We invest to strengthen your
long-term success
long-term success
Akiles supports promising entrepreneurs and helps scale-ups to reach their potential
« In the end, a vision without the ability to execute it is probably a hallucination. » Steve Case - AOL co-founder
Why would you chose Akiles as a partner?
We start from the strengths of your company and your vision to enhance your business model where possible and required.
We bring more than money:
- We work with you and can help while we avoid to interfere: it’s your company
- We act as a sounding board for your strategy, market positioning, new product development
- We bring our network for expertise, introduction to potential partners and identifying the right customers
- We believe success is a question of people and we are there to help on your HR strategy and to define the right profiles
- We are open to syndicate rounds with other investors, as lead, co-lead, or follower
- We favour open & transparent communication: we’re on your team
- We consider technologies as tools in service of further development
Together, we develop your business
Akiles has extensive experience in the development and support of start-ups and scale-ups. Our goal is to develop your business together and become leaders in your sector. Our team acts as leverage and helps you to benefit from its experience to carry out your projects on the long term.
Sustainable growth
Akiles has an evergreen, long-term investment approach. It seeks to grow together with the companies it supports. It seeks strong alignment with the founders and management in best interest of all stakeholders.
We are well aware that the growth strategy to be considered will require time and patience. This is precisely why we never consider short-term collaboration.
Our investment criteria
We focus on niche markets and invest in technology sectors (except biotech) to support tomorrow's projects. For start-ups & scale-ups, we focus on transactions where we can invest around EUR 0,5 to 2 million in a capital increase, usually as a minority shareholder.
Akiles invests in companies having reached at least €1 million of revenues or can demonstrate this criterium will be reached in the next 12 months. With minimum 10% stakes, Akiles seeks to be represented on the Board of Directors and to be actively involved as a sparring partner to advise and ensure value creation.
Our experience for the benefit of sustainable structures
Akiles was founded by Christophe Rousseaux, a successful entrepreneur from an entrepreneurial family who founded the magazines a.o. AutoGids and Le Moniteur Automobile and its websites.
From that experience already, he understands how to build companies, carefully foster profitability from the family kitchen table, bear in mind the interest of the customer and how to reach potential customers offline and online, in Dutch and in French. He was an early adopter of the Internet in the family business.
Real estate magazines shifted to online with Immoweb. Christophe then saw the value of combining IT with marketing. Immoweb had limited profitability in the first 10 years. As CEO of Immoweb, Christophe understood the need to be customer focused, but also efficient. As a result, the online real estate platform reached €25 million EBITDA, playing a role in the consolidation of real estate websites in Europe, in partnership with corporate and private equity investors.
From that experience, Akiles draws only positive results and is now looking forward to share the best practices and values for other growing companies in Belgium and Europe.