What WieWasWie does

WieWasWie is a non-commercial Dutch online genealogy platform launched in July 2012 as the unified successor to the predecessor services Genlias and Digitale Stamboom. It is owned and operated by CBG|Centrum voor familiegeschiedenis (the Dutch national expertise and information center for family history) and technically developed by Stichting Archiefprogrammatuur (STAP), a non-profit founded in 1989 by Dutch heritage institutions. The platform aggregates historical personal records from more than 40 participating Dutch archive and heritage institutions - including municipal, regional, and national archives as well as the Koninklijke Verzamelingen - into a single searchable index containing over 252 million person entries drawn from nearly 90 million historical acts covering civil registration (from 1811), church registers (from the 16th century), population registers (from 1850), military records (~1811-1940), and special collections such as the Holland-America Line passenger lists (1900-1969).

The platform's core technology is a search index updated daily with new archive contributions. Key technical components include the LINKS system for automatically linking marriage and birth certificates from the civil registration period, enabling reconstruction of family relationships; a wildcard search feature for handling historical name spelling variants; and direct access to scanned images of original archival documents. Distribution is entirely digital via the wiewaswie.nl web platform, with no dedicated mobile app, serving a primarily Dutch user base plus international Dutch diaspora researchers through a Dutch/English bilingual interface.

The business model combines a free basic-search tier with a paid Premium subscription (annual billing through CBG) that unlocks dual-person simultaneous search and wildcard functionality, supplemented by transactional fees for document image downloads and reproduction services via CBG Verzamelingen. Customer segments are split between beginning family history researchers (starting their own tree) and experienced genealogists (conducting deep multi-archive research), with smaller niche segments for royal-household history enthusiasts and Dutch diaspora/migration researchers. Go-to-market is product-led and community-led: extensive volunteer work (notably 1,600 volunteers on the Holland-America Line project) drives data growth, while CBG newsletters and organic social media (Facebook, Twitter) generate awareness. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

WieWasWie

Legal name

CBG|Centrum voor familiegeschiedenis

Website

https://wiewaswie.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WieWasWie is a non-profit Dutch online genealogy platform operated by CBG|Centrum voor familiegeschiedenis that aggregates historical records from 40+ Dutch archives into a searchable database of 252+ million persons, serving individual family-history researchers and the global Dutch diaspora via a freemium subscription model with premium advanced-search features.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Genealogy Database

NAICS

Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192), Libraries and Archives (51921), Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519), Libraries and Archives (519210)

akta.pro primary industry

Meta-Search & Search Aggregators (BPAMAAAC)

Keywords

• Genealogy database
• Family history research
• Historical records platform
• Archival document search
• Ancestry records Netherlands

Headquarters

HQ city

Den Haag

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Premium Subscription Access: The platform offers a premium subscription tier that provides enhanced search capabilities including dual-person simultaneous search and wildcard search functionality. Subscriptions can be ordered through the CBG website.
2. Document Image Downloads: Family advertisement images can be purchased for a small fee. CBG Verzamelingen offers document scanning and reproduction services for materials accessed through the platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WieWasWie is an online genealogy platform that aggregates historical personal records from over 40 Dutch archive and heritage institutions, providing searchable access to 252+ million person records across civil registration, church registers, population registers, military sources, and passenger lists. Users can freely search basic records or subscribe to Premiumtoegang for advanced features such as dual-person searches, wildcard name variations, and original document scan downloads.

Product overview

WieWasWie is a unified online genealogy platform operated by CBG|Centrum voor familiegeschiedenis that aggregates and provides access to historical personal records from over 40 Dutch archival institutions. The core product is the WieWasWie search platform, supplemented by the LINKS linking system for automated family relationship discovery. Premium Access provides enhanced search capabilities including dual-person searches and wildcard functionality. The platform's data sources include civil registration records (burgerlijke stand), church registers (DTB), population registers, military sources, and Holland-America Line passenger lists, covering over 252 million person records from nearly 90 million historical documents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WieWasWie Platform Dutch online platform for genealogy and family history research, aggregating historical personal records from over 40 Dutch archive and heritage institutions. The platform contains 252+ million person records from civil registration, church registers, population registers, and other genealogical sources.
• LINKS (Linking System for Historical Family Reconstruction) System that links civil registration certificates (marriage and birth) to each other, enabling faster family tree construction from 1811 onwards and revealing relationships not easily found through manual searches.
• Premiumtoegang (Premium Access) Paid subscription tier enabling simultaneous search for two persons, advanced search options including exact match and 'begins with' search modes, and wildcard search functionality for name variations such as 'Graaf' and 'Graeff'.
• CBG Document Scanning and Reproduction (CBG Verzamelingen) Family advertisement images can be purchased for a small fee, and CBG Verzamelingen offers document scanning and reproduction services for materials accessed through the platform.
• Nationaal Register van Overledenen (NRO) Extracts Service providing official extracts from the National Register of Deceased Persons, allowing researchers to overcome the 100-year privacy restriction and trace ancestors who died more recently.

Quantifiable outcome

• 252+ million persons searchable in database
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Waterlands ArchiefminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022Waterlands Archief joined WieWasWie in February 2023 with population registers, baptism/marriage/burial books, and notarial archives from Edam-Volendam, Landsmeer, Purmerend, Waterland, and Wormermark municipalities.
• Regionaal Archief ZutphenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022Regionaal Archief Zutphen joined WieWasWie in February 2023, contributing population registrations, notarial archives, military and garrison registers, orphan chamber protocols, and passport registers from the 1920s-1930s including photos.
• Stadsarchief Rotterdam (Rotterdam City Archives)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 December 2019Joint project to digitize Holland-America Line passenger lists (1900-1969). The Stadsarchief Rotterdam holds the original passenger lists and collaborated with CBG to make them searchable through WieWasWie. Over 2.5 million person entries were digitized with help from 1,600 volunteers.
• Koninklijke Verzamelingen (Royal Collections)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 July 2017The Koninklijke Verzamelingen (Royal Collections) made staff registers of the Royal Household (1814-1940) searchable through WieWasWie, allowing users to find ancestors who worked for the Dutch Royal Household.
• CBG|Centrum voor familiegeschiedeniscoreOthers · 1 July 2012CBG|Centrum voor Familiegeschiedenis in Den Haag is the owner of wiewaswie.nl. CBG is the national expertise and information center for family history research. It manages collections and provides support for genealogical research, coats of arms, and family names. The CBG also manages state collections like the Nationaal Register van Overledenen.
• Stichting Archiefprogrammatuur (STAP)coreTechnology or IntegrationSTAP is the non-profit organization that developed the WieWasWie platform. Founded in 1989 by Dutch heritage institutions, STAP created the archival programming infrastructure underlying the platform.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ancestry.com: World's largest consumer genealogy company, providing searchable historical records, family trees, and AncestryDNA. Competes head-to-head with WieWasWie for Dutch genealogical research customers, especially in the North American diaspora.
• FamilySearch: Non-profit genealogy service operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, offering free access to a massive collection of historical records including Dutch archives. Comparable to WieWasWie in mission (free access to genealogical data) and aggregation of Dutch records.
• MyHeritage: Global genealogy platform offering family trees, historical record search, and DNA testing. Directly comparable to WieWasWie as a subscription-based genealogy service that also indexes Dutch civil and church records, competing for the same Dutch and diaspora researchers.
• Geneanet: European genealogy platform with collaborative family trees and indexed civil/church records across multiple countries including the Netherlands. Comparable subscription-led genealogy model and European archival aggregation.
• Open Archives: Dutch joint initiative aggregating historical records from multiple Dutch archives into a single search interface. Closest direct functional competitor within the Netherlands, sharing the same source archives as WieWasWie.
• Geni.com: Collaborative family-tree platform owned by MyHeritage with integrated historical record search. Comparable as a subscription genealogy product serving Dutch and global family history researchers.
• StamboomNederland: Dutch-language family-tree and genealogy portal also operated by CBG. Sister site to WieWasWie, sharing parent organization and Dutch genealogy audience, with overlap in user base and content.

Others

• CBG|Centrum voor familiegeschiedenis: Parent organization and operator of WieWasWie, providing physical library, research services, publications, and paid document services. Adjacent as the ecosystem owner that supplies WieWasWie's content and ancillary revenue streams.

Broad incumbents

• FindMyPast: Subscription genealogy platform focused on British and Irish records but also offering Dutch and other European collections. A broader incumbent that overlaps with WieWasWie for Dutch emigrant genealogy research.
• Archives.com: Subscription genealogy service (owned by Ancestry) providing access to historical records and family-tree tools. Competes with WieWasWie for Dutch record search users, particularly U.S.-based descendants.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wiewaswie
• Facebookfacebook.com/WieWasWie

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

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about WieWasWie