BVA | Belgian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association

We are happy to announce that Kearney has decided to join the BVA, welcome! Kearney is a leading global management consulting firm with over 5,700 people working in more than 40 countries. We work with more than three-quarters of the Fortune Global 500, as well as with the most influential governmental and nonprofit organizations.  Kearney has served 120+ Private equity funds since 2022 and 1,000+ Portfolio companies since 2020. We and our private equity clients are united by a shared objective: creating value. We help drive investor success with different services like: Investment thesis development, Due diligence, Portfolio-wide opportunity and risk assessments, Operational value creation, Commercial value creation, Transformational carve-outs, Product innovation and design, Add-on acquisitions, …

We are happy to announce that NPM Capital has decided to join the BVA, welcome! NPM is an independent investment partner that helps medium-sized and large companies with a head office in the Benelux to achieve their ambitions and build the businesses of the future. With offices in Ghent and Amsterdam, NPM focuses on family-owned enterprises and companies with a strong and dedicated management team. Its current portfolio consists of more than 20 companies, comprising both majority and minority participations, within themes that have an impact on the world's future: Sustainable Future, Everything is Digital, Feeding the World, and Healthy Life & Learning.

Last week, the Winners of the Private Equity Awards were announced. In the Venture Category, the jury chose Aikido Security, active in cybersecurity, a big challenge for society. CluePoints won the Growth Category Award. Cluepoints has s strong ESG focus, offers a solution for big pharma and shows extraordinary financial results. The Award in the Buy-out category went to Sofico, a world class company developing software for the automotive industry. Please have a look at the aftermovie we made, with some first reactions from our winners. #PrivateEquityAwards

Tonight, the winners of the 2024 Private Equity Awards were announced. The Winners of the Awards are Aikido Security, Cluepoints and Sofico In the Venture Category, the jury chose Aikido Security, active in cybersecurity, a big challenge for society. The company grows exponentially and has a very low customer acquisition cost targeting software developers rather than end-users. The other nominees were Henchman, part of LexisNexis and MICLEDI microdisplays. CluePoints wins the Growth Category Award. Cluepoints has s strong ESG focus, offers a solution for big pharma and shows extraordinary financial results. The other nominees were Robovision and Silverfin. The Award in the Buy-out category goes to Sofico, a world class company developing software for the automotive industry. The company has been growing consistently over the years. Apheon realised an exit selling the company to Astorg. The other nominees were Hertecant Flanges and Tech Tribes We would like to thank our partner BNP Paribas Fortis and our sponsors Argo Law and EY, without who this would not have been possible.

Tonight, the winners of the 2024 Private Equity Awards were announced. The Winners of the Awards are Aikido Security, Cluepoints and Sofico In the Venture Category, the jury chose Aikido Security, active in cybersecurity, a big challenge for society. The company grows exponentially and has a very low customer acquisition cost targeting software developers rather than end-users. The other nominees were Henchman, part of LexisNexis and MICLEDI microdisplays. CluePoints wins the Growth Category Award. Cluepoints has s strong ESG focus, offers a solution for big pharma and shows extraordinary financial results. The other nominees were Robovision and Silverfin. The Award in the Buy-out category goes to Sofico, a world class company developing software for the automotive industry. The company has been growing consistently over the years. Apheon realised an exit selling the company to Astorg. The other nominees were Hertecant Flanges and Tech Tribes We would like to thank our partner BNP Paribas Fortis and our sponsors Argo Law and EY, without who this would not have been possible.

These three companies have been nominated for the title of 'Buy-Out Company of the Year': Hertecant Flanges, Sofico and Tech Tribes. They are growing thanks to a combination of dedicated management and a private equity investor with a controlling interest. The nominations are part of the Private Equity Awards, which we are organising for the seventh year together with BNP Paribas Fortis. The Awards showcase Belgian companies that have been supported in their growth and development by a venture capital provider. #PrivateEquityAwards #BVA #BNPParibasFortis

Each year, the Private Equity Awards recognise Belgian companies that have received support from a private equity or venture capital investor for their growth and development. Want to know more about the promising nominees? Watch the video below. This is the seventh consecutive year that the BVA is organising this prestigious awards ceremony, in collaboration with BNP Paribas Fortis. We believe in our Belgian companies, and these awards allow us to put them in the spotlight. #PrivateEquityAwards #BVA #BNPParibasFortis

This Monday, the BVA organised another edition of the VC Roundtable! 🏗 This time, it was held at Tomorrowland's brand new innovation campus, the "Lab of Tomorrow," bringing together the best tech companies in the event industry. 🙏 A warm welcome was given by the Lab's manager, Hanne D., who gave us a sneak peek of the future plans for the region. 📈 Bjorn Tremmerie from the European Investment Fund (EIF) provided valuable insights into the performance of European VC funds. As an LP in more than 1,500 PE & VC funds, with over €39 billion committed, their data shows that most European VCs deliver superior and competitive returns. 🥇 The top quartile of EU VCs has actually outperformed their US counterparts over the last 18 years (Source: PitchBook). 🦄 Unicorns are clearly great founder factories. Ex-founders and ex-employees of these companies start new (successful) companies, which creates a "snowballing" effect. One example in Belgium is with the original Netlog founders: 🙏 Lorenz Bogaert, Boris Bogaert, Nicolas Van Eenaeme, and Toon Coppens. 🔥 Currently, Belgium ranks 9th among VC funding destinations in Europe for 2024. 1st place = UK ($11.5B), 2nd place = Germany ($5.6B), 3rd place = France ($5.6B). 🌤 We are seeing signs of market stabilization and a recovery after the market correction in 2022. The investment landscape is stabilizing and returning to "normal." Startups are recruiting again, with a significant rise in job postings. A lot of money is flowing into GenAI, climate, deep tech, and health sectors. 💡 Joe Schorge from Isomer Capital gave an insightful session on creating liquidity for LPs through secondaries. They have over 77 VC fund investments as an LP, 44 direct co-investments, and secondaries in companies, as well as 33 unicorns in their portfolio. 🎓 European VC has created many great companies but not enough liquidity for their investors, often being illiquid for more than 12 years. Secondary funds can play an important role in providing liquidity for LPs, founders, and VC firms. A big thank you to Tom Sas from Boker Tov, for providing the delicious catering! ❤️ Thanks to the following funds for participating and contributing to the lively discussions: 6 Degrees Capital Akiles Angelwise BeAngels Birdhouse Ventures Capricorn Partners Droia Ventures imec.istart future fund Aconterra TCD Capital (ex TheClubDeal) Smartfin Fortino Capital Pitchdrive | Early-stage VC 🚀 HERAN Partners Volta Ventures ScaleFund KBC Focus Fund Seeder Fund Qbic Fund | Venture Capital LRM NV Ninepointfive European Investment Fund (EIF) Isomer Capital BVA | Belgian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association

We are gearing up for the seventh edition of the Private Equity Awards, our annual competition to reward and celebrate high-performing Belgian companies that are backed by a private equity or venture capital investor, thus highlighting private equity as an asset class supporting the development and growth of Belgian businesses. #PEAwards #BVA #BNPParibasFortis

What do start-ups, fast-growing and mature companies have in common? Venture capital investors are essential for their growth. And this is what the Private Equity Awards 2024 want to highlight. The Awards are an initiative of the BVA | Belgian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association and BNP Paribas Fortis and the nominees in the final category have just been announced: Aikido Security, Henchman, part of LexisNexis en MICLEDI microdisplays are competing for the 'Venture Company of the Year' title. #PE Awards #BVA #BNPParibasFortis