The Data Tank
The Data Tank is a Gent-based non-profit think-and-do tank founded in 2023 that delivers data stewardship bootcamps, governance research, and policy advisory services on responsible data reuse and AI governance to public sector, civil society, private sector, and media organizations across Europe and beyond.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersBrussels, Belgium
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Data Tank does
The Data Tank is a non-profit think-and-do tank founded in 2023 and headquartered in Gent, Belgium, focused on building "human infrastructure" for responsible data reuse and AI governance. Its core offerings include Data Stewardship Bootcamps delivered across multiple European cities and in Maryland (USA), the Data Stewards Canvas toolkit, the Social License Lab, applied research on data/AI and emerging technologies, and policy advisory services on governance and business models. The organization serves public sector bodies, civil society organizations, private sector companies, and media organizations across Europe, North America, and Africa.
The organization's revenue model is foundation-grant dependent, with documented support from at least five major European foundations (Compagnia di San Paolo, King Baudouin Foundation, Robert Bosch Stiftung, Stiftung Mercator, Adessium Foundation), supplemented by training fees for bootcamps and policy advisory engagements. It operates with 11-50 employees and is supported by a Global Advisory Council of thought leaders, a 180+ alumni network, and a reported 9,000+ learner community. Strategic positioning centers on EU regulatory engagement (Data Governance Act, Data Act, AI Act) and cross-sector convening rather than proprietary technology development.
The Data Tank firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Data Tank
- Legal name
- The Data Tank
- Website
- https://datatank.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Data Tank is a Gent-based non-profit think-and-do tank founded in 2023 that delivers data stewardship bootcamps, governance research, and policy advisory services on responsible data reuse and AI governance to public sector, civil society, private sector, and media organizations across Europe and beyond.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Data Tank industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Data Governance and Stewardship Advisory Services
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA)
Keywords
Where The Data Tank is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brussels
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Data Tank business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Foundation Grants and Funder Support: The Data Tank operates as a think and do tank primarily funded by philanthropic foundations. Their funders include Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, King Baudouin Foundation, Robert Bosch Stiftung, Stiftung Mercator, and Adessium Foundation. These foundations provide grants to support research, training programs, and policy engagement activities.
- Training and Capacity Building Services: The organization delivers data stewardship bootcamps and training programs to organizations across sectors. Bootcamps are held in various locations (Turin, Milan, Zurich, Bern, Berlin, Brussels, Maryland, Torino) and serve public sector, private sector, and civil society organizations. Revenue comes from course fees for these training programs.
- Research and Policy Advisory Services: The Data Tank conducts action research, publishes reports, and provides policy recommendations to governments, international organizations, and civil society. They engage with the European Commission, participate in EU policy consultations, and contribute to regulatory framework development.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Data Tank product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Data Tank is a non-profit think and do tank that delivers training, research, and policy engagement around responsible data reuse. Core offerings include data stewardship bootcamps, social license research, AI and emerging technologies policy work, and advisory services on governance and business models for data collaboratives. The organization works with public sector, civil society, private sector, and media organizations globally.
Product overview
The Data Tank is a think-and-do tank organized around four interconnected programs: Data Stewardship Bootcamps (intensive training for professionals across sectors), the Social License Lab (participatory governance research), the Data/AI and Emerging Technologies Program (AI governance policy work), and Governance/Business Models Advisory Services. The organization also produces toolkits like the Data Stewards Canvas and runs initiatives such as the Strengthening Media in the Age of GenAI project. Programs focus on building human infrastructure—specifically data steward capabilities—to enable responsible data reuse for societal benefit.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Data Stewards Academy: A collaborative initiative between The Data Tank and partners for data stewardship training and education programs.
Products and services
- Data Stewardship Bootcamps Intensive training programs that equip professionals across public, private, and civil society sectors with data stewardship skills to facilitate responsible data reuse and address public-interest challenges. Delivered in cities across Europe and the US.
- Social License Lab Research and implementation of frameworks for meaningful, participatory and democratic engagement to ensure data reuse is done through inclusive decision-making processes.
- Data, AI and Emerging Technologies Program Research and policy engagement to ensure data governance and reuse is fit for purpose in the context of AI systems and emerging technologies.
- Governance and Business Models for Data Reuse Research services and advice for data collaboratives to develop data governance and business models for sustainable data reuse ecosystems.
- Data Stewards Canvas A practical toolkit used in bootcamps to guide organizations through the data stewardship process from identifying data demand to measuring impact.
- NextGenData Youth Engagement Framework A pioneering approach to youth engagement in data and service provision, adapted into a Responsible Innovation framework suite of tools by the Data for Children Collaborative.
- Strengthening Media in the Age of GenAI Project An action-research and dialogue project convening media stakeholders to identify strategies for small and medium media organizations to strengthen bargaining power vis-a-vis Generative AI providers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 180+ data steward alumni trained globally
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Data Tank
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Data Tank technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The Data Tank partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.
- Impact Licensing Initiative (ILI)majorThe Data Tank is part of the ILI consortium leading education and capacity-building. They developed a toolkit on data, AI, and data-driven applications, and designed a train-the-trainers programme for public and philanthropic funders. ILI works with Eurice, RISE, University of Cambridge, and others.
- Medicines Patent Pool (MPP)minorCo-host of the workshop on Funding and Licensing for Impact and Access at the European Commission. MPP presented experience in negotiating licensing agreements for equitable access to medicines.
- International Civil Society CentremajorCo-organized the Digital Dialogue on unlocking the potential of data reuse for serving the common good. The dialogue explored how civil society can steward data reuse to create public value.
- The Governance Lab (GovLab) at NYUcoreLong-term collaborator on data stewardship initiatives. Co-founded by The Data Tank's Co-Founder Dr. Stefaan Verhulst. Joint efforts include training programs, research, and the Data Collaborative Accelerator. GovLab partnered to deliver bootcamps in Maryland with state government.
- Data Stewards AcademycoreThe Data Tank collaborates with the Data Stewards Academy as part of training program delivery. Bootcamps like the Milan program are delivered as part of the Data Stewards Academy ecosystem.
- Global Advisory Council MemberscoreThe Global Advisory Council comprises 11 thought leaders including David Dab (Microsoft), Parminder Singh (IT for Change), Marietje Schaake (Stanford), Bitange Ndemo (Kenya Ambassador), Brandeis Marshall (DataedX Group), and others who provide strategic advice and expand reach within their communities.
- Bertelsmann StiftungcorePartner on the Data Atlas for Civil Society initiative and second edition bootcamp in Berlin. The bootcamp gathered 19 participants across civil society and social sector organizations in Germany as part of this initiative.
- Fondazione CariplomajorCollaborator on the Milan Data Stewardship Bootcamp. Fondazione Cariplo is an Italian foundation focused on social welfare and cultural development in Lombardy.
- Data for Children CollaborativemajorThe Data Tank's NextGenData project insights informed the Data for Children Collaborative's Responsible Innovation framework tools. They built a Workbook for Designing Responsible Youth Participation based on The Data Tank's methodology.
- Tanzania Data LabminorParticipated as expert in the Digital Dialogue alongside the Norwegian Refugee Council, sharing insights on data stewardship as a function and responsible data reuse.
- Swiss Data AlliancemajorCollaborator on the first Data Stewards Intensive Course in Switzerland, organized with Opendata.ch and support from Hasler Stiftung. The course took place in Zürich and Bern.
- Opendata.chmajorSwiss open data organization that collaborated on the Data Stewards Intensive Course in Switzerland alongside the Swiss Data Alliance and The Data Tank.
- OGR TorinominorVenue partner for the Data Stewardship Bootcamp in Torino, Italy (June 2026). The bootcamp will take place at OGR facilities between June 15-17, 2026.
- ESADEminorThe Data Tank's Marta Poblet and Anna Colom spoke at ESADE's panel at Mobile World Congress on 'The Hidden Costs of AI'. ESADE organized the event featuring The Data Tank speakers.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Data Tank competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Governance Lab (GovLab) at NYU: Co-founded by The Data Tank's Co-Founder Dr. Stefaan Verhulst, GovLab is a long-term collaborator on data stewardship bootcamps (including the Maryland program) and shares the same focus on responsible data reuse, training, and policy research.
- ILDA (International Landscape of Data and AI Rights) Alliance: Global alliance supporting data and AI rights and governance frameworks; sits in the same data-governance research and policy engagement space with overlapping civil society stakeholders.
- Ada Lovelace Institute: UK-based independent research institute that examines the societal implications of data and AI through research, policy engagement, and convening - matching The Data Tank's research-and-policy orientation and adjacent training work.
- MyData Global: Non-profit association promoting human-centric approaches to personal data, with a global community and training programs on data stewardship that closely mirror The Data Tank's bootcamp and convening model.
- Open Knowledge Foundation: Global non-profit working on open data, data governance, and civic technology through research, advocacy, and community programs - overlapping with The Data Tank's open-data stewardship and policy work.
- Open Data Institute (ODI): UK-based non-profit that trains data practitioners, conducts policy research, and convenes stakeholders on data stewardship and governance - a near-direct functional peer to The Data Tank's bootcamp and advisory programs.
- World Wide Web Foundation: International non-profit advancing an open, accessible web through research and policy advocacy on data governance, with a track record of training data leaders that parallels The Data Tank's stewardship bootcamps.
- Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL): Non-profit focused on digital inclusion and responsible data use in development contexts, training practitioners and producing research that intersects with The Data Tank's stewardship and public-interest data work.
- Data & Society: US-based research institute studying the social implications of data-centric technologies, with comparable structure as a think tank producing research, convenings, and policy output on data governance.
Broad incumbents
- European AI Fund: Philanthropic initiative co-created by King Baudouin Foundation (also a Data Tank funder) to support civil society working on AI policy in Europe; a broader portfolio funder that overlaps on AI governance research.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Data Tank social profiles
Digital presenceThe Data Tank financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Data Tank leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
The Data Tank funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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The Data Tank M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Data Tank
What does The Data Tank do?
The Data Tank is a non-profit think and do tank that delivers training, research, and policy engagement around responsible data reuse. Core offerings include data stewardship bootcamps, social license research, AI and emerging technologies policy work, and advisory services on governance and business models for data collaboratives. The organization works with public sector, civil society, private sector, and media organizations globally.
Is The Data Tank a public or private company?
The Data Tank is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Data Tank founded?
The Data Tank was founded in 2023. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Data Tank based?
The Data Tank is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does The Data Tank make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Foundation Grants and Funder Support is the primary driver. The others are training and Capacity Building Services and research and Policy Advisory Services.
Who are The Data Tank's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Governance Lab (GovLab) at NYU, ILDA (International Landscape of Data and AI Rights) Alliance, Ada Lovelace Institute, MyData Global, Open Knowledge Foundation, Open Data Institute (ODI), World Wide Web Foundation, Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) and Data & Society. European AI Fund is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does The Data Tank have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Data Tank.
What industry is The Data Tank in?
The Data Tank's product category is Data Governance and Stewardship Advisory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADADAA, Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks. Its NAICS code is 518 and its SIC code is 7370.