Autisme Kennisnetwerk Overijssel

What Autisme Kennisnetwerk Overijssel does

Autisme Kennisnetwerk Overijssel (AKO) is a regional knowledge network founded in 2006 that connects organizations, professionals, municipalities, and individuals affected by autism across the Overijssel province in the Netherlands. The organization operates as a collaborative convenant without its own legal form, with its five core staff members employed through partner organization Dimence Groep. AKO does not develop proprietary technology; its product surface is built around accredited knowledge sessions (Geaccrediteerde Kennisbijeenkomsten) that combine scientific, practical, and experiential knowledge, monthly online question hours, a library of recorded session replays (Terugkijk-links), and customized trainings delivered on request including the Autisme Beleving Circuit. Sessions are accredited across seven Dutch professional registries (SKJ, FGzPt, NVO, NIP, Registerplein, V&VN, Register Vaktherapeuten), giving the network institutional standing among healthcare, education, and social service providers.

AKO serves five distinct customer segments: healthcare and social service organizations (its primary segment), municipalities pursuing autism-friendly policies, educational institutions supporting autistic students, individual professionals seeking continuing education, and people with autism and their relatives who participate free of charge. The organization generates revenue through a tiered annual membership model — Individual/ZZP at €210, Small Care Practice at €315, Organization at €1,575–€2,100, Municipality at €3 per 100 inhabitants, and Partner at €3,675–€5,250 — supplemented by pay-as-you-go fees (€50–€125) for non-members attending knowledge sessions. As of 2021 the network reported 39 member organizations and reached 6,573 people through 150 network meetings and 117 working groups.

The network is governed by a core team (kernteam) that includes representatives from each partner organization, with operational coordination by a dedicated coordinator and administrative support. AKO participates in the broader Dutch autism ecosystem through affiliations with the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Autisme (NVA), the Academische Werkplaats Autisme, and the national Autismenetwerken Nederland coordination initiative previously funded by the Ministry of VWS between 2019 and 2022. Recent leadership transitions include the March 2024 appointment of Heske Bezem as coordinator succeeding Angela Thissen after 12.5 years, and the November 2025 appointment of Melanie Leegwater as chair.

Name

Autisme Kennisnetwerk Overijssel

Legal name

Autisme Kennisnetwerk Overijssel

Website

https://autismeoverijssel.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Autisme Kennisnetwerk Overijssel is a non-profit knowledge network founded in 2006 that connects healthcare providers, municipalities, educators, and individuals affected by autism across Overijssel province in the Netherlands through accredited knowledge sessions, trainings, and membership services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Autism Professional Education and Network Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Autism Teacher Training & Professional Development (EDAKAKAL)

Keywords

• Autism knowledge network
• Accredited professional training
• Healthcare education services
• Disability support coordination
• Community knowledge sharing

Headquarters

HQ city

Zwolle

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Annual membership fees from individuals, organizations, municipalities and partner members. Revenue supports coordination, knowledge sharing activities and network operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Autisme Kennisnetwerk Overijssel (AKO) is a regional knowledge network in the Netherlands that connects healthcare providers, municipalities, educational institutions, and professionals working with autism. It organizes accredited knowledge meetings combining scientific, practical, and experiential knowledge, runs monthly online question hours, and delivers customized trainings on autism-related topics.

Product overview

Autisme Kennisnetwerk Overijssel (AKO) is not a technology product company but a regional knowledge network that connects organizations working in autism care and support. The network offers a suite of knowledge-sharing services centered around its accredited knowledge meetings (Geaccrediteerde Kennisbijeenkomsten), monthly online question hours (Online Vragenuurtjes), and customized trainings on request (Training en Voorlichting op Aanvraag). These core services are supported by a newsletter distribution system and a library of recorded session content (Terugkijk-links). The organization operates a tiered membership model with benefits including free access to events, professional accreditation points, and visibility on the network's directories. The offering is fundamentally educational and community-oriented rather than technology-based.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Geaccrediteerde Kennisbijeenkomsten (Accredited Knowledge Meetings)

Quantifiable outcome

• 6573 people reached through network activities in 2021
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Autismenetwerken NederlandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019National coordination of regional autism networks. Facilitated by VWS ministry subsidy 2019-2022. Coordinators worked together on a stronger national network. Produced factsheets, webinars, and shared resources.
• Vanuit Autisme Bekeken (VAB)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019National movement for an inclusive society where people with autism can develop at their own pace. Published expertise guidelines.
• Academische Werkplaats Autisme (AWA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Academic workshop on autism established in August 2014, affiliated with NVA. Connects research with practice in autism field.
• Dimence GroepcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Partner member of AKO. Employs the coordinator and support staff of AKO. André van Boekholt is the contact person. Dimence Groep is a mental health organization in Overijssel.
• MediantcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Partner member of AKO. Louise Ellenkamp is the contact person. Mediant provides mental healthcare services in Twente region.
• MEE SamencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Partner member of AKO. Melanie Leegwater is the contact person. MEE Samen provides support to people with disabilities and their families.
• SOTOGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Partner member of AKO. Luuk van Aalst is the contact person. SOTOG provides autism treatment and support services.
• Nederlandse Vereniging voor Autisme (NVA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Partner member of AKO. André Jansen is the contact person. NVA is the national autism association in the Netherlands.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nederlandse Vereniging voor Autisme (NVA): National Dutch autism association and partner member of AKO. NVA operates the national-level equivalent of AKO's mission — advocacy, knowledge sharing, and experiential-knowledge integration — at national rather than provincial scale, making it the closest direct peer.

Broad incumbents

• Karakter: Child and youth psychiatry organization with autism services across the Netherlands; organizational member of AKO. Comparable as a regional provider with overlapping target populations and similar institutional anchoring.
• Dimence Groep: Major mental health provider in Overijssel and the employing organization for AKO's coordinator and administrative staff. Comparable because it delivers clinical autism and mental health services to the same regional population that AKO's network serves.
• Mediant: Mental healthcare provider in the Twente region and partner member of AKO. Comparable because it offers direct mental health and autism treatment services to the same regional population and shares AKO's institutional ecosystem.
• Kentalis: Dutch organization providing specialized services for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, or have communication disabilities including autism. Comparable as a national, accredited provider with overlapping target populations.
• MEE Samen: Disability support organization providing services to people with disabilities including autism; partner member of AKO with a seat on its governance core team. Comparable as it serves overlapping populations with a knowledge-and-information-driven approach.
• Accare: Child and youth psychiatry organization in northern Netherlands and organizational member of AKO. Comparable because it operates autism diagnostic and treatment services in the same regional care ecosystem as AKO's network members.
• Bartiméus: Dutch national organization providing services for people with visual impairment and autism across multiple regions. Comparable because it operates a multi-region knowledge-and-service model for autism and related disabilities at a larger scale than AKO.

Emerging players

• SOTOG: Provider of autism treatment and support services based in Overijssel; partner member of AKO with a governance seat. Comparable because it focuses specifically on autism within the same regional ecosystem and participates in AKO's knowledge activities.
• Vanuit Autisme Bekeken (VAB): National movement for an inclusive society where people with autism can develop at their own pace; AKO partner since 2019 that publishes expertise guidelines. Comparable as a knowledge-publication and advocacy peer in the Dutch autism ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/autismeoverijssel
• Facebookfacebook.com/autismeoverijssel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/samenwerkingsverband-autisme-overijssel
• Instagraminstagram.com/autisme_overijssel

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Autisme Kennisnetwerk Overijssel