Private Equity
Awards 2021

Discover the winners and nominees of the 2021 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:

Deliverect

Ghent

Deliverect, a fast-growing SaaS company that connects third-party delivery platforms and food businesses around the globe. In order to help businesses manage their food delivery and takeout operations more efficiently, Deliverect integrates third-party food ordering platforms into the restaurant’s point-of-sale system, making rekeying orders and the costly errors that come with it a thing of the past. With all online orders centrally managed, businesses can increase operational efficiency. Deliverect was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Ghent. It employs more than 200 people.

The company came out on top because it has achieved tremendous growth in the short term. The company is present in 38 countries and therefore has the potential to become a global player in its sector. The delivery and takeout solution that Deliverect has developed is critical to the restaurant industry and has become highly topical during the pandemic.

Growth Company of the year:

Odoo

Grand-Rosière

Odoo, an open-source suite of integrated business applications actively programmed, supported, and organised by Odoo SA. Odoo is similar to many open-source projects where customized programming, support, and other services are provided by an active global community and partners network. The community is comprised of more than 1,500 active members and has contributed more than 4,500 modules to the ongoing enrichment of Odoo. The network of certified partners, established in more than 120 countries, deploys the solution locally. Odoo counts more than 1,100 employees, was set up in 2004 and is headquartered in Grand-Rosière (Brabant Walloon).

For the jury, the resilience the company showed in recent years was one of the decisive factors in selecting Odoo as the winner. The quality of the products, which are not only very modern but also very user-friendly, also played a part in the decision. Finally, the company, firmly rooted in Belgium, has a large international reach due to its presence all over the world.

Buy-Out Company of the year:

Abriso-Jiffy

Anzegem

Abriso-Jiffy, a leading European manufacturer specialised in the extrusion of sustainable, innovative, protective and insulating materials for the packaging and construction industry. Founded in 1985 and headquartered in Anzegem, the group employs c. 1,500 employees and counts 15 production locations in 11 European countries.

The company was chosen by the jury because of its trajectory. First of all, a successful turnaround, followed by the entry of Bencis Capital, the takeover of Jiffy and finally the very attractive exit. This trajectory was completed by a broadly supported team. The fact that the ESG criteria are deeply embedded in the business model of the company, which makes Abriso-Jiffy a real ambassador for the Private Equity Awards.

Other Nominees

AgomAb Therapeutics (Venture company)

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Ghent, AgomAb Therapeutics is a biotherapeutics company developing agonistic antibodies for the regeneration of damaged tissue. Its growing pipeline of highly specific monoclonal antibodies is designed to treat a range of acute and chronic conditions that involve inflammatory, metabolic and fibrotic processes. By combining new scientific insights with robust development expertise, it is building a company to lead to the emergence of truly regenerative medicines.

Imcyse (Venture company)

Imcyse, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of a new class of active and specific immunotherapies for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases. The company’s unique technology platform can address a wide range of autoimmune and immunologic diseases. Imcyse’s approach, sustained over time, helps to prevent and treat diseases with no effective therapeutic alternative and has the potential to cure patients without impairing their immune defenses.

Headquartered in Liège, Imcyse was founded as a spin-off of the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven).

UgenTec (Growth company)

UgenTec, a molecular laboratory software provider servicing molecular labs, assay and instrument providers globally across applications in Clinical Molecular Diagnostics, Veterinary health, Crop Science, Breeding and Seed Health. UgenTec is headquartered in Hasselt, with offices in Boston, MA and its FastFinder platform has a global installed base of over 100 molecular labs and partnerships with leading molecular diagnostics vendors.

Univercells (Growth company)

Univercells, a global life sciences company that makes biologics available to all. Leveraging its core strengths in scaling, production and bioprocessing, it builds businesses and finds new ways to support access to medicines and promote sustainability. Through entrepreneurship and technology-driven affordability, the company addresses the needs of the entire health value chain. Univercells is headquartered in Jumet and benefits from the trust of national and international investors.

Corialis (Buy-out company)

Corialis (Core Innovative Aluminum Integrated Solutions), a leading Pan-European player in the design and manufacturing of high quality, technologically-advanced aluminum systems for in-wall (windows, doors, sliding elements, roof systems, curtain walls), indoor (partition walls, fire-resistant doors) and outdoor (balustrades, conservatories).

Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Lokeren, Corialis employs c. 2,700 employees across eight sites in the UK, Belgium, France, Poland, Portugal, Réunion, Serbia and South Africa.

Circet Benelux (Buy-out company)

Circet Benelux, a high quality, fast growing service provider working for leading clients in the Benelux market including Proximus, VodafoneZiggo and KPN. Established in 2000 and headquartered in Antwerp, Circet Benelux has grown into an important Benelux player in fiber and coax and successfully expanded its service portfolio, client base and geographic coverage. Since the end of 2020 Circet Benelux operates as part of the Circet Group.

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

Deliverect - winner

Growth Company

Odoo - winner

Buy-out Company

Abriso-Jiffy - winner

Aftermovie