Relevant Gesprek® Academie

What Relevant Gesprek® Academie does

Relevant Gesprek® Academie is the online education arm of SIR Communicatiemanagement B.V., a privately-held Dutch company operating from Enschede since 2017. It commercializes the Relevant Gesprek® methodology, a structured framework for organizing public participation processes around societal topics, delivered through a modular curriculum covering approach design (4 Keys), execution (10 Steps), evaluation (Evaluatiewijzer), and organizational embedding (Borgingshuis). The platform serves public-sector professionals, municipal council members, housing corporations, and water authorities across the Netherlands and Belgium, with a stated community of 2,500+ professionals and 3,500+ trained practitioners since inception.

The offering is layered: standalone e-learning modules at €375 each, two 12-month subscription programs (Basisprogramma at €150/month, Borgingsprogramma at €200/month), monthly workshops at €245, free monthly webinars, custom incompany training, and physical products (Participatiebox at €75, Evaluatiebox at €65). Supporting the curriculum are two free online tools (Publieksanalyse with 125+ audience groups, an Online Participatiebox with 150+ conversation forms) that serve as top-of-funnel lead generation. Distribution runs through a self-serve online academy, a network of 30 certified partners in Netherlands and Belgium, and an annual Live Event in Amersfoort.

The business is bootstrapped with no external funding, no institutional investors, and no M&A history. Commercial operations are led by Martijn Schenning (Commercieel directeur), with methodology development associated with Barbara Borghuis and partner Nicole van de Ploeg. The Relevant Gesprek® word mark is registered at the BOIP Merkenregister (1412721) and the methodology is protected via an i-depot (132229), anchoring the brand and IP around the framework.

Name

Relevant Gesprek® Academie

Legal name

SIR Communicatiemanagement B.V.

Website

https://relevantgesprek.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Relevant Gesprek® Academie is an online education platform offering e-learning, coaching, and tools for the Relevant Gesprek® methodology, a structured framework for public participation processes serving municipal staff, council members, and public organizations across the Netherlands and Belgium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Participation Professional Training

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Tools & Platforms Training (Jira, Azure DevOps, MS Project, Smartsheet, etc.) (EDABAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Online Public Speaking & Debate Programs (Live/Recorded) (EDAMAOAD)

Keywords

• Public participation training
• Citizen engagement methodology
• Professional e-learning programs
• Government participation coaching
• Participation process tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Enschede

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual E-learnings & Training: Individual e-learning modules with accompanying live online training sessions. Each course costs €375 and includes 1 year access to video lessons, handbooks, and checklists.
2. Basisprogramma (Basic Program) Subscription: Monthly subscription at €150/month for 12 months. Includes 2 e-learnings, monthly workshops, weekly online coaching, helpdesk access, and Live Event. After 12 months can renew at €95/month.
3. Borgingsprogramma (Embedding Program) Subscription: Monthly subscription at €200/month for 12 months. Includes 3 e-learnings, all monthly workshops, weekly coaching, monthly intervisie, helpdesk access, and Live Event.
4. Workshop Participation: Individual workshop attendance costs €245 excl. VAT. Free for program participants.
5. Participatiebox Product Sale: Physical participation box sold for €75, containing cards and tools for structuring participation conversations.
6. Evaluatiebox Product Sale: Physical evaluation box with 35 evaluation cards sold for €65.
7. Incompany Training: Customized training for organizations delivered on-site or online. Training for college (1.5-2 hours), municipality council (2 hours), or general teams (4 hours). Pricing based on organization size and location.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Relevant Gesprek® Academie operates an online academy that delivers training, e-learning modules, coaching, and practical tools for public sector professionals working on citizen participation processes. The core offering is built around the proprietary Relevant Gesprek® methodology and includes individual e-learnings, 12-month subscription programs (Basisprogramma and Borgingsprogramma), physical conversation and evaluation toolboxes, free online selection tools, monthly workshops, webinars, and customized incompany training for municipalities and public organizations.

Product overview

Relevant Gesprek® Academie is an online education platform offering a modular learning system centered on the Relevant Gesprek® methodology for structured participation and public dialogue. The core offering consists of e-learning modules (De 4 sleutels, De 10 uitvoeringsstappen, Evaluatiewijzer, Borgingshuis Participatie, De 5 participatietaken van de raad) that can be purchased individually or bundled in subscription programs (Basisprogramma at €150/month, Borgingsprogramma at €200/month). Supporting tools include the physical Participatiebox (€75) with 150+ conversation forms and Evaluatiebox (€65) with 35 evaluation cards, plus free online tools (Publieksanalyse with 125+ audience groups, Online Participatiebox with 150+ forms). The platform provides community access through monthly webinars, workshops (€245), Masterintervisies, coaching sessions, helpdesk, and annual Live Events. Incompany training options are available for organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• E-learning 'De 4 sleutels van een slimme participatieaanpak' An e-learning module teaching professionals how to structure participation questions using the four keys: why, what, who, and how. Includes video lessons, handbooks, and checklists, sold with one year of access.
• E-learning 'De 10 uitvoeringsstappen van een succesvol participatieproces' An e-learning module teaching the 10 execution steps for organizing a structured participation process, from capacity planning to evaluation.
• E-learning 'Leren van participatie met de Evaluatiewijzer' An e-learning module teaching how to evaluate participation processes using the 4-step Evaluation Guide, turning evaluation into a learning process for better policy and processes.
• E-learning 'Borging Participatie' (Borgingshuis Participatie) An e-learning module on embedding participation in organizations using 10 building blocks of the Borgingshuis (Embedding House), helping create an environment-oriented organization.
• E-learning 'De 5 participatietaken van de raad' An e-learning module for municipal council members covering 5 participation tasks, teaching how to apply participation in their framework-setting, representative, and controlling roles.
• Participatiebox (physical) A physical toolbox with cards and tools (including Vraagwijzer and Toegangskwadrant) for selecting appropriate conversation forms for participation projects. Sold for €75.
• Evaluatiebox A card set with 35 evaluation cards aligned with the Relevant Gesprek® methodology for structured evaluation of participation processes. Sold for €65.
• Basisprogramma Participatie A 12-month subscription program at €150/month (renewal at €95/month) including access to the 4 Keys and 10 Steps e-learnings, monthly workshops, weekly coaching, helpdesk, and annual Live Event.
• Borgingsprogramma Participatie A 12-month subscription program at €200/month for embedding advisors, including 3 e-learnings, the council tasks module, monthly workshops, weekly coaching, monthly intervision, helpdesk, and Live Event access.
• Incompany Training 'Sturen als College' Incompany training for municipal executives (college) on steering successful participation, lasting 1.5-2 hours, for up to 12 participants.
• Incompany Training 'De 5 participatietaken van de raad' Incompany training for municipal council members on the 5 participation tasks, lasting 2 hours, for council or faction/commission groups up to 40 participants.
• Incompany Training 'De 4 sleutels van een slimme participatieaanpak' Customized incompany training for teams learning the 4-keys methodology together, lasting 4 hours, maximum 10 participants.

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Certified Partners (30)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor30 certified partners in Netherlands and Belgium who are trained and authorized to deliver the Relevant Gesprek® methodology. Partners participate in monthly Partner intervisie sessions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Direct peers

• B&A Groep: Dutch consulting and research firm serving municipalities and public organizations on social domain, participation, and policy. Direct peer as a public-sector-focused competitor addressing the same municipal client base with related training and advisory offerings.
• Lindenbaum: Dutch communications and participation consultancy supporting government and semi-public organizations on stakeholder engagement and citizen dialogue. Direct peer working in the same Dutch 'participatieadvies' market with overlapping customer set.
• BMC: Large Dutch public-sector consulting firm that advises municipalities and government agencies on participation, policy, and organizational change. Direct peer because it competes for the same municipal training and participation-programming budget as Relevant Gesprek® Academie.
• I&O Research: Dutch research firm specializing in public opinion, citizen participation, and stakeholder research for municipalities and provinces. Direct peer as it addresses the same 'how do you engage citizens' problem space, though more through research and advising than training subscription products.
• KWINK Groep: Dutch consulting firm focused on public policy, governance, and societal issues for central government, provinces, and municipalities. Direct peer because it sits in the same purchaser and topic space as Relevant Gesprek® Academie's training and programs.
• Argumentenfabriek: Dutch methodology consultancy that builds and teaches structured thinking frameworks (e.g., 'Wij zijn Nederland', 'De Argumentenfabriek'). Comparable to Relevant Gesprek® Academie as a methodology-driven professional training business operating in the Dutch public-domain conversation space.

Broad incumbents

• Berenschot: Major Dutch organizational consultancy with deep public-sector practice including leadership and change-management training. Broad incumbent; overlapping capability in public-sector training but operating at much larger scale across many domains beyond participation.
• NCOI: Largest Dutch provider of professional and management development training, including subscription-style programs for working professionals. Broad incumbent with overlapping customer segment (Dutch professionals seeking accredited training) but far broader catalog and scale.
• Schouten & Nelissen: Established Dutch professional training provider offering broad leadership, communication, and personal-effectiveness programs. Broad incumbent in the Dutch professional training market that competes for similar practitioner L&D budget via subscription-style programs.

Emerging players

• GoodHabitz: Continental-European online learning subscription platform selling to enterprises and government for unlimited soft-skills training. Emerging-style player; relevant because its subscription content model and self-serve Academy platform is structurally analogous to Relevant Gesprek® Academie's online training + community stack.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/relevant-gesprek

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Relevant Gesprek® Academie