Start Network
Start Network is a UK-based humanitarian network of 140+ NGOs across six continents, operating pooled funding mechanisms (Global Start Fund, Start Ready, Solidarity Fund), parametric disaster risk insurance, and nine locally-led hubs to enable rapid, anticipatory, and locally led humanitarian response.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Start Network does
Start Network is a UK-registered charitable company (company 09286835, charity 1159483) operating as a network-of-networks of more than 140 humanitarian non-governmental organisations across six continents. Founded around 2014 and headquartered in London, the organisation operates nine locally-led hubs (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Guatemala, India, Pacific Region, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo) that shift coordination, funding access, and decision-making toward local actors.
The core technology and product portfolio centres on interconnected pooled financing mechanisms rather than a single software platform. The Global Start Fund provides multi-donor rapid-response financing for under-the-radar crises with a documented three-day alert-to-disbursement cycle. Start Ready is an anticipatory financing mechanism that pre-positions funds for release when forecast triggers are met, operating across eight countries in Asia and Africa. Disaster risk financing tools include ARC Replica (parametric drought insurance via African Risk Capacity) and FOREWARN (a network linking meteorological agencies, academics, donors and humanitarians). National Start Funds in Bangladesh, Nepal and Ukraine (the Ukraine Pooled Fund launched March 2025) provide country-level pooled capital. The Solidarity Fund (launched April 2025) extends the model to organisational resilience, providing grants up to £300,000 to members facing funding disruptions.
The business model is grant-funded managed-services revenue: institutional donors (UK FCDO, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union, IKEA Foundation, Askehave Climate Foundation) contribute to pooled funds which are then allocated to member NGOs through formal governance and due-diligence processes. Member organisations access financing through membership and hub participation; the Solidarity Fund applies tier-based grant ceilings. Pricing is non-commercial, with no disclosed per-unit fees. Customer segments comprise local and national NGOs (primary), international NGOs (primary), and governments/UN agencies (secondary). There is no equity ownership; the network is collectively governed by its members through an Assembly and Board of Trustees, with no private equity or venture capital exposure.
Start Network firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Start Network
- Legal name
- Start Network
- Website
- https://startnetwork.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Start Network is a UK-based humanitarian network of 140+ NGOs across six continents, operating pooled funding mechanisms (Global Start Fund, Start Ready, Solidarity Fund), parametric disaster risk insurance, and nine locally-led hubs to enable rapid, anticipatory, and locally led humanitarian response.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Start Network industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Risk Financing
- NAICS
- Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE)
Keywords
Where Start Network is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Start Network business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Pooled Humanitarian Funds: Start Network manages multi-donor pooled funds including the Global Start Fund, National Start Funds (Bangladesh, Nepal, Ukraine), and Start Ready. Donors contribute to these funds which are then allocated to member organisations for humanitarian response, disaster risk financing, and anticipatory action.
- Solidarity Fund: Dedicated fund to help offset funding gaps caused by donor cuts. Received £3.75 million from IKEA Foundation. Provides grants up to £300,000 to member organisations facing operational disruptions.
- Disaster Risk Insurance: Partnership with African Risk Capacity (ARC) to provide parametric drought insurance. When triggers are met, insurance payouts are distributed to affected countries and implementing partners.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Solidarity Fund grants for member organisations |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels11 records
Start Network product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Start Network is a humanitarian non-profit network that operates pooled funding mechanisms (e.g., Start Fund, Start Ready, Solidarity Fund) enabling its 140+ member aid agencies to collectively anticipate and respond to under-the-radar disasters and crises. The network provides pre-positioned financing, risk modeling, and forecasting tools to members so that rapid, locally led humanitarian action can be delivered across more than 100 countries.
Product overview
Start Network is a network of more than 140 humanitarian agencies across six continents working to transform humanitarian action. The organization operates a platform of interconnected funding mechanisms and programmes, centered around the Start Fund (global rapid response funding) and Start Ready (anticipatory financing mechanism). Supporting these core products are the Solidarity Fund (organizational resilience support), ARC Replica (disaster risk insurance), FOREWARN (forecast and analysis network), National Start Funds (country-specific funding), and Disaster Risk Financing services. The network operates through locally led Hubs in 9 countries and delivers training programmes. The overall portfolio enables faster, fairer, and more locally led humanitarian response through innovative financing, early action, and systems change.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Start Fund: A multi-donor pooled fund providing fast and direct funding to NGOs for under-the-radar crises.
- Start Ready
- National Start Funds
- Solidarity Fund
- FOREWARN
- ARC Replica
Products and services
- Start Fund
- Start Ready
- Solidarity Fund
- National Start Funds
- ARC Replica
- FOREWARN
Quantifiable outcome
- 153,000+ people reached through Somalia drought parametric insurance payout
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Start Network
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Start Network technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Start Network partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- African Risk Capacity (ARC)corePartnership to provide parametric drought insurance to African countries. When predefined weather triggers are met, insurance payouts are distributed to countries and implementing partners. Somalia received $5.5 million drought payout in May 2026.
- World Food Programme (WFP)coreCollaborating partner in Somalia drought response. Received 15.8% share of the $5.5 million ARC drought insurance payout. Together with ARC and Start Network, supported over 153,000 people.
- Government of BangladeshmajorApproved the locally resourced NGO-MFI pooled funding mechanism developed by Bangladesh Hub. Model approved as replicable for adaptation in other contexts.
- UN Agencies (OCHA, humanitarian coordination groups)majorSomalia and Philippines hubs have established representatives in UN Humanitarian coordination groups ensuring local actor voices are included in humanitarian decision-making.
- Qatar CharitymajorPartner in Unity in Action Fellowship Programme supporting hub leadership development and capacity building across the network.
- Share TrustminorPartnership to launch locally led coalition (Sundarban Coalition) in Bangladesh for inclusive humanitarian systems.
- Philippines Meteorological DepartmentcoreTechnical partner for FOREWARN Philippines, providing disaster forecasting expertise and climate risk analysis to complement humanitarian response.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Start Network competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- GiveDirectly: Operates pooled, donor-funded cash transfer programmes for crisis-affected populations, intersecting with Start Network's rapid financing model. Both organisations share a focus on speed and direct delivery, though GiveDirectly focuses exclusively on cash.
Broad incumbents
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): OCHA is the primary inter-agency coordinator of humanitarian response, with representation from Start Network hubs in country-level coordination groups. It is a much larger incumbent shaping the system that Start Network's pooled funds plug into.
- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): IFRC operates the world's largest humanitarian network with its own disaster response emergency fund (DREF), functionally analogous to the Start Fund but at much greater scale. It overlaps with Start Network on rapid financing and locally-led auxiliary capacity.
- Mercy Corps: Global humanitarian NGO and Start Network member, comparable as an institutional actor in the same funding and coordination ecosystem. Not a direct pooled-fund peer, but a comparable scale of operation and overlapping donor relationships.
- International Rescue Committee (IRC): A large international humanitarian NGO and Start Network member that operates at scale across multiple crises. It is comparable as a humanitarian operator, though not a pooled-financing peer, and it both contributes to and draws from Start Network mechanisms.
Direct peers
- Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) managed by OCHA: Country-Based Pooled Funds allocate donor money to humanitarian actors at country level, structurally similar to National Start Funds in Bangladesh, Nepal and Ukraine. They compete for the same pool of NGO-allocated donor capital.
- African Risk Capacity (ARC): ARC is Start Network's core parametric drought insurance partner and a peer in disaster risk financing. Both deliver pre-arranged payouts when weather triggers are met, and ARC's sovereign-level mandate complements Start Network's NGO-level response.
- Centre for Disaster Philanthropy: A philanthropic intermediary that channels donor capital to humanitarian and disaster response efforts. Comparable to Start Network's pooled-fund model but focused on private philanthropy rather than government grants.
- UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF): The UN's pooled emergency fund provides rapid financing for humanitarian crises, directly comparable to the Global Start Fund mechanism. Both pool multi-donor capital to deliver fast, flexible funding to operational responders in under-addressed crises.
Others
- Humanitarian Outcomes: An independent research and advisory organisation focused on humanitarian system performance. Comparable as a sector-shaping actor that informs the donor and policy ecosystem Start Network operates in, rather than as a financing peer.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Start Network social profiles
Digital presenceStart Network financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Start Network leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Start Network funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Start Network M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Start Network
What does Start Network do?
Start Network is a humanitarian non-profit network that operates pooled funding mechanisms (e.g., Start Fund, Start Ready, Solidarity Fund) enabling its 140+ member aid agencies to collectively anticipate and respond to under-the-radar disasters and crises. The network provides pre-positioned financing, risk modeling, and forecasting tools to members so that rapid, locally led humanitarian action can be delivered across more than 100 countries.
Is Start Network a public or private company?
Start Network is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Start Network founded?
Start Network was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Start Network based?
Start Network is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Start Network make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Pooled Humanitarian Funds are the primary driver. The others are solidarity Fund and disaster Risk Insurance.
Who are Start Network's main competitors?
GiveDirectly is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Mercy Corps and International Rescue Committee (IRC). Direct peers are Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) managed by OCHA, African Risk Capacity (ARC), Centre for Disaster Philanthropy and UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). Humanitarian Outcomes is listed as an others.
Does Start Network have an API?
No public API is recorded for Start Network.
What industry is Start Network in?
Start Network's product category is Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Risk Financing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAJAKAE, Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs. Its NAICS code is 624230 and its SIC code is 8300.