What Ecogroen does

Ecogroen B.V. is a Dutch ecological advisory and engineering consultancy headquartered in Zwolle, Netherlands. Founded in 2003 by Guus Engelbertink and Etienne de Vries, the firm combines ecological expertise with practical nature technology ('groene ingenieurs') to deliver advisory services spanning nature development (Natuurontwikkeling), nature legislation testing, landscape ecological system analysis (LESA), nature-inclusive construction (Natuurinclusief bouwen), and biodiversity planning. Its client base is institutional: Dutch municipalities (Gemeente Haaksbergen, Gemeente Zeist), housing corporations (Woongoed Zeist, Katholieke Woningbouw Zeist, Wetland Wonen), regional water boards, and private land managers. The firm operates from four locations in the Netherlands — Zwolle (HQ), Amersfoort, Arnhem, and Meppel — serving primarily the Gelderland and Overijssel provinces.

The service portfolio extends across roughly a dozen specialties, including ecohydrological system analysis, species management plans (Soortmanagementplan), nitrogen dossier (AERIUS) compliance, monitoring and management plans, ecological corridor planning, area development (Gebiedsontwikkeling), subsidy advisory, and professional training. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; revenue is generated entirely through project-based professional-services engagements rather than productised or subscription offerings. Notable delivery outcomes include the placement of house martin towers in Sint Jansklooster achieving 75% first-year occupancy versus a roughly 20% national average for such mitigations, and 140 species observed during a 24-hour Texel Big Day conservation event that raised €927 for owl conservation.

Ecogroen operates under an unusual ownership structure finalised in 2022–2023: 60% of shares are held by Stichting Ecogroen Foundation (a non-profit dedicated to societal green impact), 20% jointly by five employee-partners with full decision-making control, and 20% made available to employees via STAK certificates. This governance explicitly insulates the firm from external investor pressure and structurally precludes a conventional PE/VC sale or IPO, while materially reducing the risk of mission drift. The legal entity is Ecogroen B.V., a Dutch private limited company (B.V.) registered in the Netherlands.

Name

Ecogroen

Legal name

Ecogroen B.V.

Website

https://ecogroen.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Ecogroen B.V. is a Dutch ecological consulting and engineering firm combining ecology with nature-technology expertise to advise Dutch municipalities, housing corporations, water boards, and land managers on nature development, legislation compliance, and biodiversity planning.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zwolle

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ecological Advisory Services: Professional consulting services including ecological research, nature development planning, biodiversity plans, and nature-inclusive construction advisory. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements with government bodies, housing corporations, and land managers.
2. Nature Legislation Testing Services: Compliance and assessment services for nature legislation including LESA (Landscape Ecological System Analysis), species management plans, and nitrogen calculations (AERIUS).
3. Monitoring and Management Plans: Development of management and monitoring plans for nature areas, biodiversity enhancement programs, and habitat management.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ecogroen is a Dutch ecological consultancy and engineering firm providing advisory and project-based services across nature development, nature legislation compliance, nature-inclusive construction, biodiversity planning, and ecological system analysis (LESA). Services span the full lifecycle from research and assessment to project direction, delivered by teams of ecologists and green engineers to government bodies, housing corporations, water boards, and land managers in the Netherlands.

Product overview

Ecogroen B.V. is an ecological consulting and engineering firm offering a comprehensive suite of nature development and conservation services. The company's portfolio centers on five core service areas: Nature Development (Natuurontwikkeling), Nature Legislation Testing (Toetsen aan natuurwetgeving), Nature-Inclusive Construction (Natuurinclusief bouwen), LESA (Landscape Ecological System Analysis), and Biodiversity Planning (Biodiversiteitsplan). These are supplemented by specialized offerings including ecohydrological system analysis, species management plans, nitrogen compliance services (Dossier Stikstof), management and monitoring plans, inventory and monitoring services, subsidy advisory, ecological corridor planning, area development, and professional training courses. The company also operates Stichting Ecogroen Foundation, a non-profit initiative that holds 60% of company shares to drive green societal impact. This is a consultancy-focused business model rather than a software product platform, providing expert advisory, research, assessment, and implementation services across ecological and environmental disciplines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Natuurontwikkeling (Nature Development) Nature development services covering ecological research, system analysis, and practical implementation from analysis through to project direction. Designed for government bodies, provinces, water boards, housing corporations, and land managers seeking end-to-end ecological delivery for nature projects.
• Toetsen aan natuurwetgeving (Nature Legislation Testing) Compliance testing services for nature-related projects, including Natura 2000 assessments, species protection evaluations, and environmental permit support. Geared at developers, municipalities, housing corporations, and project initiators needing to clear nature law requirements.
• Natuurinclusief bouwen (Nature-Inclusive Construction) Advisory services that integrate ecological considerations into building and renovation projects to enhance biodiversity. Targeted at housing corporations, developers, municipalities, and organizations undertaking nature-inclusive building programs.
• LESA (Landschapsecologische Systeemanalyse / Landscape Ecological System Analysis) Landscape Ecological System Analysis providing comprehensive ecological assessments for land planning and nature conservation projects. Used by municipalities, provinces, water boards, and land managers needing systemic ecological inputs to spatial planning decisions.
• Biodiversiteitsplan (Biodiversity Plan) Biodiversity planning service helping organizations set clear biodiversity goals and develop actionable implementation plans. Aimed at municipalities, water boards, housing corporations, and other organizations with biodiversity commitments.
• Dossier Stikstof (Nitrogen Dossier) Advisory on nitrogen legislation and AERIUS calculations to support compliance with Dutch environmental regulations. Targeted at project initiators, municipalities, and developers facing nitrogen permitting requirements.
• Ecohydrologische systeemanalyse (Ecohydrological System Analysis) Analysis of groundwater levels, soil composition, and water systems used to inform nature development decisions in areas such as Natura 2000 sites. Used by municipalities and land managers, exemplified by Ecogroen's work for Gemeente Haaksbergen in the Buurserzand area.
• Soortmanagementplan (Species Management Plan / SMP) Species management plans enabling municipalities and organizations to manage protected species and consolidate multiple species-specific permits into one municipal permit, as demonstrated by Ecogroen's SMP for Gemeente Zeist covering bats, house martin, and swift.
• Beheer- en monitoringsplannen (Management and Monitoring Plans) Development of management and monitoring plans for ongoing stewardship of nature areas and biodiversity enhancement programs. Suited to land managers, water boards, and conservation organizations.
• Inventarisatie en monitoring (Inventory and Monitoring) Ecological inventory and field monitoring services for species surveys and biodiversity assessments. Used by land managers, water boards, and government bodies needing ongoing ecological data.
• Subsidies (Subsidy Advisory) Advisory on accessing subsidies and funding instruments for nature development and conservation projects. Targeted at municipalities, water boards, housing corporations, and land managers pursuing green funding.
• Ecologische verbindingszones (Ecological Connection Zones) Planning and design of ecological corridors to connect fragmented natural areas. Used by provinces, municipalities, and nature organizations undertaking landscape-scale nature development.
• Gebiedsontwikkeling (Area Development) Integration of ecological expertise into spatial planning and area development projects. Used by municipalities, provinces, and developers shaping multi-use landscapes.
• Cursussen en trainingen (Courses and Training) Professional courses and training on ecological topics and Dutch nature legislation for organizational clients such as municipalities, housing corporations, and consultancies.
• Mitigatie Huiszwaluw (House Martin Mitigation) Specialized house martin mitigation solutions using custom-designed house martin poles to compensate biodiversity loss during demolition or renovation. Delivered for housing corporations and developers facing protected species obligations, achieving 75% first-year occupancy in Ecogroen's Sint Jansklooster project.

Quantifiable outcome

• Three of four house martin towers (75%) occupied in first breeding season after mitigation installation, compared to national average of 20% tower usage
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Netwerk Groene BureausminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcogroen is a member of the Netwerk Groene Bureaus (Green Bureaus Network), an industry association for ecological consultancy firms in the Netherlands. The network works on quality standards and includes a complaints procedure for member firms.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Natuurmonumenten: Largest Dutch conservation land manager and the owner/manager of many of the nature areas that Ecogroen's LESA, management-plan, and monitoring work targets, with potential to be a major client for nature-area services.
• Stichting Natuur & Milieu: Dutch environmental NGO that influences the regulatory and policy environment Ecogroen advises on; adjacent rather than competitive, but a key stakeholder shaping demand for compliance advisory services.

Direct peers

• Tauw: Large Dutch environmental and ecology consultancy offering nature legislation testing, ecological research, and area development services directly overlapping Ecogroen's LESA, nature legislation, and biodiversity planning offerings to public and private clients.
• Witteveen+Bos: Independent Dutch engineering and ecology consultancy with significant nature development, water-board, and area-planning practices, competing with Ecogroen on tenders involving ecohydrology, area development, and nature-inclusive construction.
• Bureau Waardenburg (now Sweco Netherlands Ecology): Long-standing Dutch ecological consultancy specializing in species protection, Natura 2000 assessments, LESA, and ecological monitoring. Head-to-head competitor for Ecogroen across Dutch municipal and water-board tenders, with very similar service portfolio and target clients.
• Antea Group Netherlands: Dutch environmental consulting firm offering ecology, nature legislation testing, and area development, competing with Ecogroen on the same municipal and housing-corporation mandate space.

Broad incumbents

• Royal HaskoningDHV: Large Dutch-headquartered engineering and environmental consultancy whose ecology and water practice addresses the same government, water-board, and developer clients as Ecogroen, but with global scale and a much broader service portfolio.
• Arcadis: Global design, engineering, and environmental consultancy headquartered in the Netherlands with substantial nature, biodiversity, and area-development practices, competing for the same Dutch public-sector tenders as Ecogroen but operating at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/61569681251758
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecogroen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Ecogroen