Our impact in 2025 – The highlights

🎉 25 years of Valsplat! We celebrated our anniversary with our book Weg van Tech: not a retrospective or a success story, but open and honest conversations about our hopes and concerns for the digital future.

🤝 Together with Cybersoek, we’re bridging the gap. By conducting research at Cybersoek, we listen to people who are often overlooked. In this way, we help clients make apps and websites accessible to everyone.

🧠 We acquired Braingineers. Thanks to neuroscience research, we can identify where people actually experience frustration or enjoyment online. This enables us to make websites and apps much better for everyone.

🌍 Launch of De Goede Orde. The digital world has gone crazy. That’s why we’re joining forces with like-minded agencies to form a united front for a digital future centred on people.

🗣️ Our voice is getting louder. We’re speaking out more often on privacy, digital inequality and our relationship with technology – in articles, talks, with clients and through our own channels. 

We make the biggest impact through our clients

Our clients’ digital services affect people’s everyday lives. That’s why we help them make choices that make strategic sense whilst remaining people-centred. We ask critical questions and highlight where people get stuck, drop out or, conversely, are helped.

More revenue from impactful work
In 2025, 48.8% of our revenue came from work relating to our impact areas. The majority came from projects in the public sector, digital inclusion and technology that connects people. Three themes that often overlap and reinforce one another.

Customer satisfaction rated at 8.3
But we don’t just learn from a single assessment. Throughout the year, we’re in constant dialogue about what can be improved and how we can make a greater impact together.

Work we’re proud of

A selection of the projects through which we made an impact last year.

Our team makes the difference

In 2025, we had 53 Valsplatters working towards our mission and ambition. We continuously invest in our culture and in the growth and vitality of our team. For our B Corp certification, we scored 35 points on the ​‘employees’ criterion – 60 per cent higher than the average.

We have happy staff
Every year, we ask our team how they’re really getting on. What’s working well, and what could be improved? We use these insights to continuously improve our policies.

Gender balance
We know that diversity goes beyond gender alone. Nevertheless, we’re proud to have been at the forefront for years when it comes to the representation of women in tech. Whilst the industry as a whole consists of 30 per cent women and 70 per cent men* on average, our team has been balanced for years.

* source: Dutch Digital Agencies key figures 2023

Our impact extends beyond the work we do for our clients 

We support local initiatives through fair, local procurement. We share knowledge through talks, events and guest lectures. And we put our UX expertise to work for community organisations.

We gave 2 per cent of our profits back to society
Positive impact is created together. That’s why, every year, we donate at least 1.5 per cent of our net profit in the form of discounts, pro bono work, volunteering, and donations of money and goods. In 2025, we made an additional donation to Cybersoek. Through our collaboration, we saw first-hand just how important their work is.

We shared our knowledge in 9 sessions
We learn from others every day. And we’re happy to share our knowledge in return. In 2025, we took part in conferences, industry events and educational settings, delivering workshops, talks and guest lectures. At the User-Centric Conference, we led sessions on accessibility and unconscious behaviour. We also shared our insights at UX Insights, Enterprise UX and the Social Design Showdown.

A Christmas dinner featuring flavours from Gaza
Salma Barakat and her husband Ismail spent two days in our kitchen. They shared their love of Gazan cuisine, their stories and their concerns for family members left behind. It turned out to be more than just a delicious meal. It was a reminder of the power of personal stories in a turbulent world.

We are reducing our environmental footprint

Since 2023, we have had a policy in place to minimise our environmental impact. We do this within Valsplat, together with partners and suppliers, and in the work we carry out for clients. Here too, we help to develop and implement digital solutions responsibly.

60 per cent of our total procurement is local
Every choice counts. This applies to where we source our supplies too. It holds true for Valsplat, Hofstede Sterreschans and Happy Labs. We have refined our procurement policy. The result: by 2025, 60 per cent of our purchases were sourced locally. In this way, we not only support the local community, but we are also building a fairer and more sustainable supply chain.

Fewer journeys and support for local businesses
We regularly host guests for several days. We encourage them to stay overnight at Bistrotel ​’t Amsterdammertje, 700 metres away. Even when guests do not stay overnight, we often refer them to the restaurant. In this way, we combine reducing travel with supporting local businesses.

More B Corps at our farm
Hofstede Sterreschans is increasingly attracting B Corp-certified organisations. They consciously choose a venue that aligns with their values. In addition, in 2025 we began organising an event in collaboration with B Local Utrecht. In the summer of 2026, we hosted this event for this community at our venue.

Stepping up our waste separation efforts 
We separate paper, plastic and glass and minimise residual waste wherever possible. In 2025, we improved this approach at our Valsplat, Hofstede Sterreschans and Happy Labs sites. In this way, we are taking steps towards reducing waste and minimising our environmental footprint.

Making an impact with our board

In everything we do, we seek a balance between people, the environment and profit. In 2025, we took steps to embed that balance more firmly within our organisation.

An engaged advisory board
Our advisory board, comprising Wietske Kamsma, Jasper van Kuijk and Anne Nijenhuis, met with our shareholders twice in 2025. They discussed the 2024 impact report, our impact targets and Valsplat’s strategy.

Diversity in the leadership team
We also ensure a balance between men and women in our leadership team. In 2025, the team consisted of 44.4 per cent women and 55.6 per cent men.

Our new partner: Lotte
After 25 years, Joris and Nils felt it was time for something new at the top. Well, ​‘new’… Lotte has been part of Valsplat for 15 years and is indispensable. The fact that she is now a partner feels natural to everyone: she belongs at Valsplat. Together with the rest of the leadership team, she is charting a course for a future in which people, the environment and profit are in balance.

Valsplatters have a say in the strategy for 2026 and 2030
Every day, colleagues help clients with their direction and strategy. It makes sense to utilise that knowledge and expertise internally too. All Valsplatters helped to shape the strategy for 2026 and 2030. This has resulted in themes and choices that everyone can identify with.

New job classification system introduced
The team asked for greater clarity on competencies, career progression and pay scales. That is why, in 2025, we introduced a new job classification system that provides greater insight into career paths, expectations and remuneration. At the same time, we are preparing for the new legislation on pay transparency due to come into force in 2026.

What will we take with us into 2026?

More impactful work
In 2025, we actively pursued impactful work. We engaged more frequently with clients to discuss what is possible and where impact and results reinforce one another. In 2026, we will make more focused choices in this regard: what work do we undertake and with whom? In this way, we will increase the proportion of impactful work.

Reducing our environmental footprint
Our direct environmental impact is limited: we are a relatively small organisation, with no manufacturing processes or significant international travel. Nevertheless, we continue to improve. In 2026, we will take another look at our office, our procurement and the way we travel.

Submit your challenge as an impact project

A few times a year, we offer our expertise pro bono for projects that resonate with us and where we can add value. Does your challenge align with our mission? Let us know – perhaps there’s an opportunity for a fruitful collaboration.