Start Foundation
Start Foundation is a Dutch non-profit foundation that provides financing (loans, equity participations, donations) and programs such as Open Hiring and De Werkversneller to social enterprises creating employment for people excluded from the Dutch labor market.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersEindhoven, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Start Foundation does
Start Foundation (Stichting Start Foundation) is a Dutch non-profit foundation established in 1998 from the proceeds of Uitzendbureau Start (1977-1997) and headquartered at Hamburgerstraat 28A, Utrecht, Netherlands. Operating as a social investor and impact accelerator for the inclusive Dutch labor market, it channels capital and non-financial support to social enterprises that create employment for the 1.2 million people excluded from work in the Netherlands, of whom roughly 400,000 want and could work. The foundation deploys five complementary financing instruments: donations for early-stage initiatives, below-market growth loans for established models, performance loans tied to social outcomes, convertible loans, and minority equity participations, with €10 million specifically reserved for the participations stream (always minority stakes, minimum 5%).
Its product surface is organized around signature programs. Open Hiring is a barrier-free hiring methodology (no interviews, CVs, or background checks) operationalized at 150+ locations including Van der Valk, McDonald's, Gemeente Leeuwarden, and La Place, having placed 563 people in work. De Werkversneller (formerly Leergarantiefonds, rebranded 2025) is a collective of 11 social entrepreneurs that has financed 164 learning-work trajectories (€464,482 deployed) with a 46% progression rate. Sheltersuit Foundation produces weatherproof jackets for homeless people while creating jobs, and the De Versnellers podcast extends the foundation's advocacy reach. Notable portfolio investments include Droppie (€4.2M growth capital, June 2026, co-invested with AKEF, ROM InWest, SIF, and Dutch Dragons), Roetz-Bikes (June 2025, double apprenticeship programs), The Good Roll (€750K, 2025), Confed, Pineut (30 new jobs), C3 Living, and Heilige Boontjes.
The business model is non-commercial and foundation-driven: Start Foundation holds ANBI status (RSIN 8063.69.346) conferring Dutch tax deductibility on donations, monetizes through recycled returns on loans and minority equity participations rather than product sales, and supplements capital deployment with direct engagement, an online Quickscan tool for prospective partners, ecosystem-facilitation (notably with the Goldschmeding Foundation €1.5M joint newcomer program of March 2026), and active policy advocacy. Go-to-market centers on community-led engagement (network of 'versnellers' including entrepreneurs, employers, politicians, policymakers, and citizens) reinforced by event-driven activities (Kennismaking sessions, conferences, podcasts). The organization runs with 11-50 employees led by co-directors Joske Paumen and Jitze Reeder (installed 2025) under a refreshed Supervisory Board that added Niels Arntz (co-founder of Temper) and Sacha Martina in May 2026.
Start Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Start Foundation
- Legal name
- Stichting Start Foundation
- Website
- https://startfoundation.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Start Foundation is a Dutch non-profit foundation that provides financing (loans, equity participations, donations) and programs such as Open Hiring and De Werkversneller to social enterprises creating employment for people excluded from the Dutch labor market.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Start Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Impact Investment
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)
Keywords
Where Start Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Eindhoven
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Start Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations: Start Foundation provides donations to initiatives that show high potential but lack proven results yet. Donations help entrepreneurs test their ideas, build networks, or demonstrate that something can work. Donations are temporary and intended to get something moving.
- Loans: Loans are provided when the business model is already established but pre-financing is needed. Interest rates are lower than at banks and repayment terms are more generous, giving initiatives time to grow.
- Performance Loans (Prestatielening): With performance loans, part of the repayment can be made with social results. This form stimulates entrepreneurs to push forward even when things get tough.
- Convertible Loans: A loan that can eventually be converted into a participation. Money is lent based on ambition, and after e.g. two years, they look at whether to convert the loan into shareholding or whether the entrepreneur repays the loan.
- Participations (Equity): Start Foundation becomes co-owner of a company, always with a minority stake, minimum 5%. This keeps entrepreneurship where it belongs while allowing them to have a say in important decisions. The invested money must return so it can be reinvested in new initiatives. Ten million euros has been reserved for this for the coming years.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
Start Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Start Foundation is a non-profit social investment foundation that provides multiple forms of financing (donations, low-interest loans, performance-based loans, convertible loans, and minority equity participations) to social enterprises that create jobs for people excluded from the Dutch labor market. The foundation combines this capital with knowledge sharing, network access through the De Werkversneller collective, and policy advocacy to drive systemic change toward an inclusive labor market. Targeted beneficiaries include people with distance to the labor market such as refugees, ex-detainees, people with disabilities, and long-term unemployed individuals.
Product overview
Start Foundation is a social foundation (not a technology company) that accelerates the fair labor market in the Netherlands through financial investments and social programs. Its offering consists of five investment products (Participaties for equity stakes, Groeileningen for growth loans, Funding Plus for combined support, Prestatielening for performance-based loans, and Donatie for donations), combined with initiatives like Open Hiring (a barrier-free hiring method), Sheltersuit Foundation (employment through textile production), De Werkversneller (collective of social entrepreneurs), and De Versnellers Podcast. The organization does not offer technology products but rather uses funds, programs, and networks to create inclusive employment opportunities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- De Werkversneller: A collective of social entrepreneurs who invest in people abandoned by the system. Part of Start Foundation's Versnellingsfonds program, previously known as Leergarantiefonds, financing learning-work trajectories.
- Leergarantiefonds
- Versnellingsfonds
- De Versnellers
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 10,000 people placed in jobs through Werkversneller programs
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Start Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Start Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Start Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, supporting and initiative-level.
- DroppieflagshipStart Foundation invested €4.2 million growth capital in Droppie, enabling expansion from 13 to 70 recycle shops. This partnership creates jobs for people with distance to the labor market while supporting circular economy goals. The investment was made together with AKEF, ROM InWest, SIF, and Dutch Dragons crowdfunders.
- Goldschmeding FoundationcoreStart Foundation and Goldschmeding Foundation jointly invested €1.5 million to scale initiatives for newcomers to the labor market. The partnership aims to support proven initiatives that help newcomers find sustainable work, reducing fragmentation and increasing impact through shared resources, networks, knowledge, and strategy.
- RijnvicuscorePartner in the 'Met een Baan naar Buiten' pilot helping people find work during detention. Rijnvicus provides the landing platform where participants receive guidance, insight into competencies, and motivation support.
- PI Alphen aan den RijncorePartner in the 'Met een Baan naar Buiten' pilot. Participants from the BBA (Beperkt Beveiligde Afdeling) at this prison get the opportunity to gain work experience during the final phase of their detention.
- Gevangenenzorg NederlandsupportingPartner in the 'Met een Baan naar Buiten' pilot providing support for detainees transitioning to work.
- &iedereensupportingPartner in the 'Met een Baan naar Buiten' pilot supporting ex-detainees in finding work.
- De Werkversneller Collective (11 social entrepreneurs)coreCollective of 11 social entrepreneurs (Bakkerij Driekant, The Colour Kitchen, Het Goed, BuzinezzClub, Stichting Nelis, Refugee Company, Rabauw, Milieuwerk, Mixblik, SWOM, Emma at Work) who share a Versnellingsfonds for learning-work trajectories. They exchange knowledge and strengthen each other.
- Social Finance NLsupportingConducts impact measurement for De Werkversneller collective, providing joint impact data across the network of social entrepreneurs.
- Platform Nieuwkomers & WerksupportingInitiative under Goldschmeding Foundation that has laid a strong foundation for newcomers' employment opportunities, now being built upon through the joint €1.5M investment.
- BlueRoad Academyinitiative-levelOne of the initiatives for newcomers being supported through the Goldschmeding Foundation partnership for better routes to work.
- Vaktaalappinitiative-levelOne of the initiatives for newcomers being supported through the Goldschmeding Foundation partnership for better routes to work.
- De BIG-coalitieinitiative-levelOne of the initiatives for newcomers being supported through the Goldschmeding Foundation partnership for better routes to work.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Start Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Triodos Foundation: Dutch charitable foundation linked to Triodos Bank, supporting social enterprises and inclusive economy. Comparable as a Dutch ANBI foundation deploying capital into social entrepreneurship, though at significantly larger scale.
- Adessium Foundation: Larger Dutch family foundation with multi-domain grantmaking including social inclusion. Broader scope than Start Foundation but operates similar grantmaking/strategic-investment model in the Netherlands.
- Stichting De Verre Bergen: Large Rotterdam-based Dutch foundation funding innovative social programs and impact ventures. Comparable operating model: philanthropic capital deployed into social enterprises with measurable impact targets.
- Invest-NL Impact Fund: Dutch national impact investor backed by the Dutch government, financing social and sustainable enterprises. Comparable as a Dutch-based impact investor targeting inclusive employment and social enterprise growth, though at much larger scale and with different funding source.
Direct peers
- Stichting DOEN: One of the largest Dutch social impact foundations, funding entrepreneurs and innovators tackling social and environmental challenges. Highly comparable as a Dutch private foundation providing grants and program-related investments to social enterprises.
- Social Impact Ventures: Dutch venture-style impact investor focused on social enterprises with measurable impact. Comparable as a Dutch-based minority equity investor in mission-driven companies.
- SHIFT Invest: Dutch impact investment fund backing circular, inclusive, and social enterprises in early and growth stages. Comparable to Start Foundation's participations strategy and Dutch social-enterprise focus.
- Goldschmeding Foundation: Dutch private foundation funding labor-market inclusion and social entrepreneurship. Direct strategic partner to Start Foundation with a joint €1.5M investment program; both deploy philanthropic capital into Dutch social enterprises using grants and program-related investments.
- Social Impact Fonds Rotterdam en Amsterdam (SIF): Dutch impact fund investing in social enterprises. Direct co-investor with Start Foundation in Droppie, targeting the same universe of Dutch social enterprises with participations and loans.
Emerging players
- Stichting Vluchteling (Dutch Refugee Foundation): Dutch foundation supporting refugees with programs that overlap Start Foundation's newcomer labor-market initiatives. Comparable in mission but more service-delivery focused than Start Foundation's investor posture.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Start Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceStart Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Start Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Start Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Start Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Start Foundation
What does Start Foundation do?
Start Foundation is a non-profit social investment foundation that provides multiple forms of financing (donations, low-interest loans, performance-based loans, convertible loans, and minority equity participations) to social enterprises that create jobs for people excluded from the Dutch labor market. The foundation combines this capital with knowledge sharing, network access through the De Werkversneller collective, and policy advocacy to drive systemic change toward an inclusive labor market. Targeted beneficiaries include people with distance to the labor market such as refugees, ex-detainees, people with disabilities, and long-term unemployed individuals.
Is Start Foundation a public or private company?
Start Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Start Foundation founded?
Start Foundation was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Start Foundation based?
Start Foundation is headquartered in Eindhoven, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Start Foundation make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are loans, performance Loans (Prestatielening), convertible Loans and participations (Equity).
Who are Start Foundation's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Triodos Foundation, Adessium Foundation, Stichting De Verre Bergen and Invest-NL Impact Fund. Direct peers are Stichting DOEN, Social Impact Ventures, SHIFT Invest, Goldschmeding Foundation and Social Impact Fonds Rotterdam en Amsterdam (SIF). Stichting Vluchteling (Dutch Refugee Foundation) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Start Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Start Foundation.
What industry is Start Foundation in?
Start Foundation's product category is Social Impact Investment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAA, Private Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAN, Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8300.