@ease
@ease is a Dutch non-profit foundation that runs 15 anonymous walk-in locations and an online chat offering free, peer-delivered mental health support to young people aged 12-25 across the Netherlands, funded by government subsidies, sponsorships, and donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersAmersfoort, Netherlands
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What @ease does
@ease (Stichting @ease) is a Dutch non-profit foundation founded in 2017 by psychiatrists Thérèse van Amelsvoort and Rianne Klaassen to provide low-threshold mental health support to young people aged 12-25 in the Netherlands. Its core service architecture consists of anonymous walk-in locations where trained volunteer peer-listeners (aged 18-30) provide informal support, supplemented by an always-available online chat. The model requires no referral, registration, or payment from users, and is designed to bridge the gap between everyday psychological distress and formal clinical care, with escalation to professional services when needed.
The organization operates 15 physical locations across the Netherlands and is included in the State Secretary-endorsed "100 Houses Plan" (Alliantie van de 100 Huizen), a national policy initiative aimed at scaling low-threshold youth mental health infrastructure. It holds ANBI tax-exempt status (since 2019) and CBF certification, and is governed under the direction of Arianne Westhuis. Operating revenue is sourced from Dutch government subsidies (municipal and national), corporate sponsorships, and individual donations; there is no commercial pricing model. Active research collaborations with Maastricht University, Maastricht UMC+, Amsterdam UMC, and VUmc underpin ongoing evaluation of the model's effectiveness, and the OECD recognized the approach as a best-practice model in 2025.
The platform is fundamentally human-delivered rather than technology-mediated, with clinical and academic partnerships serving as the primary institutional moats. There is no disclosed use of AI, automation, or digital triage tooling in the operating model.
@ease firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- @ease
- Legal name
- Stichting @ease
- Website
- https://ease.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- @ease is a Dutch non-profit foundation that runs 15 anonymous walk-in locations and an online chat offering free, peer-delivered mental health support to young people aged 12-25 across the Netherlands, funded by government subsidies, sponsorships, and donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
@ease industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Mental Health Support Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services) (HLAFACAL), Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health Teletherapy Platforms (HLALAEAF), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG), Wraparound & Community-Based Behavioral Support (ABA-Adjacent) (EDAKAHAO)
Keywords
Where @ease is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amersfoort
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices12 records
Markets served
@ease business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Government Subsidies: Subsidies from government bodies, primarily from local municipalities (gemeenten) that help fund @ease locations to ensure young people can access services.
- Donations: Individual donations accepted via QR code through iDEAL payment system. Donations are tax-deductible due to ANBI status.
- Sponsorships: Financial and in-kind contributions from various sponsors supporting the organization's mission.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free service for all youth aged 12-25 |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
@ease product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Stichting @ease provides free, anonymous, low-threshold mental health support to Dutch youth aged 12-25 through 15 physical walk-in locations and an online chat platform. Support is delivered by trained young volunteers (peer-listeners, aged 18-30) under professional supervision, with no referral, no waiting list, no parental consent, and no files kept. The organization also runs school-based education programs and provides referral resources to healthcare professionals.
Product overview
@ease is a unified non-profit service offering that provides free, low-threshold mental health support for young people aged 12-25. The core offering consists of walk-in centers (inloopmogelijkheden) across 15 locations in the Netherlands, an online chat service, and school-based programs (@ease op school). All components share the same peer-to-peer support model where young volunteers (peer-listeners) provide conversational support, supplemented by professional oversight. The service is free, requires no referral, maintains no files, and ensures anonymity.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- @ease Walk-in Centers
Quantifiable outcome
- School absenteeism decreased by 29.2% among youth visiting @ease three or more times
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use @ease
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
@ease technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
@ease partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Maastricht UMC+coreAcademic partner that supported the founding and development of @ease. Provides research oversight and scientific validation of the peer-to-peer support methodology.
- Maastricht UniversitycoreOngoing research partnership with Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences. Conducts scientific research on youth mental well-being and publishes findings in international journals.
- VUmc Amsterdam (now Amsterdam UMC)coreAcademic partner supporting @ease development, connected through the Academic Workshop for Youth and Health.
- Alliantie laagdrempelige inloopmogelijkheden mentale gezondheid jongeren (Alliance for Low-Threshold Walk-In Mental Health Services for Young People)flagshipNational alliance of organizations offering drop-in mental health support for youth, established November 2022. @ease is co-designer of the '100 Houses Plan' endorsed by former State Secretary Maarten van Ooijen (VWS).
- Local Municipalities (Gemeenten)coreLocal government bodies that provide funding to ensure @ease locations can be visited by young people in their communities.
- Local Healthcare and Welfare OrganizationscoreProfessionals from various local care and welfare organizations work alongside @ease volunteers to provide high-quality support.
- AccareminorYouth mental healthcare organization shown in sponsor/partner logo listing.
- ArkinminorMental health organization shown in sponsor/partner logo listing.
- Amsterdam UMCcoreAcademic medical center collaborating on youth mental health research and @ease programming in Amsterdam (2024-2026).
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
@ease competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Jigsaw: Irish national youth mental health organization providing free, confidential support to 12-25 year olds through walk-in services and online channels. Operates a similar peer-influenced, low-threshold model in a comparable European healthcare context.
- MIND Korrelatie: Dutch non-profit providing anonymous mental health support by phone and online for individuals with psychological complaints. Peer on the Dutch anonymous non-clinical mental health support axis.
- Childline (NSPCC): UK free, confidential helpline for children and young people offering phone and online support including mental health issues. Comparable as a free, anonymous, youth-targeted support service; however operates as a helpline rather than walk-in centers.
- Kooth: UK-based digital mental health platform for children and young people, offering anonymous online counseling and emotional wellbeing support. Most comparable as a free, anonymous, youth-targeted online mental health service — direct peer on the digital channel.
- headspace: Australian national youth mental health organization operating walk-in centers with multidisciplinary teams serving 12-25 year olds. @ease was explicitly modeled on headspace, making it the closest direct peer in mission, model, and target demographic.
- MIND Australia: Australian national mental health non-profit supporting young people and adults with mental health challenges. Adjacent peer on the youth mental health non-profit axis, with broader scope and more clinical services.
- De Kindertelefoon: Dutch helpline for children and youth, providing anonymous phone and chat support on a wide range of topics including mental health. Closest Dutch peer on the anonymous youth chat/helpline axis.
- 113 Zelfmoordpreventie: Dutch national suicide prevention organization offering 24/7 crisis support via phone and chat. Peer on the Dutch anonymous youth crisis-support axis; @ease explicitly mentions suicidal thoughts among its use cases.
Regional players
- Indigo: Dutch organization providing prevention, training, and support for mental health in local communities, with strong regional/provincial implementation. Comparable as a Dutch non-profit mental health support provider though serving a broader demographic.
- OpenUp: European mental health platform offering online counseling and wellbeing support to individuals and employees. Comparable on the digital mental health delivery model, though focused on adult working populations and B2B distribution.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
@ease social profiles
Digital presence@ease compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
@ease financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
@ease leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
@ease funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
@ease M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about @ease
What does @ease do?
Stichting @ease provides free, anonymous, low-threshold mental health support to Dutch youth aged 12-25 through 15 physical walk-in locations and an online chat platform. Support is delivered by trained young volunteers (peer-listeners, aged 18-30) under professional supervision, with no referral, no waiting list, no parental consent, and no files kept. The organization also runs school-based education programs and provides referral resources to healthcare professionals.
Is @ease a public or private company?
@ease is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was @ease founded?
@ease was founded in 2017. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is @ease based?
@ease is headquartered in Amersfoort, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does @ease make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Government Subsidies are the primary driver. The others are donations and sponsorships.
Who are @ease's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Jigsaw, MIND Korrelatie, Childline (NSPCC), Kooth, headspace, MIND Australia, De Kindertelefoon and 113 Zelfmoordpreventie. Regional players are Indigo and OpenUp.
Does @ease have an API?
No public API is recorded for @ease.
What industry is @ease in?
@ease's product category is Youth Mental Health Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAK, Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits, with a secondary code of HLAFACAL, Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services). Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8300.