Fortino Capital continues its growth by appointing 4 senior team members and builds out its presence in Germany

Jun. 15th, 2022

Antwerp, 15th of June 2022 - Fortino Capital Partners, one of the leading technology investors, has appointed 4 new senior team members in The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany: Ida Kuijken as Partner in the Netherlands, Frank van Vliet as Operating Advisor in the Dutch office, Jeroen Van Godtsenhoven as Partner in Belgium and Matthias Kläsener as Operating Advisor in Belgium and Germany.

Expansion in The Netherlands

“We are delighted to welcome Ida and Frank into the company”, says Duco Sickinghe, Managing Partner at Fortino Capital. “They both have great track records and we look forward to work with them as they take on these strategic positions. They will reinforce our team and help us build out our presence in The Netherlands. I am confident that their skills will allow us to continue supporting entrepreneurs grow in their next phase.”

Ida Kuijken brings 15 years of experience in Mergers & Acquisitions, Private equity and strategic investing. The last couple of years, she worked as head of M&A for OLX, the marketplace business of Prosus, giving her first-hand experience in a highly international software and services development environment. In this capacity, she was responsible for overseeing end-to-end M&A activities. She was also part of the foundation of Connected Capital, a B2B SaaS investment firm in the Netherlands.

“Joining Fortino Capital is a great opportunity. In the growth phase of a company, the investor plays a key role and can add a lot of value. I believe a successful partnership with founders starts with a joint vision, personal fit and an understanding of what the other party brings to the table. Fortino Capital is an investor that truly wants to understand what it is entrepreneurs need for their next wave of growth, and as such be optimally prepared for continued support,” states Ida Kuijken. “At Fortino, the mix of professionals with both backgrounds in software and investment strategy is inspiring.”

Frank van Vliet has been appointed as operating advisor. He is a seasoned executive with a successful track record in transforming and growing businesses in (inter)national SAAS environments for multiple industries. He showed strong leadership in driving organic and non-organic profitable growth of local and international software companies. He previously worked as the Managing Director of Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting Netherlands.

“Looking forward to supercharging the business growth of Fortino’s exceptional portfolio of SaaS companies”, states Frank van Vliet. “I am excited to enhance the company’s values of innovation and operational excellence while inspiring and building a team of highly skilled, enthusiastic, and motivated people.”

Jeroen Van Godtsenhoven appointed as Partner in Belgium

Jeroen Van Godtsenhoven started as operating advisor at Fortino Capital and rapidly gained the trust of the entrepreneurs and CEO’s he worked with. His experience in leading both young and mature software organizations resulted in an improved performance of the companies in the Fortino portfolio.

“Fortino’s DNA has always been recognized for the combination of strong investment talent and proven operational experience”, explains Duco Sickinghe, Managing Partner at Fortino Capital. “With his professional background at various software companies as CCO and CEO, we are delighted to entrust Jeroen Van Godtsenhoven with a senior role. In only 6 months he supported our software companies to achieve a higher performance, particularly in winning more customers. We look forward to work with him in expanding our investments.”

Jeroen held various senior leadership positions at SAS in the Benelux and Germany. More recently he has led the EMEA organization of C3 AI as a General Manager and directly contributed to strong results and a successful IPO on NYSE. In these positions, he has always developed exceptional results.

“The Fortino team consists of great people with a wide range of complementary skills”, states Jeroen Van Godtsenhoven. “A panel of talents like that offers an excellent combination for growth. I am looking forward to shaping the next part of the Fortino story.”

Jeroen Van Godtsenhoven, Fortino Capital

Expansion in Germany

Matthias Kläsener, with a long and proven track record in IT cooperates with Fortino Capital as Operating Advisor. He brings more than 20 years of experience as a senior executive in the software and information technology industry. Most recently by taking on in succession the role of CEO of Corporate Planning (CPM software) and before that as COO of proALPHA (ERP Software). He also has an excellent industry network that will be of great value in his new role at Fortino.

“I see huge potential in the DACH market for their very specific Value Creation Plan focused on B2B Software and Technology companies”, envisions Matthias Kläsener. “With such a strong development prospect, I am eager to cooperate with Fortino Capital.”

As Fortino Capital is expanding internationally, Matthias Kläsener will be taking on the role of Operating Advisor for Germany. “Needless to say that we are very pleased to welcome Matthias among us”, Duco Sickinghe, Managing Partner at Fortino Capital. “Thanks to his broad experience in software, developing businesses, and managing teams, I am convinced that Matthias will be a great support for the operating activities of Fortino. He will not only reinforce our current portfolio but also help us build out our presence in Germany”.

About Fortino Capital Partners

Fortino Capital Partners is a Northwestern B2B SaaS investor, managing 2 Growth Private Equity funds and 2 Venture Capital funds. The firm has offices in Antwerp and Amsterdam. Fortino Capital’s investment portfolio includes Mobilexpense, Efficy, BizzMine, Maxxton, LetsBuild, Teamleader, Sides, TechWolf, D2X, among others.