impact-focused fund manager with strategies spanning venture, growth, and outcomes-based contracts. Directly comparable in deploying multiple instruments (debt and equity) to sustainable enterprises and social-purpose organisations.
• Astanor Ventures: European impact VC fund backing early-stage agri-food and climate-tech entrepreneurs. Comparable to DOEN Participaties in thematic focus (regenerative economy, circular systems) and early-stage ticket size in European and emerging markets.
• Novastar Ventures: Early-stage venture investor focused on commercial businesses serving East African mass-market consumers. Comparable to DOEN Participaties in early-stage, mission-driven equity investing in African markets and co-investment style with DFIs.
• Omidyar Network: Impact investment firm founded by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, deploying both equity and grants across governance, education, and inclusive economies. Comparable to DOEN in being a philanthropic-anchored impact investor using multiple instruments (grants, debt, equity) to back pioneers at the earliest stage.

Broad incumbents

• Big Society Capital: UK's social investment wholesaler, funded by dormant bank accounts, that channels capital into social enterprises and impact funds. Comparable to DOEN in being a foundational, mission-anchored capital allocator rather than a typical VC, and connecting capital to social themes.
• KfW Capital: German development-bank-owned fund-of-funds manager providing capital to European and emerging-market VC and growth funds. Comparable to DOEN in being a non-commercial, blended-finance capital anchor investing into VC funds (e.g., climate / impact thesis).

Regional players

• Shell Foundation: UK-registered independent charity funding early-stage climate and clean-energy enterprises in Africa and Asia. Directly tied to DOEN as a co-investor in Equator VC's $55M Africa climate fund, and an active partner in the same emerging-market climate-tech investment thesis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stichtingdoen
• Facebookfacebook.com/stichtingdoen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments50 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DOEN Participaties