Data-First

What Data-First does

Data-First B.V. is a Dutch private recruitment and staffing agency that exclusively recruits data professionals for hiring organizations across the Netherlands and, more recently, Belgium. Its core offering is job placement across five functional specializations — Artificial Intelligence, Business Intelligence, Data Engineering, Data Governance, and Database — supplemented by Process & People roles. The firm operates three engagement modalities: permanent placement, detachment (contracting/interim), and ZZP (freelance/self-employed). Customer engagement is sales-led, driven by direct outreach from a team of specialized consultants (at least seven named recruiters visible on the website) who maintain the candidate pipeline and enterprise relationships. The company uses its own website for vacancy listings and LinkedIn for candidate-sourcing, and does not depend on proprietary technology — its "platform" is effectively its consultant network and curated candidate database.

The firm is headquartered in 's-Hertogenbosch (Magistratenlaan 152 A, 5223 MB) and operates a second office at the World Trade Center in Amsterdam. It advertises 75+ active vacancies distributed across Dutch economic regions (Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, plus Antwerp in Belgium). Named clients span healthcare (Humanitas, KWF), media (DPG Media), retail (Action), energy (Essent), and unspecified enterprise (Head), indicating a horizontally diverse Dutch client base rather than a single vertical focus.

Revenue is generated as professional services income from successful placements (permanent fees) and from contract/detachment billings (where Data-First is the legal employer of the placed contractor). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; the long tail of vacancy types (vast, detachering, ZZP) implies three different unit economics — one-off placement fees, daily/hourly contracting margins, and pass-through freelance arrangements — yielding a blended revenue mix. The company has not publicly disclosed revenue, has no disclosed funding rounds, no institutional investors, and no parent company; it appears independently owned.

Name

Data-First

Legal name

Data-First B.V.

Website

https://data-first.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Data-First is a Dutch private recruitment and staffing agency that places data professionals (AI, BI, Data Engineering, Data Governance, Database) into hiring organizations across the Netherlands and Belgium via permanent, detachment, and freelance engagement models.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Den Bosch

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Recruitment and Staffing Services: Data-First generates revenue by placing data professionals with hiring companies. They offer three engagement models: permanent employment placement, detachment/contracting of professionals, and ZZP (freelance/self-employed) arrangements. The company acts as an intermediary connecting data talent with organizations seeking to fill positions in AI, BI, Data Engineering, and related fields.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Data-First is a Dutch recruitment and staffing agency that specializes in placing data professionals with hiring organizations across the Netherlands. The company operates across five core data disciplines — Artificial Intelligence, Business Intelligence, Data Engineering, Data Governance, and Database roles — and offers three engagement models: permanent placement (vast dienstverband), contract staffing (detachering), and freelance placement (ZZP). Their consultants match candidates to positions and guide careers on a 'Your Career First' philosophy.

Product overview

Data-First is a Dutch recruitment and staffing agency that specializes in placing candidates in data-related positions. Their core offering is job placement services across five main specializations: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Business Intelligence (BI), Data Engineering, Data Governance, and Database roles. The company operates on a 'Your Career First' philosophy, meaning they prioritize candidate fit and career development. They serve both candidates seeking employment and organizations (opdrachtgevers/clients) looking to fill positions. The service offering includes direct placement, contract/freelance arrangements, and consulting engagements. They have offices in 's-Hertogenbosch and Amsterdam, and work with a diverse client base including organizations in healthcare, media, retail, energy, and non-profit sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Permanent Placement (Vast dienstverband) Recruitment service that places candidates in permanent (vast dienstverband) data roles with Dutch organizations, covering specializations in AI, BI, Data Engineering, Data Governance, and Database.
• Contract Staffing (Detachering) Contract staffing service in which Data-First employs data professionals and secondes (detacheert) them to client organizations on a temporary basis across AI, BI, Data Engineering, and related data disciplines.
• Freelance Placement (ZZP) Facilitation service that connects self-employed (ZZP) data professionals with Dutch organizations seeking freelance data expertise across AI, BI, Data Engineering, and other data specializations.

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hays Netherlands: Hays is a global recruitment firm with a sizable Netherlands practice spanning technology, data, and professional services. It overlaps with Data-First on contract and permanent placement of data and tech professionals into Dutch enterprises.
• HeadFirst: HeadFirst is a Dutch recruitment firm focused on permanent and interim placements of technology and digital professionals. It serves many of the same enterprise and mid-market clients in the Netherlands as Data-First, particularly for senior and specialist hires.
• Brunel Netherlands: Brunel is an international specialist in engineering, technical, and digital staffing with a Netherlands operation. It competes directly for contract (detachering) and freelance placements in data, engineering, and adjacent technical disciplines.
• Michael Page Netherlands: Michael Page is a global professional recruitment firm with a Netherlands office covering technology, digital, and analytics roles. It is a comparable competitor for mid-to-senior permanent and contract data/tech placements in the Dutch market.
• Robert Half Netherlands: Robert Half operates a Netherlands staffing and direct-hire business focused on finance, technology, and administrative professionals. Its technology recruitment line competes with Data-First for contract and permanent data/AI hires.
• Yacht (Randstad): Yacht is the Randstad-owned specialist in tech, data, and digital recruitment in the Netherlands, offering permanent, contract, and interim placements. It directly competes with Data-First for the same pool of Dutch data and AI professionals and the same enterprise clients.
• Talent&Pro: Talent&Pro is a Dutch professional staffing firm placing graduates and young professionals into IT, data, and finance roles across the Netherlands. It overlaps with Data-First on entry-level and junior data/BI placements.
• CIMSOLUTIONS: CIMSOLUTIONS is a Dutch consultancy and staffing firm placing data, analytics, and IT professionals on contract and project engagements. It targets the same Dutch data/AI hiring market as Data-First, with overlapping specializations and enterprise clients.

Broad incumbents

• ManpowerGroup Netherlands: ManpowerGroup is a global staffing and workforce-solutions provider with a Netherlands operation covering temporary, permanent, and professional placements. Its broader portfolio competes for the same Dutch hiring budgets that Data-First taps, albeit with a less specialist data positioning.
• Randstad Netherlands: Randstad is the largest generalist staffing firm in the Netherlands, offering broad temporary, permanent, and HR solutions including tech/data roles via Yacht. As the parent of Yacht, it is the most consequential broad incumbent competing for Data-First's addressable spend.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/data-first-nl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Data-First