Fundación Espartanos

What Fundación Espartanos does

Fundación Espartanos is a private, Argentine non-profit foundation founded in 2009 by Eduardo "Coco" Oderigo and headquartered in Beccar, Buenos Aires. It delivers the Programa Integral Espartano, a four-pillar rehabilitation program for people deprived of liberty that combines rugby training, spirituality, education, and labor-market integration. The foundation operates inside 66 penal units across 20 Argentine provinces — primarily at the Complejo Penitenciario de San Martín (units 46, 47, 48) — and reports cumulatively 1,517 trained graduates ("Spartans"), 2,801 active players, 562 active volunteers, and 141 Spartans currently employed through 129 partner companies. Its headline outcome metric is a recidivism rate of 5% among program participants versus a 65% Argentine baseline.

The revenue model is donation-led, with three documented streams: individual donations (domestic and international via the Help Argentina platform), corporate partnerships that combine financial sponsorship with second-chance hiring (including YPF, Banco Macro, Quilmes, Salesforce, McKinsey, Grupo Bimbo, Pan American Energy, Globant, Farmacity, and Banco Hipotecario among 129 employers), and ancillary revenue from merchandise (Camiseta Espartana jerseys) and royalties on published books ("Espartanos: reescribiendo historias" via Penguin Random House and "No permanecer caído"). Distribution is non-commercial: programs are delivered directly into correctional institutions under government access arrangements, and brand reach is amplified through a Disney+ series ("Espartanos, una historia real"), earned media, awards, and a volunteer app (App Espartana) that serves as the recruitment funnel. The organization operates with a 33-employee core team.

The growth model is a hybrid of programmatic expansion and ecosystem leverage. Operational scale (66 units, 20 provinces, 6 countries replicating the model) and an expanding employer-side network reduce dependency on any single correctional partner, while brand-building partnerships with Disney+ and Penguin Random House materially expand the donor funnel at low marginal cost. The principal concentration risks are Argentine macro exposure (donation volatility tied to currency and inflation) and over-reliance on a small group of marquee corporate partners for both cash and in-kind employment slots. Replication in 6 foreign countries indicates modest but real export potential, though no revenue from international licensing is disclosed.

Name

Fundación Espartanos

Legal name

Fundación Espartanos

Website

https://fundacionespartanos.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fundación Espartanos is an Argentine non-profit foundation founded in 2009 that delivers a four-pillar rehabilitation program — rugby, spirituality, education, and labor-market integration — for people deprived of liberty, operating across 66 penal units in 20 provinces and reporting a 5% recidivism rate versus a 65% baseline.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL)

Keywords

• Social rehabilitation services
• Prison reintegration programs
• Nonprofit community services
• Vocational training programs
• Sports-based rehabilitation

Headquarters

HQ city

San Martín

HQ country

Argentina

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Recurring and one-time donations from individuals, both within Argentina and internationally through Help Argentina platform.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Support from companies that believe in second chances, providing employment opportunities and financial sponsorship for the program.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of Spartan jerseys and published books ('Espartanos: reescribiendo historias') to supporters.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Fundación Espartanos is a nonprofit foundation that rehabilitates people deprived of liberty through a program combining rugby, spirituality, education, and employment support. It operates in 66 penal units across 20 Argentine provinces and 6 countries, training participants through sport and structured reintegration pathways. The foundation reports reducing recidivism from 65% to 5% among program graduates.

Product overview

Fundación Espartanos operates a single unified program—the Programa Integral Espartano—that combines rugby, spirituality, education, and labor integration to rehabilitate people deprived of liberty. The core program is supported by complementary offerings: the App Espartana (volunteer management mobile application), the Entretiempo labor practice program, the Espartanos Rugby Club for freed participants, branded merchandise (Camiseta Espartana), and published media including books and a Disney+ series documenting the transformation stories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rugby-Based Rehabilitation Program
• Educational and Vocational Training
• Employment Reintegration Service
• Spiritual and Personal Development Program
• Volunteer Engagement Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces recidivism from 65% to 5% (92% reduction)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and flagship.

• Help ArgentinacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHelp Argentina provides an international donation platform allowing supporters from outside Argentina to contribute to Fundación Espartanos. The platform facilitates global fundraising efforts.
• Banco MacromajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of 129 employing companies that provide employment opportunities to Spartans who have completed the reintegration program.
• Cervecería y Maltería QuilmesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor employer and corporate supporter that provides job opportunities to Spartans as part of second chances hiring initiative.
• YPFmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArgentina's state-owned oil company participates as an employing company in the Spartan second chances program.
• Pan American EnergymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy company that employs Spartans as part of corporate social responsibility and second chances hiring.
• SalesforcemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology company supporting the foundation through corporate social responsibility initiatives.
• McKinsey and CompanymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal consulting firm supporting the foundation's mission through strategic advisory and resources.
• GlobantmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArgentine software company supporting the foundation's mission.
• Disney+coreGTM or Marketing PartnerDisney+ produced 'Espartanos, una historia real' - a fictional series based on real events that brings the foundation's story to a global audience, significantly raising awareness.
• New Zealand All BlacksflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerThe famous rugby team visited the Spartans in San Martín, providing significant international recognition and validation of the rugby-based rehabilitation model.
• Penguin Random HousecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPublisher of founder Eduardo 'Coco' Oderigo's book 'Espartanos: reescribiendo historias', spreading the foundation's message through literature.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Fundación Cimientos: Argentine non-profit focused on educational opportunities for youth from low-income backgrounds; comparable Argentine NGO with corporate-partner model, though focused on youth rather than incarcerated adults.

Direct peers

• The Last Mile: Non-profit operating inside US prisons providing technology and soft-skills training to incarcerated people for re-entry, mirroring Espartanos' inside-prison program plus post-release employment pipeline.
• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): US non-profit providing immediate employment, retention, and career advancement support to people returning from incarceration — directly comparable employment-first re-entry model.
• Right to Play: Global sport-for-development organization using play and sport to educate and empower vulnerable children; Espartanos uses rugby for adult prisoner rehabilitation in a similar sport-as-development logic.
• PeacePlayers International: Uses basketball to bridge divides and develop youth in conflict-affected regions; same sport-for-social-change methodology applied to a different sport and at-risk population.
• Delancey Street Foundation: Residential self-help re-entry program for former inmates emphasizing vocational training and education — a peer along the rehabilitation-and-employment continuum Espartanos occupies.
• Defy Ventures: Non-profit entrepreneurship and employment program for people impacted by incarceration; comparable target population, inside-prison curriculum, and employer-network model.

Broad incumbents

• Ashoka (Argentina/LATAM): Global network supporting leading social entrepreneurs including 'Sport for Social Change' fellows; a broader incumbent that works with sport-based and rehabilitation-purpose ventures similar to Espartanos.

Emerging players

• Sport Sans Frontières (Sport Without Borders): International NGO using sport to support vulnerable children and youth; thematic overlap with Espartanos' sport-as-tool-for-social-inclusion approach.

Others

• Help Argentina: Non-profit platform that channels international donations to vetted Argentine NGOs, including Espartanos itself; included as the foundation's core distribution partner rather than a competing program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundacionespartanos

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Fundación Espartanos