What INNOVO does

INNOVO (legal entity: Stichting INNOVO) is a Dutch non-profit educational foundation operating as a koepelorganisatie (umbrella school board) for 43 primary schools across Zuid- en Midden-Limburg, Netherlands. Its school portfolio comprises 39 basisscholen (regular primary schools), 2 scholen voor speciaal basisonderwijs (SBO), and 2 scholen voor (voortgezet) speciaal onderwijs (SO/VSO), collectively serving 9,331 students (as of February 2024). INNOVO employs approximately 1,100 staff, including 750 leerkrachten (teachers) and more than 350 support staff. The organization is governed by a College van Bestuur (Board of Directors) chaired by Carola van der Weijden and supervised by a Raad van Toezicht.

The core "product" is the delivery of "Gewoon Goed onderwijs" (simply good education) under the Dutch Wet op het Primair Onderwijs, with particular emphasis on passend onderwijs (appropriate/inclusive education). Each of the 43 schools retains its own identity and educational profile; central support is provided through the INNOVO Service Bureau (Servicebureau), which delivers shared services in HR, ICT (OICT), Finance, Facilities & Construction, Communication, and Educational expertise. INNOVO also operates a Kennisnetwerk (Knowledge Network) linking teachers, staff, parents, and external partners for professional development and research-based practice. No proprietary technology platform or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed — the organization relies on standard educational software (ouderportaal, AFAS InSite) for administration and parent communication.

INNOVO's revenue model is built on Dutch government per-student education subsidies allocated under the Wet op het Primair Onderwijs, making it functionally a public-funded institution. A nominal voluntary parent contribution (vrijwillige ouderbijdrage) supplements this for extracurricular activities. The organization holds ANBI (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling) status and is GDPR (AVG) compliant. Enrollment occurs through direct family application at individual schools, with no tuition charged. INNOVO collaborates through four regional samenwerkingsverbanden (passend onderwijs partnerships) covering Midden-Limburg, Westelijke Mijnstreek, Maastricht-Heuvelland, and Parkstad, and participates in the Educatieve Agenda Limburg as a regional education coordination framework.

Name

INNOVO

Legal name

Stichting INNOVO

Website

https://innovo.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

INNOVO (Stichting INNOVO) is a Dutch non-profit school board operating 43 primary, special basic, and special education schools across South and Central Limburg, serving 9,331 students with 1,100+ staff. It is funded primarily by Dutch government per-student subsidies under the Wet op het Primair Onderwijs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialized Programs & Classrooms (Autism, Emotional/Behavioral, Intellectual/Developmental, Multi-Disability) (EDAJAKAH)

Keywords

• Primary education services
• Special education schools
• School board management
• Inclusive education network
• Educational foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Heerlen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: As a public foundation (stichting) operating primary education schools under the Dutch Wet op het Primair Onderwijs, INNOVO receives government funding based on student enrollment. Revenue is derived from public educational subsidies allocated per student.
2. Voluntary Parent Contributions: Schools collect a voluntary parental contribution (vrijwillige ouderbijdrage) for supplementary activities and materials. This is a nominal fee charged to parents for additional services beyond core curriculum.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

INNOVO is a non-profit educational foundation (Stichting INNOVO) operating an umbrella network of 43 primary schools in South and Central Limburg, Netherlands. The network comprises 39 regular primary schools (basisscholen), 2 special basic education schools (SBO), and 2 special education schools (SO/VSO), serving over 9,000 students under the 'Gewoon Goed onderwijs' (Simply Good Education) philosophy. Centralized support services (HR, ICT, Finance, Facilities, Education) are provided through the Service Bureau to all member schools.

Product overview

INNOVO is an educational umbrella organization operating 43 primary schools in South and Central Limburg, the Netherlands, comprising 39 regular primary schools (basisscholen), 2 special primary education schools (SBO), and 2 special education schools (SO/VSO). The organization provides 'Gewoon Goed onderwijs' (Simply Good Education) through a decentralized model where individual schools maintain their own identity while benefiting from centralized support services. The Service Bureau provides cross-school support in areas including education, HR, ICT, finance, and facilities. The network also operates a Knowledge Network for collaborative professional development and educational research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• INNOVO Primary Education Network A network of 43 primary schools (39 basisscholen, 2 SBO schools, and 2 SO/VSO schools) operating in South and Central Limburg, providing inclusive education services under the 'Gewoon Goed onderwijs' (Simply Good Education) philosophy to over 9,000 students.
• SO/VSO Catharinaschool Specialized primary education for students with intensive support needs, operating under the motto 'Samen op weg naar zelf doen waar het kan' (Together on the way to self-reliance where possible).
• De Pyler SO/VSO Special education school named after the mining support structures (pylers) of Limburg, commemorating the region's mining heritage through educational programs.
• INNOVO Service Bureau (Servicebureau) Central support service providing administrative, educational, HR, ICT, financial, and facility management support to all 43 INNOVO schools.
• Knowledge Network (Kennisnetwerk) Collaborative professional development network connecting teachers, staff, parents, and external partners to share knowledge and promote research-based educational practices across the INNOVO school network.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Samenwerkingsverband Passend Onderwijs PO 31-02 Midden-LimburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINNOVO participates in SWV PO 31-02 Midden-Limburg alongside other regional school boards to organize passend onderwijs (appropriate education) for all students in the region. The partnership operates a 5-level support structure, from in-class support to specialized SBO/SO placement, with a knooppunt (hub) system for complex cases.
• Samenwerkingsverband Passend Onderwijs Westelijke Mijnstreek (PO 31-04)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINNOVO participates in the Westelijke Mijnstreek collaborative partnership covering Beek, Beekdaelen, Sittard-Geleen and Stein. The partnership organizes a dekkend aanbod (comprehensive offering) ensuring a suitable educational place for all students.
• Samenwerkingsverband Passend Onderwijs Maastricht-Heuvelland (PO 31-05)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINNOVO participates in the Maastricht-Heuvelland collaborative partnership covering Eijsden-Margraten, Gulpen-Wittem, Maastricht, Meerssen, Vaals and Valkenburg aan de Geul, organizing inclusive education for all pupils close to home.
• Samenwerkingsverband Passend Onderwijs Parkstad (PO 31-06)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINNOVO participates in the Parkstad collaborative partnership covering Brunssum, Beekdaelen (Nuth/Onderbanken), Heerlen, Kerkrade, Landgraaf, Simpelveld and Voerendaal. This is the region where the majority of INNOVO's schools are located.
• Educatieve Agenda LimburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINNOVO collaborates with the Educatieve Agenda Limburg as a guiding perspective for its network-wide knowledge sharing, professional development, and collaboration with educators and researchers from MBO, HBO, and university institutions.
• VGZ ZorgverzekeringminorOthersINNOVO offers its employees a collective health insurance plan through VGZ. The organization's VGZ collectiviteitsnummer is INNOVO 105186, providing employees with access to group health insurance rates.
• Bedrijfsfitness benVitaalminorOthersINNOVO provides employees with access to corporate fitness programs through benVitaal at attractive conditions, supporting employee health and well-being.
• Benefits at WorkminorOthersINNOVO employees can access a benefits platform offering discounts from various companies. The platform is free for employees to use with one-time registration required.
• RobidusminorOthersINNOVO has outsourced the execution of its Ziektewet (sick pay) administration to Robidus since January 2014. Robidus handles re-integration activities and administrative tasks on behalf of INNOVO for sick employees.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Stichting Optimus: Primary school foundation (stichting) in the Netherlands operating multiple basisscholen. Comparable to INNOVO as a non-profit primary education umbrella with centralized support services and a community-driven GTM motion.
• Skopos: Dutch primary education foundation (stichting) running multiple basisscholen. Comparable as a peer non-profit primary school umbrella with shared back-office services and a similar school-board governance model.
• Conexus: Dutch educational organization operating primary schools (and broader education) in the Netherlands. Comparable as a multi-school primary education network under a foundation structure, sharing the same per-student government funding model and back-office consolidation approach.
• Movare: Dutch primary school board (stichting) operating multiple basisscholen across the Limburg region, including areas adjacent to INNOVO. Directly comparable as a regional primary education umbrella organization with the same regulatory framework, funding model, and inclusive education mandate.
• Stichting Agora (Limburg): Primary education foundation operating schools in the Limburg region. Comparable as a regional peer school board with the same regulatory framework, government funding model, and inclusive passend onderwijs obligations.

Others

• PO-Raad: Dutch sector association for primary school boards. Comparable as a sector counterpart that shapes policy, represents primary education umbrellas like INNOVO, and provides governance visitation services referenced in INNOVO's recognition.

Broad incumbents

• Stichting OPO (Openbaar Primair Onderwijs): Larger Dutch foundation operating public primary schools across broader geographies. Comparable as a peer primary education umbrella but with greater geographic scale and a broader portfolio than INNOVO.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/INNOVO.onderwijs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/innovo-onderwijs

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries3 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 INNOVO