SPARKS GENERATION

What SPARKS GENERATION does

SPARKS Generation (Ideella Föreningen Sparks Generation) is a Stockholm-based nonprofit association founded in 2018 that operates SPARKSAPP, a free, non-commercial, ad-free digital platform connecting Swedish youth aged 0–25 with local leisure activities such as sports, arts, culture, and gaming. The platform is accessible via iOS, Android, and web (web.sparksapp.se), uses BankID and Freja eID for identity verification, supports dynamic QR-code and GEO-fencing-based check-ins, and integrates with the Swedish Sports Confederation's RF LOK-stöd subsidy system, KEKS Loggboken for youth recreation centers, and the Sveriges Föreningssystem (DAK) for association reporting. Complementary products include Sparksportalen (a real-time analytics dashboard for municipalities), SPARKS Club (a member-registry and LOK-stöd add-on for sports associations), the Fritidsgårdsmodul (a youth-center management module), Sparks United (a holiday-period crowdfunding and activity initiative), and a paid youth ambassador program employing 15–22 year-olds as community promoters.

The organization earns revenue primarily through annual municipality licensing agreements sold under the Idéburet Offentligt Partnerskap (IOP) framework, with five active municipal partners (Upplands-Bro, Sundbyberg, Sollentuna, Norrtälje, Gothenburg) plus Bjuv, and a pipeline targeting Linköping and broader Swedish rollout. Supplemental revenue comes from municipal marketing packages, foundation and trust grants (including Erling Perssons Stiftelse and Ideér for Livet), corporate sponsorships (excluding pharmaceutical, alcohol, tobacco, pornography, and weapons industries), and individual donations via Swish and crowdfunding campaigns under Sparks United, with 90% of donated funds flowing directly to youth activities. The platform serves approximately 15,000 users and 100+ connected organizations, reports 85%+ attendance utilization on booked activities, and targets the roughly 50% of Swedish 10–18 year-olds who lack regular leisure activities — operating under GDPR-compliant, Swedish-hosted infrastructure and Giva Sverige's Tryggt Givande quality certification.

Name

SPARKS GENERATION

Legal name

Ideella Föreningen Sparks Generation

Website

https://sparksgeneration.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sparks Generation is a Stockholm-based nonprofit operating SPARKSAPP, a free Swedish digital platform that connects youth aged 0–25 with local leisure activities and provides municipalities, sports associations, and youth centers with booking, check-in, and real-time analytics tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Municipality Licensing: Sale of platform licenses to municipalities enables youth in their municipalities to access, sign up, and provide feedback on the local offering of free leisure activities (try-out sessions, events, courses, and camps). This is a recurring revenue stream from municipal partnerships.
2. Municipality Marketing Packages: Sale of marketing packages to municipalities as part of their partnership agreements for promoting youth activities and engagement.
3. Sparks United - Crowdfunding & Private Donations: Sparks United initiative combines private engagement with volunteer efforts. Fundraising campaigns (e.g., Caroline Frinerie's G2S Ski Tour) target financing 100 activities and 1000 snacks. Crowdfunding model where 90% of funds go directly to activities and 10% to administration and platform maintenance.
4. Corporate Partnerships & Sponsorships: Financing from corporate sponsors aligned with the organization's values. Corporate partnerships regulated under separate policy. No acceptance of funds from pharmaceutical, alcohol, tobacco, pornography, or weapons industries.
5. Foundation & Trust Grants: Grants and funding from foundations and trusts supporting youth welfare and leisure activities.
6. Sparks United - Individual Swish Donations: Direct Swish donations from private individuals with campaign-specific marking (e.g., SWISH 123 420 6967, mark: SPARKS UNITED). Target of 250,000 SEK to finance 200 activities and 5000 snacks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

SPARKS Generation develops and operates SPARKSAPP, a non-commercial, ad-free digital platform (iOS, Android, and web) that helps Swedish youth aged 0-25 discover, browse, and book local leisure activities such as sports, music, arts, and gaming. The platform is offered free to end users (youth, parents, and associations) and monetized through annual platform licenses and marketing packages sold to Swedish municipalities, with supplementary funding from foundations, corporate sponsors, and individual donations.

Product overview

SPARKS Generation is a non-profit association offering SPARKSAPP as its core digital platform — a free, non-commercial mobile and web application enabling youth (ages 0-25) to discover and book leisure activities. The platform operates on a municipality-licensed B2B model, with revenues from platform licenses and marketing packages sold to municipalities. The product portfolio includes SPARKSAPP (core app for youth, guardians, and activity organizers), Sparksportalen (municipality/association dashboard with real-time analytics), SPARKS Club (add-on with member registry and LOK-stöd support for associations), and the Fritidsgårdsmodul (after-school club management with KEKS integration). SPARKS United is a structured holiday initiative combining crowdfunding with the platform, while the Ambassador Program engages teenage role models to promote the platform through schools and events. The platform integrates with RF LOK-Stöd, The Logbook (KEKS), and Sveriges Föreningssystem (DAK).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SPARKSAPP: Digital platform for children and youth to discover, explore, and sign up for leisure activities, run by municipalities, associations, and youth organizations.
• Sparksportalen
• Sparks United
• SPARKSAPP Club

Products and services

• SPARKSAPP A digital platform and mobile app available on iOS, Android, and web that enables youth aged 0-25 to discover, browse, and book leisure activities including sports, music, arts, and gaming. Features BankID and Freja eID verification, dynamic QR code check-ins, geolocation-based attendance, membership management, automated reminders, and integrations with RF LOK-stöd and KEKS Loggboken. Non-commercial and ad-free.
• Sparksportalen A municipality and association dashboard providing real-time analytics on youth interests and participation, including demographic data (age, gender, socioeconomic factors), activity trends, calendar coordination, and youth feedback to support resource allocation and reporting.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 85% of booked places are actually used (vs industry baseline of much lower)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Bjuv MunicipalityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025New municipal partnership in 2025. Part of geographic expansion strategy.
• Norrtälje MunicipalitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2024Municipal partnership with SPARKSAPP launched February 2024. Logo displayed as municipal partner on website.
• Upplands-Bro MunicipalitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partnership for youth leisure activities. SPARKSAPP launched October 2020 with 1,711 members and 41 connected organizations. Municipality uses SPARKSportal for real-time data on youth participation. Culture and Recreation Director Hannah Rydstedt Nencioni states: 'SPARKS is the infrastructure for us to reach our youth.'
• Sundbyberg MunicipalitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partnership with SPARKSAPP launched February 2023. 689 members and 30 connected organizations. Unit Manager Lorentina Runander: 'Thanks to SPARKSAPP we see young people who previously never visited our facilities now visiting us.'
• Sollentuna MunicipalitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partnership with SPARKSAPP launched October 2023. 865 members and 17 connected organizations.
• Gothenburg MunicipalitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partnership with Gothenburg city (Göteborgs stad). Target area for Sparks United initiative alongside Stockholm Region. Focus on expanding summer holiday activities for youth.
• Idrott Utan GränserminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSports association partner working to increase accessibility of sports activities regardless of background.
• KodcentrumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing coding education and activities for children and youth.
• AxjomaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the youth activities ecosystem.
• KEKS (The Logbook)coreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology integration partner for attendance management. SPARKSAPP has direct integration with KEKS Loggboken where check-ins in SPARKSAPP automatically sync to KEKS for youth recreation centers. Partnership enables seamless reporting without duplicate data entry.
• RF (Swedish Sports Confederation)coreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with RF's LOK-stöd system for sports activity support. SPARKSAPP enables sports associations to automatically generate attendance data for LOK-stöd claims, including for non-members participating in open activities.
• Bro IKminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSports club partner using SPARKSAPP to reach new youth members. Club Manager Nils Tener: 'Through SPARKSAPP we reach children and youth we would otherwise never contact.'
• Street Mentality (Parkour Club)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorParkour club in Sundbyberg using SPARKSAPP to expand reach. Operations Manager Mehedi uses the app to reach more participants than traditional methods.
• Turebergs FritidsgårdminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorYouth recreation center user providing testimonial on how they use SPARKSAPP for member management and attendance.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Eventbrite: Global event discovery and ticketing platform. Comparable to SPARKSAPP's activity-booking and check-in functionality, but at much larger scale, commercial, and focused on paid ticketed events rather than free youth activities.
• Meetup: Global platform for discovering and joining local interest-based groups and activities. Comparable to SPARKSAPP's activity-discovery model, but operates at global scale, focuses on adult communities, and is commercial/ad-supported.

Direct peers

• Bokadirekt: Swedish online booking platform for local services and activities across Sweden. Comparable to SPARKSAPP as a marketplace connecting users with bookable local activities, though Bokadirekt is broader (spa, beauty, wellness, fitness) and commercial while Sparks focuses narrowly on youth leisure.
• SportAdmin: Swedish club administration platform for sports associations, providing member management, LOK-stöd reporting, and billing. Competes for the same Swedish sports-association customer segment and overlaps with SPARKSAPP's SPARKS Club and LOK-stöd integration functionality.
• Kiddo: Family-focused activity discovery and booking platform. Comparable to SPARKSAPP as a kid/family activity marketplace, though commercial and broader geography; both help parents discover and book children's activities.
• Heja (Heja Sports): Swedish sports team management app used by sports clubs for scheduling, communication, and member management. Directly comparable to SPARKSAPP's association-side functionality (SPARKS Club module) and serves the same Swedish sports-association customer base.

Emerging players

• Playmetrics: Youth sports club management software covering registration, payments, and team management. Comparable to SPARKSAPP's association-side functionality (SPARKS Club), particularly around LOK-stöd-like subsidy reporting, but operating in the US market.
• LeagueApps: US-based youth sports league management platform providing registration, scheduling, and communication tools. Comparable to SPARKSAPP's youth-association and fritidsgård modules but focused on paid youth sports leagues in North America rather than European public-sector leisure.

Others

• KEKS (The Logbook): Swedish attendance-logging system for fritidsgårdar (youth recreation centers), operated by Ungas Fritid. Already integrated with SPARKSAPP, but represents adjacent infrastructure for the same end-customer; potential competitor if KEKS expands upstream into activity discovery.
• Sveriges Föreningssystem (DAK / IdrottOnline): Swedish national sports administration systems run by the Riksidrottsförbundet (Swedish Sports Confederation). Already integrated with SPARKSAPP via LOK-stöd and DAK, but adjacent rather than directly competitive — they provide the regulatory infrastructure SPARKS plugs into.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SPARKSORG
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sparksgeneration
• Instagraminstagram.com/sparksgeneration
• TikToktiktok.com/@sparksgeneration

Compliance2 records

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 SPARKS GENERATION