The Referral Company

What The Referral Company does

The Referral Company is a Netherlands-based professional services firm founded in 2018 by Heleen Stoevelaar that specializes exclusively in referral recruitment consulting. The company designs, activates, and optimizes employee referral programs for organizations ranging from 25 to 65,000 employees, executing a proprietary 6-step methodology ("Six Degrees of Separation") that spans diagnosis, program design, and ambassador activation. Its secondary intellectual asset is a 5-tier ambassador grading system used to assess and cultivate employee ambassadorship levels, with workshops and training sessions delivered as adjunct service modules. Customer logos span telecom (KPN), pensions (APG), aviation (Schiphol), government (Dutch Police, UWV, ProRail, Stedin), automotive/membership (ANWB), pharmaceuticals (Brocacef), and other Dutch enterprises.

The firm's revenue model is project-based professional services: engagements are bespoke and quote-based rather than productized, with additional income from conference speaking, 25-minute ambassadorship workshops, team training sessions, and a co-delivered training program with the Academie voor Arbeidsmarktcommunicatie. Go-to-market is founder-led and primarily direct, combining enterprise field sales to HR and recruitment leadership, inside sales via phone and email, and event-driven lead generation. The company is privately held and founder-owned with no disclosed external funding, no technology product, and no public revenue or headcount figures; programs have been delivered across 17 countries, but the operational base remains the Netherlands with a Dutch-language primary website.

Name

The Referral Company

Legal name

The Referral Company

Website

https://thereferralcompany.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Referral Company is a Netherlands-based, founder-owned professional services firm founded in 2018 that consults exclusively on employee referral recruitment for organizations of 25 to 65,000 employees, using a proprietary 6-step program methodology and a 5-tier ambassador grading system to design and activate bespoke referral programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recruitment Consulting

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Organization Design & Operating Model Consulting (BPAHAGAB)

Keywords

• Referral recruitment consulting
• Employee referral programs
• Ambassador program development
• Recruitment training services
• Employer branding services

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Referral Program Consulting & Implementation: The company provides end-to-end referral recruitment consulting services, from diagnosing organizational culture and employer brand health, to designing and activating bespoke referral programs. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements with client organizations.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Referral Company is a consulting firm that designs, implements, and activates bespoke employee referral recruitment programs for client organizations, using a proprietary 6-step methodology and a 5-tier employee ambassador grading system. Services span end-to-end referral program development, ambassador program cultivation, workshops, training, and event speaking. The company serves organizations ranging from 25 to 65,000 employees across 17 countries, including clients in government, telecom, financial services, aviation, and other sectors.

Product overview

The Referral Company offers a unified service-based offering centered on referral recruitment consulting and program development. The core service is the Referral Recruitment Program, supported by an Ambassador Program that identifies and cultivates employee advocates through a 5-tier gradation system. Additional service modules include short workshops (25 minutes), team workshops for hiring managers, and day-long training sessions for recruitment teams. The company also delivers a partner-branded training program in collaboration with the Academie voor Arbeidsmarktcommunicatie. All services follow a proprietary 6-step methodology ('Six Degrees of Separation') from research through activation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Referral Recruitment Services
• Ambassador Program Development
• Workshops, Speaking, and Training
• Referral Recruitment Training (with Academie voor Arbeidsmarktcommunicatie)

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 50% of vacancies can be filled through referral recruitment with a well-designed program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Academie voor ArbeidsmarktcommunicatiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Referral Company co-delivers referral recruitment training programs with the Academie voor Arbeidsmarktcommunicatie (Academy for Labor Market Communication). This partnership enables both organizations to offer referral recruitment content to HR and recruitment professionals through the Academy's established educational platform and audience.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Eightfold AI: Talent intelligence platform using AI for matching, internal mobility, and referrals. Comparable as an emerging tech player whose referral and employee-driven features overlap with the operational layer The Referral Company consults on.
• Teamtailor: Employer branding and ATS platform popular with European mid-market employers. Comparable as a European-headquartered tech vendor that includes referral functionality alongside career sites, competing for the same HR tech budget.
• Pinpoint HQ: Employee referral and internal mobility software for mid-market and enterprise. Comparable because it sells directly to the same HR/recruitment leader buyer with a focused referral-recruitment product, competing for part of the wallet.

Broad incumbents

• Randstad Sourceright: RPO and talent acquisition services arm of Randstad. Comparable because it delivers referral and sourcing strategy as part of outsourced TA engagements to large employers, often bundled rather than as a specialist engagement.
• iCIMS: Enterprise talent acquisition platform with built-in employee referral module. Comparable because iCIMS buyers often use its referral tooling in place of third-party advisory engagements, representing substitution risk.
• Radancy (formerly SmashFly): Talent marketing and CRM platform used by enterprise TA teams. Comparable as a broader incumbent whose platform includes referral campaign management as a feature, often displacing or augmenting pure-play consultancies.
• Cielo: Global recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) firm. Comparable as an enterprise-scale incumbent that embeds referral program design inside broader RPO mandates, competing for the same enterprise HR budget.

Direct peers

• SocialTalent: Recruitment training, learning content, and workshops sold to in-house TA teams. Comparable because SocialTalent delivers training and enablement — including around referral and sourcing best practices — through workshops and content, mirroring The Referral Company's training and workshop GTM motion.
• RolePoint: Employee referral platform purpose-built for referral program management. Comparable because RolePoint addresses the same buyer problem — running structured, measurable employee referral programs — but via software rather than consulting.
• Universum: Global employer branding and talent insights consultancy. Comparable because it sells advisory services that help organizations attract talent through brand and candidate experience — directly adjacent to referral recruitment as a talent acquisition strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Stoef
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-referral-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 The Referral Company