Digitale Academie Noord-Nederland

What Digitale Academie Noord-Nederland does

Digitale Academie Noord-Nederland (DANN) is a non-profit regional digital skills aggregator founded in March 2021 and coordinated under Hanzehogeschool Groningen, which holds legal responsibility for the platform. It operates an online learning environment at leren.dann.nl that aggregates more than 300 digital skills courses from over 20 partner providers — including universities (Hanzehogeschool, RUG, NHL Stenden), regional training colleges (Noorderpoort, Alfa College, Firda), public libraries (Biblionet Groningen, Forum Groningen), and commercial trainers — across the Northern Netherlands provinces of Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe. Users take a self-serve skills-matching test and are routed to courses that are approximately 80% free of charge.

The organization runs a multi-tenant platform with sub-brand deployments including ruby.dann.nl (Oost-Groningen residents and entrepreneurs in partnership with Ruby Campus and Gemeente Oldambt), mkb.dann.nl (SME employees), and hanze.dann.nl (AI-focused training), and offers white-label 'Eigen Digitale Academie' instances to organizational clients such as municipalities, employers, and educational institutions on annual subscription contracts that include implementation and adoption support.

DANN's business model is a hybrid: government grant funding from the Nationaal Programma Groningen anchors operations under a 'without profit motive' mandate, supplemented by quote-based annual subscriptions for white-label organizational deployments, while approximately 20% of the course catalog generates transaction fees that flow to third-party training providers rather than to DANN. A small core team of roughly five people executes a community-led GTM supported by media partnership with regional broadcaster RTV Noord, ongoing awareness campaigns since January 2023, and research collaborations with Hanzehogeschool's lectoraat Digitale Transformatie and RUG's Digital Inclusion Lab. The organization explicitly targets the 212,000-330,000 digitally vulnerable adults in Northern Netherlands and pursues municipalities seeking compliance with the Wet modernisering elektronisch bestuurlijk verkeer (Wmebv).

Name

Digitale Academie Noord-Nederland

Legal name

Digitale Academie Noord-Nederland

Website

https://dann.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Digitale Academie Noord-Nederland (DANN) is a non-profit regional digital skills aggregator based in Groningen that consolidates 300+ courses from 20+ providers across Northern Netherlands, serving digitally vulnerable residents, working professionals, and municipalities via free learner accounts and white-label organizational subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Skills Training and Workforce Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Computer Training (61142), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Assistive Technology & Accessible Digital Skills (EDAAAIAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical & Digital Skills Training (BPACANAB), Skills Assessment & Talent/Employability Testing Platforms (EDAFADAM)

Keywords

• Digital skills training
• Online learning platform
• Workforce upskilling
• Digital inclusion
• White-label LMS

Headquarters

HQ city

Groningen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government /NPO Grant Funding: Primary funding is from Nationaal Programma Groningen, a government program. The initiative has no commercial profit motive. Funded as part of the 'Werken aan Ontwikkeling' program of the Province and Municipality of Groningen (honored March 2021).
2. Annual Organization Subscriptions (Eigen Digitale Academie): Organizations (municipalities, employers) can subscribe to a white-label Digitale Academie with an annual subscription combined with an implementation and adoption program. This is a structured B2B revenue stream for the non-profit organization.
3. Course Transaction Fees (Minor): A small portion (approximately 20%) of the course catalog involves fees charged by the training providers themselves. The Digitale Academie platform itself is free for learners; revenue flows to providers, not to the platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Digitale Academie Noord-Nederland operates an online learning platform that aggregates 300+ digital-skills courses from 20+ regional training providers across Northern Netherlands (Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe). Learners take a skills-matching test and are routed to free or low-cost courses covering basic digital skills, online government services, online collaboration, AI tools, online safety, and Microsoft applications. Organizations can subscribe to a white-label version of the platform (Eigen Digitale Academie) with custom content, login, and implementation support.

Product overview

Digitale Academie Noord-Nederland (DANN) operates as a multi-platform educational aggregator for digital skills training in the northern Netherlands region. The core platform leren.dann.nl serves as the main portal aggregating 300+ courses from 20+ partner providers, matching users to courses via an assessment test. Specialized sub-platforms include ruby.dann.nl for Oost-Groningen residents, hanze.dann.nl for AI-focused training, and mkb.dann.nl for SME employees. Organizations can obtain a custom private version of the platform. Approximately 80% of offerings are free. The platform covers digital literacy categories including basic computer skills, online safety, digital government services, online collaboration, AI tools, and Microsoft professional applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ruby.dann.nl: An online platform specifically for residents and entrepreneurs from East Groningen (Oldambt municipality), offering digital skills courses in collaboration with Ruby Campus.
• MKB.dann.nl
• leren.dann.nl
• hanze.dann.nl

Products and services

• leren.dann.nl (Public Learning Platform) Main online learning platform aggregating 300+ digital-skills courses from 20+ training providers across Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe. Users create a free account, take a skills-matching test, and enroll in online or physical courses covering basic digital skills, online government services, online collaboration, AI tools, online safety, and Microsoft applications. Approximately 80% of courses are free.
• ruby.dann.nl (Oost-Groningen / Ruby Campus Platform) Online platform and physical support network specifically for residents and entrepreneurs of Oost-Groningen (Oldambt municipality), offering digital-skills courses in collaboration with Ruby Campus. Approximately 80% of courses are free.
• mkb.dann.nl (SMB Digital Skills Platform) Dedicated digital-skills platform for SMB employees in Northern Netherlands, covering AI, online collaboration, and digital tools relevant to work.
• hanze.dann.nl (Hanzehogeschool AI / White-Label Platform) AI-focused course platform offering artificial intelligence training courses for various skill levels, hosted through Hanzehogeschool as part of the DANN white-label network.
• Eigen Digitale Academie (White-Label Platform for Organizations) Customized private Digitale Academie environment for organizations (municipalities, employers, educational institutions) with annual subscription, custom content, internal login, and an implementation/adoption program. Includes 270+ free courses covering basic digital skills, online collaboration, AI, privacy & security, and Microsoft applications (Teams, Excel, Word, Outlook, OneDrive). Positioning as the concrete solution for municipalities to meet Wet modernisering elektronisch bestuurlijk verkeer (Wmebv) obligations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ courses available; ~80% free; covering all skill levels from basic to IT professional
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Hanzehogeschool GroningencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021Hanzehogeschool Groningen leads the Digitale Academie initiative and holds legal responsibility for the website. The institution provides the lectoraat Digitale Transformatie for research and hosts the IT Academy Noord-Nederland as a department.
• Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (RUG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021Founding partner contributing research through the Digital Inclusion Lab and lectorship in Digital Transformatie. Conducts pilot projects on digital vulnerability covering low-literacy adults, job seekers, and employers.
• NoorderpoortcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021Founding partner; one of the largest Regional Opleidingscentrum (ROC) in Northern Netherlands offering MBO courses, corporate training, and digital skills courses.
• NHL StendencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021Founding partner; a university of applied sciences in Northern Netherlands contributing to the digital skills initiative.
• Biblionet GroningencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021Founding partner; manages public library digital services in Groningen, providing physical locations for digital skills courses, digital help desks, and IDO (Informatiepunt Digitale Overheid) support. Also provides a network of physical locations across the province.
• IT Academy Noord-NederlandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021Founding partner and an initiative of Hanzehogeschool Groningen offering IT courses for professionals in data science, security, and programming. Provides the IT-specialized course offerings on the DANN platform.
• RTV NoordcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner of the Digitale Academie. Together they work on closing the digital divide in the province of Groningen through media coverage, awareness campaigns, and visibility of digital inclusion initiatives.
• Ruby CampusflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional partner serving Oost-Groningen. Has its own white-label platform (ruby.dann.nl) providing digital skills courses for local residents and entrepreneurs. Operates physical support points in the Oldambt municipality. Focuses on using digitalization to strengthen social cohesion, livability, and broad prosperity.
• Digital Literacy Coalition (Digitale Geletterdheid Coalitie)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArnout Ponsioen of DANN participates in the Digital Literacy Coalition, a national network working on digital literacy policy and research. DANN also contributes to knowledge sharing at the European level through this network.
• Alliantie Digitaal SamenlevenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRéka Deuten from the Alliantie Digitaal Samenleven participated in the Brussels knowledge sharing session organized by DANN. The alliance focuses on digital inclusion at the national level and supports initiatives like the Data Na De Dood campaign referenced on DANN's platform.
• Gemeente OldambtflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipality implementing digital inclusion through Ruby Campus collaboration. Actively working on practical digital inclusion with offline support, online learning offerings, and cross-organizational collaboration between municipalities, educational institutions, and societal organizations.
• Gemeente WesterkwartierminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipality described as a 'koploper' (leader) in digital inclusion, implementing a local approach. Part of the Digitale Inclusie in Westerkwartier initiative.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mediawijs: National Dutch knowledge center and network for media literacy and digital skills, funded by the Ministry of Education. DANN partners with Mediawijs but operates comparably in terms of mission (digital inclusion) and reach across Dutch regional and municipal stakeholders.
• Koninklijke Bibliotheek / KB Digital Inclusion: National Dutch library organization coordinating digital inclusion programs (including IDO — Informatiepunt Digitale Overheid, which DANN distributes via Biblionet). Operates a comparable library-anchored digital skills delivery model at national scale.

Others

• Stichting Lezen en Schrijven: Dutch national foundation addressing low literacy in adults, including digital literacy. DANN produces B1-level guides and low-literacy content that intersects with this foundation's mission, making it thematically adjacent rather than directly competitive.

Regional players

• NewTechKids: Amsterdam-based Dutch organization teaching technology, coding, and digital literacy, primarily to children and educators. Adjacent rather than directly competitive with DANN's adult-focused digital skills mission, but operating in the same Dutch EdTech digital literacy space.

Direct peers

• Stichting Digisterker: Dutch foundation that develops and delivers the Digisterker curriculum for learning to use DigiD and digital government services — the same content DANN offers via Forum Groningen. Operates a similar public-interest, library-distributed digital inclusion model.
• Alliantie Digitaal Samenleven: Dutch national coalition working on digital inclusion, whose Réka Deuten participates in DANN's Brussels knowledge-sharing sessions. Directly comparable mission of closing the digital divide for vulnerable Dutch adults, with overlapping partner ecosystem.
• SeniorWeb: Dutch non-profit offering digital skills courses primarily for seniors, with physical locations across the Netherlands. Highly comparable to DANN's digitally vulnerable adult segment (e.g., the 82-year-old Fritz and 70-year-old Lidy user personas) and library-based delivery model.
• SkillsTown: Dutch online learning platform offering training in digital skills, IT, and professional development for individuals and organizations. Closely comparable to DANN's course-aggregation and skills-matching model for working professionals and SMBs.
• GoodHabitz: Major Dutch commercial online learning platform with broad course catalog including digital skills, AI, and Microsoft applications — directly overlapping DANN's white-label SMB and professional offering (mkb.dann.nl) for digital upskilling in the workplace.

Emerging players

• IT Academy Noord-Nederland: Initiative of Hanzehogeschool Groningen offering IT courses for professionals (data science, security, programming). A founding partner of DANN, it supplies the IT-specialized course content for the platform — overlapping in target audience (IT career changers like Bianca) and regional scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DigitaleAcademieNoordNederland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/digitale-academie-noord-nederland

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Digitale Academie Noord-Nederland