Private Equity
Awards 2019

Discover the winners and nominees of the 2019 edition of the PE Awards.

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.

Venture Company of the year:

icometrix

Leuven

The Winner was icometrix, the world leader in software solutions to obtain clinically meaningful data from brain MRI and CT scans for patients with Multiple Sclerosis, Traumatic Brain Injury, Epilepsy, Alzheimer’s Disease, Stroke, etc. The fully automated icobrain software is FDA approved and has market approval in Europe, Japan, Canada, Brazil, and Australia.

Growth Company of the year:

Guardsquare

Leuven

The winner was Guardsquare, the global reference in mobile application protection. The company develops premium software for the protection of mobile applications against reverse engineering and hacking. The products are used across the world in a broad range of industries, from financial services, e-commerce and the public sector to telecommunication, gaming and media.

Buy-Out Company of the year:

Inula Group

The winner was Inula Group, a key player in the herbal remedies market, specializing in fast growing sub-sectors such as aromatherapy, gemmotherapy and Bach flowers, through three brands: Pranarôm, HerbalGem and Biofloral.

Other Nominees

Confo Therapeutics (Venture company)

iTeos Therapeutics (Venture company)

Itineris (Growth company)

Newtec (Growth company)

Ardena (Buy-out company)

House of Talents (Buy-out company)

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.

Videos

Venture Company

icometrix - winner

Growth Company

Guardsquare - winner

Buy-out Company

Inula Group - winner

Aftermovie