What De Coöperatie Expert does

De Coöperatie Expert is a Netherlands-based advisory firm specializing in the formation and ongoing governance of cooperative enterprises (coöperaties). Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Venray, the firm has supported more than 1,500 cooperatives across the Dutch market, covering a broad taxonomy of cooperative types including entrepreneur cooperatives, investment cooperatives, healthcare collectives, energy cooperatives, social enterprises, housing associations, village cooperatives, area-based cooperatives, and labor participation cooperatives. The firm's core offering is structured around standardized formation packages, priced between €2,595 and €3,895, which convert what is typically bespoke legal-advisory work into a productized, fixed-fee deliverable.

The firm's service portfolio extends beyond formation to include an initial consultation at €595, custom advisory billed at €225 per hour, and post-formation support for established cooperatives. Delivery is conducted by a team of seven specialist advisors with deep expertise in Dutch cooperative law and multi-stakeholder governance. The firm has built operational partnerships with Eyevestor (cooperative management technology), Cordaid (social-enterprise financing), and Rabobanker (bank financing for cooperatives), creating a referral and financing ecosystem around its formation services.

The business model is a pure professional-services operation with no proprietary software products, no technology platform, and no disclosed funding from institutional investors. Revenue is generated entirely through fee-for-service engagements with SMB and mid-market clients initiating new cooperatives. The firm's competitive position rests on specialized domain expertise, a 15-year track record, and embedded relationships within the Dutch cooperative-finance ecosystem, rather than on technology, scale, or recurring-revenue mechanics.

Name

De Coöperatie Expert

Legal name

De Coöperatie expert U.A.

Website

https://cooperatieexpert.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

De Coöperatie Expert is a Dutch advisory firm specializing in cooperative formation and governance guidance. Founded in 2010 and based in Venray, the firm has helped over 1,500 groups establish cooperatives across the Netherlands via fixed-fee packages and hourly consulting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Fixed Fee Packages: The company generates revenue through fixed-fee service packages for cooperative formation, ranging from €2,595 to €3,895 depending on complexity and number of consultation sessions included. Additional services such as BV formation (€995), share transfers (€1,595), general terms (€600), and license agreements (€950) are priced separately.
2. Hourly Consulting: Custom work, specialized trajectories, or legal work is charged at €225 per hour. This applies to bespoke solutions beyond standard packages.
3. Cooperative Formation (Notary): The company passes on notary costs including KVvK registration fee (€82.25 as of 2025) and any additional legalization costs at local notaries (€50-100 average).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

De Coöperatie Expert specializes in establishing cooperatives and guiding collaborative ventures for Dutch clients. Core deliverables include initial collaboration consultations, fixed-fee formation packages (statutes in modern Dutch, notary coordination, KvK registration), and ongoing advisory covering governance, conflict mediation, member buyouts, and legal form conversion. Services are delivered by a team of 7+ specialist advisors through video conferencing and direct appointments across the Netherlands.

Product overview

De Coöperatie Expert is a cooperative consulting and establishment service in the Netherlands, offering comprehensive support for forming and managing various types of cooperatives. The core offering consists of cooperative establishment packages (starting at €2,595) that include founding consultations, legally-sound statutes, notary services, and tailored member agreements. Beyond establishment, they provide advisory services including collaboration consulting (€595), governance and decision-making support, conflict mediation, and member buyout guidance. Their cooperative type portfolio covers: Ondernemerscoöperatie (entrepreneurs' cooperative), Faciliterende/Inkoopcoöperatie (facilitating/purchasing cooperative), Werknemerscoöperatie (employees' cooperative), Investeringscoöperatie (investment cooperative) with Sharefunding variants, Energiecoöperatie (energy cooperative), Social Enterprise cooperative, various impact-focused cooperatives (Zorgcoöperatie, Gebiedscoöperatie, Wooncoöperatie, Dorpscoöperatie, Arbeidsparticipatie), and healthcare provider cooperatives. Additional services include custom workshops (communication, sales, positioning), governance checks, and legal form conversion support. The company operates as a cooperative itself (De Coöperatie expert U.A.) and has assisted over 1,500 groups since 2010.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Samenwerkingsconsult (Collaboration Consultation) Initial consultation of approximately 1.5-2 hours for entrepreneurs and initiators to further structure their collaboration, determine the appropriate legal form (BV, foundation, cooperative, partnership), and understand required agreements. Priced at €595 excluding VAT.
• Oprichting Standaard Coöperatie (Standard Cooperative Formation) Basic cooperative formation package including founding conversation, clear statutes in modern Dutch language, notarization, and Kamer van Koophandel registration. Tiered by number of consultation sessions.
• Oprichting Eenvoudige Investeringscoöperatie Simple investment cooperative formation package including two consultation sessions and extensive provisions for member contributions and certificate administration. Priced at €2,995 excluding VAT.
• Oprichting Complexere Sharefunding / Zorgcoöperatie Complex sharefunding or healthcare cooperative formation package including extensive intake, three consultation sessions, and preparation for the first members meeting with important decisions. Priced at €3,895 excluding VAT.
• Oprichting BV (samen met coöperatie) BV (private limited company) formation when the client is also establishing a cooperative. Priced at €995 excluding VAT.
• Aandelenoverdracht (Share Transfer) Share transfer service for cooperatives, including share transfers with or without certification. Priced at €1,595 excluding VAT.
• Algemene Voorwaarden (General Terms) Drafting of customized general conditions / terms based on the firm's standard template. Priced at €600 excluding VAT.
• Licentieovereenkomst (License Agreement) Drafting of license agreements based on the firm's standard template, for licensing concepts or brand names outside the cooperative. Priced at €950 excluding VAT.
• Meerwerk / Specialistische Trajecten Custom work, specialized trajectories, or legal work charged at €225 per hour excluding VAT, for bespoke solutions beyond the standard fixed-fee packages.
• Workshops & Training Services Custom workshops for existing cooperatives including Solution-Focused Communication (1-day), Positioning and Sales workshop, and tailored in-company training programs.
• Governance & Decision-Making Services Services including Sociocracy and Consent decision-making implementation, leadership training, and governance checks for medium-sized organizations.
• Ledenraad & Lidmaatschapsstructuren Advisory on establishing member councils, differentiating membership structures, and optimizing member potential within cooperatives.
• Conflictbegeleiding & Juridische Ondersteuning Mediation for stuck collaborations, neutral-party guidance, temporary board-role assumption, plus legal support for membership termination.
• Uitkoop Begeleiding (Buyout Guidance) Process and financial expertise for separating from cooperative members or shareholders, including business valuation and structured payment arrangements.
• Rechtsvorm Wijziging (Legal Form Conversion) Conversion services between legal forms including BV to cooperative, fusion, and splitting of legal entities, with stakeholder interest protection.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 1,500 satisfied groups helped since founding in 2010
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles10 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• KNZ (Koninklijke Notariële Beroepsorganisatie): Royal Dutch professional organization for notaries. Adjacent to De Coöperatie Expert because cooperative formation requires notarization; not a direct competitor but a key ecosystem participant and potential source of referral or competition.
• Stichting MKB Nederland: Dutch SME support organization providing resources, advocacy, and advisory to small and medium businesses. Targets a similar Dutch entrepreneur and self-employed audience as De Coöperatie Expert but with a broader (non-cooperative-specialist) mandate.

Direct peers

• Co-operations: Dutch cooperative consulting firm offering advisory services for cooperative formation and member-driven organizations. Directly comparable in niche focus, customer base (Dutch entrepreneurs and associations), and service model to De Coöperatie Expert.

Broad incumbents

• Houthoff: Leading Dutch law firm with deep corporate and M&A practices including cooperative structuring. Serves large corporates and institutional clients with full-service legal advice, including cooperatives, but as part of a broader portfolio.
• Berenschot: Large Dutch management consulting firm with public-sector and cooperative/membership organization practices. Comparable on advisory depth for organizational governance but at much larger scale and broader service mix.
• VvAA: Dutch member-based organization for healthcare and knowledge professionals that provides advisory services including practice structures (some cooperative-based). Overlaps on advisory-led services for self-employed professionals, a core De Coöperatie Expert segment.
• Bird & Bird Netherlands: International law firm with an Amsterdam office advising on Dutch corporate structures including cooperatives, particularly for tech, energy, and social-impact clients. Broader scope and larger scale than De Coöperatie Expert's niche focus.
• CMS Netherlands: Global law firm with a Dutch practice covering corporate, regulatory, and notarial work, including cooperative structures. Competes for the same Dutch SME and association clients but as part of a full-service offering.
• Loyens & Loeff: Benelux-headquartered law and tax advisory firm with notable experience advising cooperatives, family businesses, and social enterprises. Comparable to De Coöperatie Expert on Dutch cooperative advisory but at greater scale and broader scope.
• AKD: Major Dutch law firm with an established cooperative and corporate law practice serving Dutch and international clients. Overlaps with De Coöperatie Expert on cooperative formation but offers broader corporate, tax, and notarial services across many industries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CooperatieExpert
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/de-ondernemerscooperatie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 De Coöperatie Expert