A new dimension for WinWinner, powered by The CoFoundry
Bringing starting entrepreneurs and investors together, has been the mission of Winwinner since the start in 2016. Entrepreneurs in search for seed financing should better find their way to investors. Winwinner’s core business is to facilitate this matchmaking. With the help of The CoFoundry the company can speed up its growth plans. Further digitalization of the platform should refine and optimise the matchmaking process.
The start-up scene in Belgium is growing momentum. A few years ago Belgian entrepreneurship was lagging behind other European countries, nowadays the number of Belgians starting their own businesses is blooming.
Despite this positive evolution, most entrepreneurs are struggling to secure financing to fuel their business. On the other hand, investors often find it hard to find good investment targets. Tax incentives initiated by the Government (win-win loans and tax shelters) have a significant positive impact on the financing gap starters are facing. However, prior to benefiting from these initiatives, investors and start-ups need to find each other and get aligned on the partnership they are pursuing.
This is the core business of Winwinner. Over the last year the company has successfully collected more than two million euros for start-ups from a network of over 200 investors. The portfolio includes promising start-ups such as Balls & Glory (founded by Wim Ballieu), Madam Bakster (founded by Laura Verhulst) and brewery Oud Beersel (Gert Christiaens).
Supported by The CoFoundry the company will be digitizing its platform to bring more starting entrepreneurs and investors in an efficient way together. The new platform will help entrepreneurs to add credibility to their business and make valuable introductions to potential investors. The latter gets clear and transparent information on the start-ups he is interested in.
“There is a strong demand from entrepreneurs to guide them through the financing process and we want to offer this help in a more structured format. At the end of the process, entrepreneurs registered on the platform should be able to offer an investor-proof business case. Based on our own experience and with the help of The CoFoundry and THINK with People we help companies in fine tuning their business case.” says Matthias Browaeys, founder of WinWinner.
“Both Winwinner and The CoFoundry operate in a network of related businesses. The CoFoundry has partnerships with start-up coach THINK with People, the iStart fund of IMEC and the BlueHealth Innovation Center (BHIC). It also runs a coworking space in the Startup Village in Antwerp. By adding a partnership with Winwinner both parties can better support entrepreneurs in the ecosystem. Additionally, The CoFoundry has access to the relevant technology players to prepare the platform for further digitization.” Explains Bert Van Wassenhove, partner of The CoFoundry.
“From the start there was a clear fit with the team of The CoFoundry and their activities. We share the same ambition to help young entrepreneurs to grow their business and to become successful." concludes Aelbrecht Van Damme, co-founder of WinWinner.
ABOUT WINWINNER
WinWinner, a matchmaking platform that brings starting entrepreneurs and investors together, was founded in September 2016 by Matthias Browaeys and Aelbrecht Van Damme. Companies in search for funding can address investors via the platform (www.winwinner.be) When a matchmaking occurs, WinWinner will help with the finalization of legal, fiscal and administrative items.
