Komt het Zien!

What Komt het Zien! does

Stichting Komt het Zien! is a Dutch nonprofit foundation (ANBI-registered) founded in 2014 and headquartered in Heerenveen, Netherlands. It provides live audio description (audiodescriptie) services at theater performances, festivals, and cultural events to enable blind and partially sighted individuals to experience visual stage content in real time. Its core service is delivered by four trained blind narrators (blindentolken) — Angelique van Lieshout, Hilbert Geerling, Dave van der Wal, and Priscilla Poldervaart — who broadcast live visual descriptions via wireless headphones to audiences. The service is augmented by a pre-show 'meet & feel' tactile introduction, downloadable audio and text introductions distributed via the Audiomaatje Webbox platform, and on-site equipment managed by volunteers.

The organization addresses an addressable audience of approximately 350,000 blind and partially sighted individuals in the Netherlands and works with over 100 theater and festival partners across all 12 Dutch provinces, including Koninklijk Theater Carré, Festival Boulevard, Zwarte Cross, Steengroeve Theater, Theater Oostpool, and Het Nationale Theater. Its technology stack is intentionally low-tech and human-centered: wireless headphones and receivers, the Webbox audio distribution device, and a website-maintained agenda platform listing upcoming accessible performances.

Komt het Zien! generates revenue from two streams: professional service fees charged to theater productions and event organizers for audio description at each performance, and recurring donations/grants from over 40 Dutch blind foundations, cultural funds, and municipalities. The organization operates with a small permanent staff of 6 (director Arlette Hanson, programmer Angelique van Lieshout, office assistant Lucette Perdok) plus an unpaid Supervisory Board and a volunteer network that distributes equipment at venues. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; visitors pay standard theater ticket prices with no surcharge for the audio description service.

Name

Komt het Zien!

Legal name

Stichting Komt het Zien!

Website

https://komthetzien.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stichting Komt het Zien! is a Dutch nonprofit foundation, founded 2014, that provides live audio description by trained blind narrators at theater and festival performances for blind and partially sighted audiences across the Netherlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Accessibility Services

NAICS

Translation and Interpretation Services (541930)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Interpretation, Captioning & Accessibility Services (Live Translation, ASL, WCAG) (THAHAOAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accessible Media Production (Alt Formats, Captioning, Audio Description) (EDALAGAC), Hybrid Concerts & Live Shows (Venue + Remote Audience) (MPAGAOAE)

Keywords

• Live audio description
• Accessibility services
• Visual impairment services
• Theater accessibility
• Audiodescriptie services

Headquarters

HQ city

Heerenveen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Service fees charged to theater productions and organizers: Komt het Zien! is hired by theater productions and event organizers. The costs depend on the complexity of the production and the number of repeat performances with audio description. Visitors pay regular ticket prices; the production/theater pays Komt het Zien! for the audio description service.
2. Donations and grants: As a foundation (stichting) with ANBI status, Komt het Zien! is financially supported by donors and grant-making organizations. Donations are tax-deductible. Multiple blind foundations, cultural funds, and municipalities provide financial support for equipment and operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Stichting Komt het Zien! provides live audio description (audiodescriptie) services for theater performances, festivals, and events, delivered by trained blind narrators (blindentolken) who verbally describe visual elements in real-time to blind and partially sighted audiences via wireless headphones. The service bundle includes live in-show narration, pre-show meet & feel tactile introductions, and downloadable audio/text introductions distributed through the Audiomaatje Webbox device.

Product overview

Komt het Zien! is a Dutch accessibility organization that makes theater and live events accessible for blind and visually impaired people. Their service portfolio consists of three core offerings: live audiodescriptie (real-time narration by trained blindentolken), meet & feel inleiding (pre-show tactile introductions), and downloadable audio/text introductions. They also provide the necessary audio equipment (headphones and receivers) and maintain an online agenda platform showing all accessible performances across the Netherlands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Audiodescriptie (Blindentolk) Live audio description provided by trained blindentolken (blind narrators) who describe visual elements of theater performances and events in real-time through wireless headphones, making shows accessible to blind and partially sighted audiences. The narrators sit in a soundproof booth and broadcast via headphones/receivers.
• Meet & Feel Inleiding

Quantifiable outcome

• First live audio description performance in Dutch history
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Jonkers & De JongeminorOthersProfessional services partner listed with thanks in the partners section.
• HeuffminorOthersMaterials or equipment supplier listed with thanks in the partners section.
• Theater met TolkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKollega's/peer organization that advises on accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. Listed on the audiodescriptie page as a related accessibility organization that provides a complementary service.
• Onbeperkt GenietenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization providing information about low-stimulus facilities in the cultural sector. Listed as a related accessibility partner.
• AccessibilityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert consultancy providing tips for accessible digital and physical environments. Listed as a related accessibility partner.
• allesoveraudiodescriptie.nlminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA comprehensive resource website about audio description in museums, football matches, film, and TV. Referenced as a related resource for more information on audio description.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Dedicon: Dutch accessible-media organization producing audio, braille, and large-print materials, including accessible versions of cultural content. Comparable as a Netherlands-based accessibility content producer serving visually impaired audiences, with overlapping funder ecosystems.
• Audio Description Associates: US-based audio description consultancy providing live and recorded audio description services for theater, film, museums, and cultural venues. Closest cross-Atlantic functional peer with the same core service (live audio description for cultural events) but in a different geography.
• VocalEyes: UK-based charity that provides live audio description and touch tours for theater and cultural venues for blind and partially sighted audiences. Direct functional peer — same service model (live narration + tactile introductions) in an adjacent European market.

Others

• Onbeperkt Genieten: Dutch organization providing information on low-stimulus facilities in the cultural sector (listed as a Komt het Zien! partner). Adjacent accessibility-services organization in the same Dutch cultural-accessibility ecosystem; complementary rather than competing.
• allesoveraudiodescriptie.nl: Dutch informational resource covering audio description across museums, football matches, film, and TV. Not a service provider but a sector resource cited by Komt het Zien! — useful signal of the broader Dutch audio description ecosystem and adjacent verticals Komt het Zien! could expand into.
• Audiomaatje / Webbox: Technology partner providing the Webbox device through which Komt het Zien! distributes audio introductions. Functions as an infrastructure/enabler for audio content distribution rather than a competitor, but is a meaningful technology dependency for Komt het Zien!'s content-library strategy.
• Stichting Accessibility: Dutch accessibility consultancy (explicitly listed as a partner) that advises on accessible digital and physical environments. Adjacent ecosystem player; not a direct audio description provider but shares the Dutch accessibility-services ecosystem and overlapping funder network.

Emerging players

• Theater met Tolk: Dutch organization making theater accessible for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences via sign-language interpretation. Explicitly listed as a 'collega's' (peer) partner by Komt het Zien!; mirrors the live accessibility-at-theater model for a different disability segment and could converge into multi-modal accessibility offerings.

Broad incumbents

• RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People): UK charity supporting blind and partially sighted people, including advocacy and accessible cultural programming. Functions as a broad incumbent — not a direct audio description provider at scale but the dominant UK visual-impairment umbrella organization, useful as a scale benchmark and partnership reference.
• CBB (Bibliotheekservice voor het onderwijs en blinden): Dutch library service producing accessible reading formats for blind and print-disabled users, including audiobooks. Adjacent incumbent in the Dutch accessible-media ecosystem; broader mandate (education, library services) but overlapping funders and accessibility mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/komt-het-zien

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Komt het Zien!