PE Awards
Our aim is 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. By creating three award categories, we reflect the three major archetypes in our industry; Venture, Growth and Buy-out. The direct financial return for the private equity investor does not constitute the decisive factor for selecting the award winners.
Discover the winners and nominees
of the 2024 edition of the PE Awards.
In the category Venture Company of the year, our winner is:
Aikido Security
Aikido Security is a cyber specialist that helps developers write more secure software. The company was founded in 2022 and is based in Ghent. Willem Delbare, founder of Teamleader, is the CEO of Aikido Security.
Companies need to comply with many complex compliance regulations and standards. These growing compliance obligations are the responsibility of developers who increasingly need to act as security experts. Aikido Security offers software solutions to meet this need.
Since the company was founded in 2022, EUR 24 million has been raised from Singular, Notion Capital, Connect Ventures and others.
Aikido Security currently employs 60 people.
In the category Growth company of the year, our winner is
Cluepoints
Founded in 2012, Cluepoints develops data analytics technology for clinical trials of pharmaceutical companies and is based in Louvain-la-Neuve. IDDI, a world-renowned contract research organisation specialising in statistics and data science and founded by Marc Buyse, was the developer behind the technology. The technology provided by Cluepoints helps pharmaceutical companies detect errors and fraud when preparing clinical studies.
The company counts major names such as Pfizer, BioNTech, UCB and Novo Nordisk among its client base. Following a financing round by Summit in 2020, it was acquired by EQT in 2024 with WE, Invest.BQ and Theodorus making a successful exit.
Cluepoints employs 287 staff, of which 130 work in Belgium.
Our winner in the category Buy-out company of the year, is:
Sofico
Founded in 1988 and based in Ghent, Sofico is a software company that provides solutions to the leasing sector. The company operates in more than 20 countries.
Sofico is led by CEO Gémar Hompes and provides both B2B (fleet) and B2C solutions (retail). It has a strong portfolio of national and international customers, including KBC Lease, ALD Automotive, Interleasing, Athlon, Volkswagen and Mercedes.
At the end of 2023, the French investment fund Astorg took control of the company, in which Apheon reinvested together with its founders.
Sofico has 513 employees.
Videos other nominees
Henchman
(Venture Company)
Micledi Microdisplays
(Venture Company)
Robovision
(Growth Company)
Silverfin
(Growth Company)
Hertecant Flanges
(Buy-out Company)
Tech Tribes
(Buy-out Company)
Private Equity Awards
Our aim is 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. By creating three award categories, we reflect the three major archetypes in our industry; Venture, Growth and Buy-out. The direct financial return for the private equity investor does not constitute the decisive factor for selecting the award winners.
Award categories
Venture company of the year, defined as a company backed by a venture capital firm, where the investment was primarily aimed at developing an innovative product or service, at scaling-up the company or accelerating the go-to-market process;
Growth company of the year, defined as a company backed by a private equity firm, typically through a minority investment, that is looking to expand and improve operations or enter new markets in order to accelerate its growth;
Buy-out company of the year, defined as a company backed by a private equity firm holding a majority or a controlling stake, and financed through a mix of equity and debt.
Nomination and selection process
- A long-list of companies, nominated by the BVA members and selected industry observers, is compiled by the BVA (April-May)
- The jury selects three nominees in each award category (June)
- Each nominee completes a concise company presentation template (July-August) and the CEO gives an in person presentation to the jury, who elects the winner in each category (September)
- The name of the winners are disclosed at the occasion of BVA Awards Ceremony & Cocktail (October)
Judging criteria
The jury will be asked to assess the awards against the following criteria.
For the Growth and Buy-out Company of the Year:
- Building an attractive, distinctive business which stands out from others in its sector;
- Skilled execution of particular projects, including product innovation, acquisition, capital investment, international expansion, marketing innovation;
- Evidence of great and authentic leadership, including development of a strong, progressive culture and wider contribution to society;
- Overall evidence of growth, including profit growth and returns on exit.
- Incorporating the consideration of Environmental, Social and Governance factors alongside financial factors in the business activities, hence contributing to sustainable value creation for society at large.
For the Venture Company of the Year:
- Particular focus on bringing to market new and high impact innovations;
- Evidence of skill in the way innovations have been translated into products, for example partnerships, regulatory hurdles overcome, technical challenges navigated;
- Financial success to be judged not by reference to profitability: external validation still essential but more likely to be by revenue growth, significant contracts and external investment from respected investors at increasing valuations;
- Incorporating the consideration of Environmental, Social and Governance factors alongside financial factors in the business activities, hence contributing to sustainable value creation for society at large.
