PARTICIPATION CRITERIA
We invest in independent tech companies that make a significant contribution to the digital backbone of the Netherlands and Europe, boasting high-quality management, scalability, and strategic significance. These companies demonstrate innovative strength and growth potential, led by ambitious entrepreneurs with the ability to execute. Participation is selective and reserved for companies seeking long-term partnerships through a minority or majority stake.
THE PARTICIPATION CRITERIA
AMBITION AND GROWTH POTENTIAL
Organic growth
and/or growth capital
for buy & build
strategy
TECH (ENABLED) CONTEXT
Complementary mission critical
service providers with
tech-enabled service
propositions
FINANCIAL TRACK RECORD
Turnover of ≥ €10m with strong
recurring character and track
record of growth, profitable
with at least €2m EBITDA
CONTINUITY
& CSR
Demonstrable attention to social responsibility, employees and customers
LEADERSHIP & COMMITMENT
Founder(s) and/or MT remain involved in strategic goals and value creation with an interest as co-shareholder
FIT WITH
DNA
Want to be part of
mutual cross-pollination
between the alliance
participants
WHAT CAN DEC-ALLIANCE PARTICIPANTS EXPECT?
DEC ensures continuity in technology, entrepreneurship, and ownership. Social relevance, collaboration, and professional ownership are key. We focus on value creation over time, without the pressure of exits from prescribed cycles. This fundamentally differentiates DEC from investors who withdraw and protects both companies and society from rapid foreign acquisitions and geopolitical pressure.​​​
FOR ENTREPRENEURS
As a participant, you retain full control over strategy, culture, and organization. At the same time, you're part of a community of like-minded entrepreneurs; not a talking shop, but a place to build together. This isn't a casual alliance: entrepreneurs invest in each other. Collaboration arises where it matters. There's no imposed blueprint, no imposed synergy, and no forced shopping. That horizon lies with the major issues of our time: digital autonomy, resilience, and innovation. Within the DEC-Alliance, entrepreneurs connect on the merits, while jointly building scale, impact, and continuity. Entry can be gradual or all at once, allowing entrepreneurs to join and grow within the model. The alliance offers space for reflection, reassessment, and forward-looking discussions, with entrepreneurs who understand the complexities of entrepreneurship. This creates a home for vibrant tech companies with a clear, shared agenda.
FOR INVESTORS
DEC-Alliance offers access to carefully selected investment opportunities in profitable companies with proven continuity, which are less suitable for traditional investors and often more difficult to access. DEC-Alliance has now invested in two clusters of companies, representing a total of ten corporate labels, and boasts a strong pipeline at both the platform and add-on level. Investments are focused on predictable value development and financial returns. Due to the stability of the companies and the structural market dynamics surrounding digitalization, the portfolio profile has an attractive upside with manageable downside. Committed capital is invested almost immediately, and the model offers periodic options to capitalize on value. The fundamental principle: return is always the result of careful stakeholder management and never a goal in itself. All of this is anchored in our evergreen investment model. No exit horizon, but a structure for sustainable value creation.
OUR EVERGREEN PARTICIPATION MODEL BUILT ON CONTINUITY
The model is designed for parties that prioritize continuity over arbitrage, collaboration over short cycles, and careful ownership over financial engineering. Continuity at DEC doesn't mean conservatism, but rather space for focused ambition, growth, and innovation. DEC-Alliance offers a mature alternative to traditional private equity, in particular.
Core features:
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Focus on companies with structural cash generation
-
High-quality non-auction deal flow from the network
-
Entry possible through both minority and majority stakes
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Committed capital is deployed almost immediately for participation
-
Broad opportunities for employee participation
-
Value creation from dividend streams and capital appreciation
-
Net return target of 10–15% per year
-
Periodic options to realize value appreciation
-
Focused on high upside, low downside
IN CONNECTION WITH
FUNDAMENTAL TRENDS
>50% of Dutch tech exits go to foreign buyers
>85% of cloud usage in the Netherlands runs on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud
Only 4% of the global cloud market is in European hands
1.2% R&D intensity in digital services
(versus ~3.5% in industry)3–5 year short-term PE playbook clashes with stakeholder interests: customers, employees and society
€53 billion ('24) – €240 billion ('28) evergreen investment trend continues steadily in Europe
