Citys Consultancy

What Citys Consultancy does

Citys Consultancy is a Dutch non-profit foundation (stichting) that operates a student-run strategic consulting practice across four university cities: Delft, Groningen, Leiden, and Rotterdam. The organization delivers project-based advisory services to startups, non-profit organizations, and government/public institutions, with a service portfolio spanning growth strategy, market strategy, marketing research, competitive analysis, policy writing, innovation plans, sustainability, and business plan development. Projects are organized into three 10-week cycles per year, with eight projects executed per round across the four locations, each staffed by a team of roughly six student consultants and a project manager and supported by weekly coaching from partner firms.

The business model is uniquely structured as a non-profit, meaning profitability is explicitly not the goal and pricing is not publicly disclosed; instead, Citys targets accessibility for clients ranging from local startups to municipalities and universities. Go-to-market is sales-led, with an internal acquisition team sourcing projects and augmented by partner referrals from Roland Berger, Metyis, KPMG, and BDO. Branding emphasizes dual value creation ("Wederzijds ontwikkelen" — mutual development), marketing the engagement as both a client deliverable and a talent development pipeline.

Underlying technology is essentially nil: Citys is a labor-based consulting service with no proprietary platform, no app, no API, and no AI tooling disclosed. Marketing and distribution run through city-specific LinkedIn and Instagram accounts, a corporate website, and partner referrals. The competitive moat is built on university community ties, multi-disciplinary talent drawn from ten academic disciplines, and the credibility conferred by top-tier coaching partners, rather than on any technology, data, or scale advantage.

Name

Citys Consultancy

Legal name

Citys Consultancy

Website

https://citysstudentconsultancy.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Citys Consultancy is a Dutch non-profit student consultancy operating in Delft, Groningen, Leiden, and Rotterdam that delivers 10-week strategic advisory projects to local startups, non-profits, and government institutions, coached by partners including Roland Berger and Metyis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Operations & Process Improvement Consulting (BPAHACAB), Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO)

Keywords

• Student consultancy
• Strategy consulting
• Non-profit advisory
• Market research
• Business planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Delft

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Citys Consultancy operates as a non-profit foundation, meaning profit-making is not their goal. They provide tailored advisory services for complex challenges across growth strategy, market strategy, marketing research, competitive analysis, policy writing, innovation plans, sustainability, and business plans. Revenue is generated through project fees for consulting services delivered to clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Citys Consultancy delivers project-based strategic advisory services through teams of student consultants based in Delft, Groningen, Leiden, and Rotterdam. Each 10-week engagement is staffed by six consultants and one project manager and is coached weekly by professionals from partner firms (Roland Berger, Metyis). The offering spans growth strategy, market strategy, marketing research, competitive analysis, policy writing, innovation planning, sustainability, and business plan development for startups, non-profits, and public institutions.

Product overview

Citys Consultancy is a non-profit student consultancy organization offering strategic advisory services to startups, non-profit organizations, and government institutions. The company provides a unified portfolio of consulting services delivered by university students, including Growth Strategy (Groeistrategie), Market Strategy (Marktstrategie), Marketing Research (Marketing onderzoek), Competitive Analysis (Concurrentie analyse), Policy Writing (Beleid schrijven), Innovation Plans (Innovatieplannen), Sustainability (Verduurzaming), and Business Planning (Businessplan). These services are offered through project-based engagements lasting ten weeks, with teams of six consultants and one project manager per project, supported by coaches from partner consultancy firms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Growth Strategy (Groeistrategie) Strategic growth advisory services helping clients develop and execute expansion strategies, delivered through 10-week project engagements by student consultant teams.
• Market Strategy (Marktstrategie) Market positioning and strategic planning services to help clients establish or strengthen their market presence.
• Marketing Research (Marketing onderzoek) Market research and analysis services to inform business decisions, marketing approaches, and go-to-market strategies.
• Competitive Analysis (Concurrentie analyse) Competitive intelligence and benchmarking services to assess market positioning and the competitive landscape.
• Policy Writing (Beleid schrijven) Policy development and documentation services, particularly for public institutions, municipalities, provinces, universities, and non-profit organizations.
• Innovation Plans (Innovatieplannen) Innovation strategy development and planning services to help organizations identify and execute innovation initiatives.
• Sustainability (Verduurzaming) Sustainability advisory services helping clients develop environmental and social responsibility strategies.
• Business Plan (Businessplan) Business planning and development services including feasibility studies and strategic roadmaps.

Quantifiable outcome

• SG Papertronics project resulted in the company quadrupling in size and successfully closing first fundraising round
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Roland BergercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRoland Berger provides coaching for project teams and training sessions for Citys consultants. They offer expertise and guidance throughout projects, with coaches meeting weekly with teams. As a top-tier global strategy consultancy, they bring professional oversight to ensure quality deliverables.
• MetyiscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMetyis provides coaching for project teams and training sessions for Citys consultants. They offer expertise and guidance throughout projects, with coaches meeting weekly with teams. As partner, they contribute to the development of consultants through specialized training programs.
• KPMGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerKPMG is listed as a partner supporting Citys Consultancy at the national level. The partnership provides quality assurance for work delivered and contributes to the professional development of consultants.
• BDOminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBDO is listed as a partner supporting Citys Consultancy at the national level. The partnership contributes to quality standards and provides additional expertise for project delivery.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Projective Group: A larger consulting firm operating in the Netherlands and Belgium with management consulting services; comparable in advisory service offerings but serves enterprise clients rather than student-led delivery.
• BDO Netherlands: National-level partner of Citys providing advisory and accounting services; comparable in providing strategy and business planning advice but operates at established mid-market scale.
• House of Performance: A Dutch-rooted consulting firm providing strategy and operations consulting across multiple European markets; overlaps with Citys' service portfolio but operates at a larger scale with professional staff.
• Metyis: European consulting firm and Citys' core coaching partner providing training and project coaching; provides comparable strategy and digital advisory services to enterprise clients across Europe.
• Roland Berger: Global strategy consultancy and Citys' core coaching partner providing weekly project oversight; comparable in service offerings (growth strategy, market entry, innovation) but operates at a vastly larger scale with professional staff.
• KPMG Netherlands: Listed as a national-level partner of Citys and a Big Four firm offering management consulting across the Netherlands; comparable in service breadth but operates at enterprise scale.

Others

• Consultancy.nl: Dutch platform tracking the consulting industry and profiling consulting firms; relevant as an ecosystem participant that signals the broader Dutch consulting market dynamics affecting Citys' positioning.

Direct peers

• Stichting Studenten Bedrijfskunde (SSB): A Dutch student association consultancy serving regional startups and SMEs with strategic advice, directly comparable in student-run non-profit model and Dutch university-city footprint.
• Studenten Consultancy: A Dutch student-run consultancy that partners with established firms to provide similar project-based strategic advice to regional clients, directly comparable in model, target market, and operating geography.
• Student Consulting Enterprise: A student consultancy model similar to Citys providing pro-bono or low-cost strategic advice to SMEs and non-profits in the Netherlands; directly comparable in operating model and target client base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citysconsultancydelft

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Citys Consultancy