Confederation of European Senior Expert Services

What Confederation of European Senior Expert Services does

The Confederation of European Senior Expert Services (CESES) is a Brussels-headquartered, Belgium-domiciled non-profit confederation founded in 2000 that coordinates a pan-European network of roughly 20 senior-expert member organisations across at least 13 countries, including the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the UK, Austria, Italy, Finland, Greece, Estonia, and Croatia. Its mission is to channel retired and semi-retired professional expertise into societal benefit through knowledge sharing, intergenerational cooperation, and active ageing, deliberately operating without competing with its members.

CESES's core offerings are volunteer-led programmes rather than technology products. The flagship initiative is SENT (Senior Experts Nurturing Talent, 2023-2025), an EU-supported programme engaging thousands of senior volunteers to mentor young people and support SMEs across borders. Other programmes include MYDI and EvolYou (Erasmus+ projects 2016-2019 on youth mentoring for labour-market inclusion), MAB, TEAM IV, the Mikrokredit small-business mentoring scheme via ASEP, and CESES Academy 2025, a workshop series for the senior volunteering community. The confederation also publishes policy reports such as the October 2025 Research & Policy Report on harnessing senior expertise for migrant and youth labour-market inclusion.

CESES is funded almost entirely through European Union programmes (Erasmus+, PHARE, TACIS, AL-INVEST) and historical support from entities such as the German Ministry for Development Cooperation, with the 8-person Brussels secretariat coordinating grant cycles, member activities, events, and policy outputs rather than selling commercial products or services. Its operating model is community-led and event-driven, distributing activities through its member-organisation network across Europe.

Name

Confederation of European Senior Expert Services

Legal name

Confederation of European Senior Expert Services

Website

https://ceses.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CESES is a Brussels-based non-profit confederation founded in 2000 that coordinates a pan-European network of roughly 20 senior-expert member organisations, channelling retired professional expertise into mentoring, youth labour-market inclusion, and SME support through EU-funded programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. EU Funding and Grants: CESES operates primarily through EU funding programmes including Erasmus+, PHARE, TACIS, and AL-INVEST. The confederation receives co-funding from the European Union to support its senior volunteering initiatives, knowledge transfer programmes, and network coordination activities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CESES is a pan-European non-profit confederation headquartered in Brussels that coordinates a network of senior expert member organisations across more than a dozen European countries. It designs and implements volunteer-based mentoring, knowledge transfer, capacity-building, and intergenerational cooperation programmes (such as SENT, MAB, TEAM IV, EvolYou, MYDI, and the Mikrokredit programme), funded primarily through EU grants including Erasmus+, PHARE, TACIS, and AL-INVEST.

Product overview

CESES operates as a coordination confederation of European senior expert member organisations rather than a technology company with traditional products. Its portfolio consists of volunteer and knowledge-sharing programmes including SENT (Senior Experts Nurturing Talent), MAB, TEAM IV, and the Mikrokredit programme for mentoring support. The confederation also manages educational initiatives through CESES Academy and publishes research reports. Historical programmes include MYDI and EvolYou (Erasmus+ projects on youth mentoring) and AL-INVEST III (Latin America economic cooperation). These interconnected programmes collectively aim to promote intergenerational cooperation, knowledge transfer, and active ageing across Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SENT: Senior Experts Nurturing Talent - A programme dedicated to promoting the value of senior expertise across Europe, supporting mentoring, training, capacity-building, and intergenerational cooperation.
• MAB
• TEAM IV
• EvolYou
• AAV

Products and services

• SENT (Senior Experts Nurturing Talent) Flagship CESES programme engaging thousands of senior volunteers across Europe to support SMEs and young people through mentoring, training, capacity-building, and policy actions.
• MAB Mentoring programme within the CESES network that builds on the MYDI/EvolYou legacy to support social inclusion of young people through senior expert volunteering.
• TEAM IV Senior volunteering programme operating under the CESES network, supporting knowledge transfer and mentoring activities across member organisations.
• AAV project Project under the CESES network focused on senior volunteering and active ageing activities delivered via member organisations.
• EvolYou (European Senior Volunteering through Mentoring for the Social Inclusion of Young People in Difficulties) Erasmus+ project promoting cross-border best practices for the social inclusion of disadvantaged youth through senior-led mentoring.
• MYDI (Mentoring Young Disadvantaged People for Inclusion) Erasmus+ project supporting labour-market transition of disadvantaged young people through senior-led mentorship and skills development.
• Mikrokredit (Microloan) Programme Programme delivered via member organisation ASEP that pairs small business owners and self-employed individuals (e.g., start-ups, street food vendors) with senior mentors who help them navigate legal frameworks and build sustainable businesses.
• CESES Academy Training programme consisting of multi-day workshops designed to inspire collaboration, exchange, and innovation within the senior volunteering community.
• AL-INVEST III EU-funded programme fostering economic cooperation with Latin America by helping SMEs grow through international collaboration, market access, and business development.

Quantifiable outcome

• SENT 2025 Work Programme strengthened skills ecosystems, fostered intergenerational cooperation and supported knowledge transfer for the benefit of young people, SMEs, institutions and communities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

23 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Connect InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2025Connect International Board Member Zia Perko participated in a CESES-hosted panel discussion on bridging generations through digitalisation, bringing perspectives on digital tools fostering understanding, collaboration, and inclusion across generations.
• JEF (Young European Federalists)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2025JEF Vice-President Alexiane Terrochaire participated in a CESES-hosted panel discussion exploring how digital tools can foster intergenerational understanding, collaboration, and inclusion.
• SES – Senior Expert Service (Bonn, Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025CESES Senior Advisor Gisela Lange attended the SES Annual Meeting in Bonn, representing CESES and sharing work on intergenerational cooperation, knowledge transfer, and senior expertise impact across borders. SES is a key partner in the European senior volunteering network.
• 50Plus-Hellas (Greece)coreOthersMember organisation of CESES confederation, part of the network of European senior expert organisations.
• AGIR (France)coreOthersMember organisation of CESES confederation, part of the network of European senior expert organisations.
• ASEP - Austrian Senior Experts PoolcoreOthersMember organisation implementing SENT Programme activities including the Microkredit programme supporting start-ups with senior expertise.
• AVE (France)coreOthersMember organisation of CESES confederation, part of the network of European senior expert organisations.
• BSC - Belgian Senior ConsultantscoreOthersMember organisation of CESES confederation, part of the network of European senior expert organisations.
• CTAO - Cherenkov Telescope Array ObservatorycoreOthersMember organisation of CESES confederation, part of the network of European senior expert organisations.
• ECTI (France)coreOthersMember organisation of CESES confederation, part of the network of European senior expert organisations.
• ISES (Italy)coreOthersMember organisation of CESES confederation, part of the network of European senior expert organisations.
• Jugend & Eine Welt (Senior Experts Austria)coreOthersMember organisation implementing SENT Programme activities, hosting annual meetings on civic engagement themes.
• Gliga (Estonia)coreOthersMember organisation of CESES confederation, part of the network of European senior expert organisations.
• LSC - Luxembourg Senior ConsultantscoreOthersMember organisation of CESES confederation, part of the network of European senior expert organisations.
• Nestor Partners (Finland)coreOthersMember organisation of CESES confederation, part of the network of European senior expert organisations.
• Oteci (France)coreOthersMember organisation of CESES confederation, part of the network of European senior expert organisations.
• PUM - Senior Experts NetherlandscoreOthersMember organisation of CESES confederation, part of the network of European senior expert organisations. One of the founding members from 2000.
• SEC - Senior Expert ContactcoreOthersMember organisation of CESES confederation, part of the network of European senior expert organisations.
• SECOTcoreOthersMember organisation of CESES confederation, part of the network of European senior expert organisations.
• Seniores ItaliacoreOthersMember organisation implementing SENT Programme mentoring activities, including the Giovani e Impresa project supporting 375 students.
• SES - Senior Expert Service Bonn (Germany)coreOthersMember organisation and host of the 2013 international conference. One of the founding members from 2000. Hosted SES Annual Meeting attended by CESES in 2025.
• Volto (Italy)coreOthersMember organisation of CESES confederation, part of the network of European senior expert organisations.
• VSP (Croatia)coreOthersMember organisation of CESES confederation, part of the network of European senior expert organisations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ISES Italy / Seniores Italia: Italian senior expert associations and CESES members delivering the intergenerational mentoring programmes (e.g., Giovani e Impresa) that produced the 375-student outreach cited in CESES outcomes.
• PUM Netherlands Senior Experts: Dutch senior-expert volunteer organisation and founding member of CESES. Directly comparable as a national platform that sends retired professionals to advise SMEs and institutions, and is the most closely aligned peer in the confederation.
• SES – Senior Expert Service (Bonn, Germany): German senior-expert volunteer organisation and founding CESES member. Operates the same model of deploying retired professionals to support SMEs and institutions, making it a head-to-head national peer within the CESES network.
• ASEP – Austrian Senior Experts Pool: Austrian senior expert association and CESES member. Operates the same volunteer-driven senior mentoring model, including the Microkredit programme supporting SMEs.
• ECTI France: French senior expert volunteer organisation and CESES member. Directly comparable as a national platform channeling retired professionals into mentoring and SME advisory work.

Others

• European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI): European network engaged in development research, training, and policy work, often funded through EU programme lines. Comparable as a European-level thematic network engaging with EU institutions, though focused on development research rather than senior volunteering.

Broad incumbents

• Centre for European Volunteering (CEV): European-level network representing volunteer organisations and promoting volunteering, including intergenerational and senior volunteering. Comparable as a Brussels-based umbrella advocating for the same policy themes as CESES.
• International Federation on Ageing (IFA): Global NGO focused on policy, rights, and wellbeing of older people. Comparable in promoting active ageing — one of CESES' core themes — but operates at a broader policy and advocacy level rather than delivering volunteer mentoring.
• SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives, US): US-based non-profit that provides free business mentoring from retired and active professionals to small businesses. Closest international analogue to CESES' SME mentoring mission, much larger in scale and funding diversity.

Regional players

• AIUTA – International Association of Universities of the Third Age: International network of 'Third Age Universities' that organise learning and engagement for older adults. Comparable in mobilising the senior population for social and educational participation, though focused on tertiary education rather than SME mentoring.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ceses_eu
• Facebookfacebook.com/ceseseu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/confederation-of-european-senior-expert-services
• Instagraminstagram.com/ceses_eu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Confederation of European Senior Expert Services