Villa Pinedo

What Villa Pinedo does

Villa Pinedo is a Dutch nonprofit foundation (Stichting Villa Pinedo), founded in 2011 by Marsha Pinedo and headquartered in Utrecht, that provides peer-based emotional and practical support to children and young people (ages 10-25) with divorced parents. Its core products are the Online Buddy Program — which matches children with trained volunteer Buddies aged 18-30 who themselves grew up with divorced parents, delivered via the dedicated Villa Pinedo Buddy App on iOS and Android — and the moderated Villa Pinedo Forums for children (4,826+ questions) and parents (1,947+ questions). Supporting products include SKJ-accredited professional training through the Villa Pinedo Academie, group sessions (Kindergroep), the Buddy+ enhanced-support module, the MDT School of Experience volunteer development program, online training for parents, and a webshop selling support materials such as the 'Vraag Maar!' card game and the Scheid-woordenboek.

The underlying platform is a custom online peer-support stack (mobile apps plus web) coordinated by a small professional team in Utrecht, with no public API or disclosed AI components; engagement is human-mediated by a volunteer workforce of 400+ Buddies, Forum-Buddies, Content Creators, and Speakers, of whom 450+ are reportedly active daily. Villa Pinedo monetizes through a freemium consumer model (free Buddy chat, Forum, and open letters) and a diversified institutional revenue mix: recurring contracts with 153+ Dutch municipalities, individual donations via WhyDonate and event fundraising, webshop sales, and quoted professional services through the Academie. Distribution runs through direct digital self-serve channels, municipal and school referral networks, and earned media (162+ mentions), with strategic alliances including Universiteit Utrecht (longitudinal effect study), Kinderpostzegels, Stiefacademie Nederland, EenVandaag, and Kenniscentrum Kind en Scheiding in Haaglanden.

The organization holds the CBF-keurmerk charity quality mark and received the Appeltje van Oranje from Queen Máxima in 2025; a 4-year Universiteit Utrecht study evidences reductions in guilt and worry among children using the Buddy program. Operationally it is led by Director Sanne Abrahams and governed by a four-person voluntary board (Marc Wullings, Bernadette Vehmeijer, Jelle IJsselstijn, André Deumers), with no parent company, private equity backing, or public funding rounds disclosed.

Name

Villa Pinedo

Legal name

Stichting Villa Pinedo

Website

https://villapinedo.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Villa Pinedo is a Dutch nonprofit foundation that delivers peer-based emotional support to children aged 10-25 with divorced parents via trained volunteer Buddies, moderated forums, professional training, and a mobile app, partnering with 153+ Dutch municipalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Peer Support Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Peer Support, Mentoring & Student Leadership (SEL) (EDAKAMAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL), Peer Support, Buddy Programs & Cooperative Learning Facilitation (EDAKABAI)

Keywords

• Peer support services
• Youth divorce support
• Children family services
• Online buddy chat
• Professional training academy

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Municipal/Government Contracts: Villa Pinedo partners with municipalities (153+ municipalities across the Netherlands) to deliver preventive online support for children and parents in divorce situations. These partnerships fund the Buddy program, training, and community operations.
2. Donations & Philanthropic Contributions: Individual donors contribute via the WhyDonate platform and direct donation links. Fundraising actions are also organized (e.g., Singelloop Utrecht, Kennedymars). Donations fund the development of programs and volunteer training.
3. Webshop & Product Sales: Villa Pinedo operates a webshop selling support materials including the 'Vraag Maar!' card game, the 'Scheid-Doos', books ('Je hoeft het niet alleen te doen'), posters, flyers, and banners. Revenue supports training of volunteers and program development.
4. Academie Training & Professional Services: SKJ-accredited training sessions, workshops, webinars, and speaking engagements are offered to municipalities, schools, and professional organizations. Some offerings are free webinars; others are quoted/professionally priced.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Villa Pinedo is a Dutch nonprofit foundation that delivers peer-to-peer emotional support to children and young people (ages 10-25) with divorced parents. Its core offering is the Online Buddy Program, which matches children with trained volunteer Buddies (ages 18-30) who themselves grew up with divorced parents for free, secure 1-on-1 chat support via a dedicated mobile app. The organization supplements this with moderated online Forums for children and parents, SKJ-accredited professional training through the Villa Pinedo Academie, educational content (Open Letters, Scheid-woordenboek), and a webshop selling support tools such as the 'Vraag Maar!' card game.

Product overview

Villa Pinedo operates as a peer-support platform for children and teenagers with divorced parents, combining digital services with experiential learning programs. The core offering consists of the Online Buddy Program (one-on-one chat support via the Villa Pinedo Buddy App), the Villa Pinedo Forum, and the Forum for Parents—all facilitated by trained young volunteers aged 18-30 who share their own divorce experiences. Supporting services include the Villa Pinedo Academie (SKJ-accredited training for professionals), the Open Letters collection (11 letters addressing various audiences), the MDT School of Experience (volunteer development program), and the Webshop (selling support materials like the 'Vraag Maar!' card game, books, and educational resources). The Buddy+ module provides enhanced support for children in difficult situations. Together, these services create an integrated ecosystem where peer experience drives support for children, parents, and professionals dealing with divorce.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Buddy Program Peer support program where experienced young volunteers (ages 18-30) who have divorced parents themselves provide one-on-one chat support to children ages 10-25 going through parental separation. Matching occurs within three working days of sign-up, with no waiting time and full child autonomy over engagement.
• Villa Pinedo Forum (Children) Online question-and-answer platform where children and teenagers post questions about divorce and receive responses from peer volunteers sharing their own lived experience. The forum contains 4,826+ questions covering topics such as contact loss, custody, step-parents, school, and rights.
• Forum for Parents Specialized forum where separated parents ask questions about how their children experience divorce, with responses from young people sharing the child perspective. Contains 1,947+ questions from parents.
• Villa Pinedo Buddy App Free mobile application available on the App Store and Google Play that enables children to securely chat with their matched Buddy. Children self-refer, are matched within three working days, and retain full control over the chat relationship.
• Villa Pinedo Academie Professional training and workshop division offering SKJ-accredited training sessions, webinars, workshops, and speaking engagements for youth workers, family lawyers, mediators, school social workers, and municipal policy officers. Sessions are quoted on a per-engagement basis and average 8.8/10 in professional ratings.
• Villa Pinedo Kindergroep Group sessions for children ages 8 to 24 where trained Villa Pinedo youth share their divorce experiences, based on the 'Over de Streep' methodology and Villa Pinedo Method.
• Pizzasessie / Focusgroep Research sessions where 8-10 young people with divorced parents discuss topics like contact loss, blended families, or experiences with forced youth assistance, producing insights for researchers, policymakers, and organizations.
• Online Training for Parents Digital self-paced training program for separated parents to help them understand and support their children through the divorce process, accessed via training.villapinedo.nl.
• Villa Pinedo Webshop Online store offering support materials including the 'Vraag Maar!' card game, the 'Scheid-Doos', books ('Je hoeft het niet alleen te doen'), posters, flyers, and banners. Revenue supports volunteer training and program development.
• Vraag Maar! Card Game Card game designed in collaboration with Elma van Vliet to facilitate conversations about divorce and help children express their feelings. Sold through the Villa Pinedo webshop.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children's guilt decreases; worry reduces; children share more openly about their feelings
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KinderpostzegelscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKinderpostzegels and Villa Pinedo collaborate to ensure children with divorced parents receive recognition, support, and someone who understands what they are going through. Together they promote practical initiatives like Mappa (an app helping children stay connected with both parents), raise awareness, and combine experiential knowledge with professionalism to reach as many children as possible.
• AlsjeuitelkaargaatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVilla Pinedo and Alsjeuitelkaargaat collaborate because they strengthen each other. Alsjeuitelkaargaat supports parents with clear information and practical advice, while Villa Pinedo brings the child perspective. Together they increase awareness among parents and professionals and ensure more knowledge, shared language, and an integrated approach to divorce at the local level in Hart van Brabant and Noordoost-Brabant.
• EenVandaagcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEenVandaag and Villa Pinedo jointly conducted large-scale research into what parents and children need during a divorce. The findings provided unique insights for EenVandaag broadcasts and were used in other media with parliamentary questions raised as a result.
• Stiefacademie NederlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVilla Pinedo and Stiefacademie Nederland jointly deliver SKJ-accredited training on working with blended families. The collaboration combines Villa Pinedo's child perspective with Stiefacademie Nederland's expertise in step-family dynamics, enabling professionals to develop a new professional lens to better understand and support families.
• Universiteit UtrechtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversiteit Utrecht and Villa Pinedo collaborated on a 4-year longitudinal effect study into the Buddy program, demonstrating measurable positive outcomes for children including reduced guilt, less worry, and more open emotional sharing. The university provides research credibility and rigor to the program's evidence base.
• 153+ Dutch MunicipalitiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMore than 153 Dutch municipalities partner with Villa Pinedo to deliver preventive, child-centered divorce support within their local divorce approaches. Municipalities include Groningen, Haaglanden region, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Utrecht, and many others. These contracts fund Villa Pinedo's programs and embed them in local social services.
• WhyDonateminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWhyDonate is the crowdfunding platform used by Villa Pinedo for individual fundraising campaigns and action pages. Individuals can start their own fundraising actions (marathons, walks, challenges) and donate proceeds to Villa Pinedo's programs.
• Kenniscentrum Kind en Scheiding (Haaglanden)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Kenniscentrum Kind en Scheiding in the Haaglanden region actively uses Villa Pinedo's offerings — including inspiration sessions, open letters, and pizzasessies — in their divorce approach. They serve as an intermediary, directing parents and children to Villa Pinedo while providing professional expertise on divorce and child welfare.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• 7 Cups: Global online platform pairing users with trained volunteer listeners for emotional support. Comparable in the digital peer-support model, trained-volunteer delivery, and chat-first architecture, though with a much broader mental-health scope.
• De Kindertelefoon: Dutch free helpline and chat service for children and youth, providing anonymous support on sensitive topics. Directly comparable to Villa Pinedo's child-first support mission, channel mix (chat/phone), and Dutch-only reach.
• Stichting Kinderpostzegels: Dutch children's charity and an explicit Villa Pinedo partner. Comparable because it funds and co-develops child-support programs (including the Mappa app) for vulnerable children across the same Dutch geography.
• Childline (NSPCC, UK): UK free, confidential helpline and online chat service for children and young people. Comparable in mission, channel mix (chat/phone/online), volunteer/counselor model, and reliance on donations and government partnerships.
• The Trevor Project: US nonprofit providing crisis and peer support to LGBTQ+ young people via chat, text, and phone. Comparable as a youth-focused, volunteer-driven, evidence-backed peer-support nonprofit with strong brand recognition and accredited training programs.
• Stiefacademie Nederland: Dutch stepfamily expertise center and a current Villa Pinedo SKJ-training partner. Comparable because it co-delivers accredited professional training on blended families to the same professional buyer.
• Kenniscentrum Kind en Scheiding: Dutch regional knowledge center on children and divorce, and a current Villa Pinedo institutional partner. Directly comparable as it provides professional divorce support and routes families to peer-support resources.

Broad incumbents

• Stichting Fier: Large Dutch foundation addressing domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual violence. Operates in the overlapping youth-and-family support space with institutional reach comparable to Villa Pinedo's municipal footprint.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters: Global youth-mentoring nonprofit pairing adult volunteers with children. Comparable as a scaled, evidence-validated mentoring model serving at-risk youth, though it uses adult mentors rather than near-peer lived-experience volunteers.
• Jeugdgezondheidszorg (JGZ) / GGD Jeugdgezondheid: Dutch public youth-health services delivered via municipal GGDs. Comparable because they are the institutional preventive youth-care channel through which Villa Pinedo's municipal contracts are distributed.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/villapinedo
• Facebookfacebook.com/VillaPinedo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stichting-villa-pinedo
• Instagraminstagram.com/villa_pinedo
• TikToktiktok.com/@villa_pinedo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Villa Pinedo