Indische Genealogische Vereniging

What Indische Genealogische Vereniging does

The Indische Genealogische Vereniging (IGV) is a Dutch non-profit membership association (vereniging) founded in 1988 and headquartered in Haarlem, Netherlands, dedicated to genealogical research of Dutch East Indies (Indische) family history. It serves more than 1,600 individual members distributed across Europe, the Americas, Africa, Australia, and Indonesia, including descendants of Dutch colonial administrators, KNIL soldiers, traders, and mixed IMCP+ (Indisch, Moluccan, Chinese, Papoea) heritage families, as well as adopted persons from Indonesia seeking biological connections.

The association's core technology is a digital archive infrastructure built on the archieven.nl database platform, housing the Indisch Archief with 30+ collections and over 2 million records, more than 100,000 photos/scans, and Janssen's Indisch Repertorium indexing approximately 278,000 references to about 65,000 family names. Supporting products include the Indische Navorscher yearbook (published since 1988), a 52 GB USB stick with 580+ files of digitized sources, 37 Bronnenpublikaties volumes, the IGV Indisch DNA Project hosted on Family Tree DNA, an oral history archive, and ongoing crowdsourced indexing projects for Dutch East Indies military and civil records. A web-based data entry environment built by Nationaal Archief digital archivist Jeroen van Luin supports volunteer transcription of historical records.

IGV operates a subscription-based revenue model with annual membership dues tiered by geography and format (€18-€57 per year), supplemented by USB stick and individual publication sales through its webshop. Go-to-market is community-led, combining direct-to-consumer online membership signup, product-led growth through the gated Indisch Archief, and presence at cultural festivals (Bronbeek Festival, Tong Tong Fair), workshops, the annual ALV, monthly Vrienden Vrijdag research days at CBG in The Hague, webinars, and periodic study trips to Indonesia. Strategic partnerships with CBG | Centrum voor Familiegeschiedenis, the Nationaal Archief, Family Tree DNA, and the LDS Family History Centers extend distribution and research access.

Name

Indische Genealogische Vereniging

Legal name

Indische Genealogische Vereniging

Website

https://igv.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Indische Genealogische Vereniging (IGV) is a Dutch non-profit membership association founded in 1988, serving 1,600+ members globally who research Dutch East Indies family history through its Indisch Archief database (2M+ records), Janssen's Indisch Repertorium, the Indische Navorscher yearbook, crowdsourced indexing projects, and a DNA project on Family Tree DNA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Haarlem

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: IGV's primary revenue stream. Annual membership fees are tiered by geography and format: worldwide digital (€24), combi CBG friends digital (€18), book membership Netherlands (€38), book membership Europe (€43), and book membership outside Europe (€57). The association has over 1,600 members.
2. Publication and USB Sales: Sale of the IGV USB stick containing publications and sources (52 GB, 580+ files) at €60 for non-members and €30 for members (50% discount). Individual Bronnenpublicaties and the Indische Navorscher yearbook are sold separately in the webshop, both in print and digital formats. Members receive 50% discount on the entire webshop assortment.
3. DNA Testing Services: IGV facilitates DNA research by providing information about DNA testing providers and comparison tools. The IGV Indisch DNA project on Family Tree DNA connects members for genealogical matching.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The IGV is a Dutch non-profit membership association that curates and provides access to genealogical records and research resources for people tracing their Dutch East Indies (Indisch) family history. Its core deliverables are the Indisch Archief (2+ million records), Janssen's Indisch Repertorium (278,000 surname references), the Indische Navorscher yearbook, a 52 GB USB compilation of sources, and DNA project support for members across Europe, America, Africa, Australia, and Indonesia.

Product overview

The Indische Genealogische Vereniging (IGV) operates a platform of genealogical research products centered on Dutch East Indies family history. The core offerings include the Indisch Archief (a professional database on archieven.nl with 2+ million records), Janssen's Indisch Repertorium (a genealogical name index with ~278,000 references), and the Indische Navorscher (a yearbook/monograph publication series spanning 37 volumes of Bronnenpublicaties). Supporting products include a USB stick with 52 GB of digitized sources, the IGV Indisch DNA project on Family Tree DNA, and membership providing exclusive access to member-only resources. The organization also conducts indexing projects to digitize historical military and civil records. The platform is primarily content-focused rather than software-driven, with no public API currently offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Indisch Archief A professional digital archive containing 30+ collections with more than 2 million records (persons, photos, documents) and over 100,000 photos/scans, hosted on archieven.nl. Access is exclusively for IGV members. It is for individuals researching Dutch East Indies family history.
• Janssen's Indisch Repertorium A general surname index containing approximately 278,000 references to about 65,000 family names connected to the Dutch East or West Indies. It is for genealogists searching for surname-level references across Dutch Indies publications.
• Indische Navorscher yearbook A yearly publication (since 1988) or monograph containing genealogical research, family histories, and articles about Dutch East Indies family history. It is distributed in print (to book members) and digital (PDF + ePub) formats.
• USB Stick: Indische Bronnen - IGV Publicaties & Bronnen A 52 GB USB stick containing over 580 files including the Indische Navorscher, all Bronnenpublicaties through 2021, Regerings Almanakken, Naamlijsten, Adresboeken, and other Dutch East Indies historical documents. Searchable by keyword using a dedicated PDF search guide.
• IGV Bronnenpublicaties (Source Publications) Series A series of 37 published source volumes containing genealogical sources concerning European populations in the Dutch East Indies, including civil registration records, church registers, cemetery records, and military records from locations such as Batavia, Semarang, Surabaya, Malang, and Medan.
• IGV Indisch DNA Project A DNA research project hosted on Family Tree DNA facilitating genealogical research and connecting members for mixed-Indies ancestry matching, including traces from China, Southern Europe, Africa, West Europe, and Indonesia. It is for members with mixed Indische ancestry and adopted persons from Indonesia seeking biological connections.
• IGV Membership Annual membership providing access to the Indisch Archief database, 50% discount on publications and the USB stick, the Indische Navorscher yearbook (print or digital), the IGV Nieuws newsletter, and participation in workshops, lectures, and study trips.
• Oral History Project An oral history initiative documenting personal stories, interviews, and experiences related to Dutch East Indies family history. It serves both archival and community-engagement purposes.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 2 million genealogical records made searchable in the Indisch Archief
• +3 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jeroen van LuincoreTechnology or IntegrationJeroen van Luin, digital archivist at the Nationaal Archief, built the database infrastructure and data entry environment for IGV's crowdsourced indexing projects, including the Korps Pupillen and Niet-Europese KNIL projects. His technical contribution has been essential to making tens of thousands of names digitally searchable.
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS / Mormonen)coreOthersLDS has filmed and microfilmed civil registries, church registers, and notarial records from Indonesia, which are accessible exclusively at LDS Family History Centers. Since 2024, the CBG in The Hague serves as an LDS Affiliate Library. IGV provides guidance, indexes, and preparation materials for members using LDS resources.
• CBG | Centrum voor Familiegeschiedenis (The Hague)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBG and IGV co-host the monthly Vrienden Vrijdag (third Friday of each month, except July/August) at CBG in The Hague. Since 2024, CBG also operates as an LDS Affiliate Library, providing IGV members and visitors access to LDS microfilmed Dutch East Indies civil registries. IGV offers a 50% discount on membership for CBG Friends members.
• Nationaal Archief (NA) / National Archives of the Netherlands (Den Haag)coreTechnology or IntegrationIGV indexes records held at the Nationaal Archief (especially collection 2.10.50 for KNIL military personnel), references its scans in the Indisch Archief, and publishes guides and search aids for NA inventories relevant to Dutch East Indies genealogical research.
• CBG Vrienden (Centrum voor Familiegeschiedenis Friends)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIGV offers a special combi-membership at €18/year for CBG Friends members. This cross-promotion drives membership acquisition from the CBG's existing audience of family historians.
• Archieven.nlcoreTechnology or IntegrationIGV's Indisch Archief is hosted on the archieven.nl platform, combining their database infrastructure and security with IGV's content and expertise. Users need a free account on archieven.nl to access the archive.
• Family Tree DNA (IGV Indisch DNA Project)coreTechnology or IntegrationIGV maintains a dedicated DNA project page on Family Tree DNA, a major genetic genealogy platform. This project serves members researching mixed Indische ancestry and helps adopted persons from Indonesia find biological connections.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CBG | Centrum voor Familiegeschiedenis: Dutch national center for family history, co-hosts Vrienden Vrijdag with IGV and offers a discounted combi-membership. Both serve Dutch genealogical researchers and share overlapping audiences, archives, and educational programming.
• Nederlandse Genealogische Vereniging (NGV): Main Dutch national genealogy association with a much broader (non-Indisch) scope. NGV runs the Familiegeschiedenis event where IGV has a stand, and both compete for the same Dutch hobbyist-genealogist audience with membership and publication products.

Others

• Stichting Indisch Herinneringscentrum: Dutch foundation preserving the memory and history of the Indische community in the Netherlands. Adjacent mission to IGV (Indisch heritage), with shared audiences and event presence but a commemorative rather than genealogical focus.
• Stichting Moluks Historisch Museum: Dutch museum and knowledge center focused on Moluccan heritage, a key sub-segment of the Indische community IGV serves. Thematically aligned audience and overlapping research interests, but museum-oriented rather than archive-driven.

Broad incumbents

• Ancestry.com: Largest paid consumer genealogy platform with global record collections and DNA services. Operates as a broad incumbent whose general-purpose offerings partially overlap with IGV's value proposition for Dutch East Indies researchers.
• FamilySearch (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints): Global free genealogy platform operated by the LDS Church. IGV already partners with LDS for microfilmed Indonesian records; FamilySearch is a broader incumbent whose expansion into Indisch-specific collections could overlap with IGV's niche.
• MyHeritage: Global consumer genealogy and DNA-testing platform. Comparable in DNA-driven matching for mixed Indische ancestry and provides subscription access to international record collections that partially substitute for IGV's archive.

Emerging players

• Family Tree DNA: Hosts the IGV Indisch DNA Project and serves genetic genealogists worldwide. Comparable through shared DNA-matching use case for mixed-heritage Indische descendants, though FTDNA is technology-focused rather than archive-focused.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/indische-genealogische-vereniging

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Indische Genealogische Vereniging