What 20Something does

20Something (legally 55minutes SPRL) is a Brussels-headquartered European consultancy specializing in Gen Z and Gen Alpha research and advisory services. Founded and led by Benoît Vancauwenberghe, the firm delivers keynote speaking engagements, workshops, brand audits, and bespoke research to corporate clients, public-sector bodies, and educational institutions across Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.

The firm's underlying asset is the founder's positioning as a recognized European Gen Z expert, formalized through a content platform of more than 60 blog articles, an upcoming founder-authored book ("The Gen Z Shift," September 2026), and a podcast partnership ("Gen Z on Gen Z" with Movers+Shakers). There is no proprietary technology stack, data platform, or AI/ML product layer described; content production relies on standard publishing tooling, with AI used only incidentally for image generation.

The business model is a founder-led professional services practice. Revenue mechanics are bespoke and quote-based per engagement rather than subscription or retainer-based, with no disclosed pricing tiers, no headcount figures, and no external investment. Go-to-market is content-led, converting inbound blog, podcast, and keynote audiences into paid advisory, workshop, and brand audit engagements across a diversified mix of commercial brands (e.g., Loop Earplugs) and emerging public-sector/policy buyers.

Name

20Something

Legal name

55minutes SPRL

Website

https://20something.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

20Something is a Brussels-based European consultancy, led by Benoît Vancauwenberghe, that delivers Gen Z and Gen Alpha keynote speaking, workshops, brand audits, and bespoke research to corporate, public-sector, and educational clients across Belgium, the UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Generational Research & Strategy Consulting

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Resources & Talent Development (EDAGANAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Learning & Training Content Development (EDAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Generational research consulting
• Keynote speaking services
• Brand audit advisory
• Youth culture insights
• Interactive corporate workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Sint-pieters-woluwe

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Keynote Speaking Engagements: Benoît Vancauwenberghe delivers paid keynote speeches and dynamic workshops throughout Europe on Gen Z and Gen Alpha insights, helping brands refine and elevate their strategies. This is the primary revenue-generating service offering.
2. Customized Talks & Workshops: Interactive workshops and seminars tailored to client organizations across sectors including media, education, luxury, tech, and public sector. Revenue generated through direct client engagements.
3. Comprehensive Brand Audits: Strategic advisory services evaluating how brands are perceived by younger generations, providing actionable recommendations for cultural relevance and engagement.
4. Book Sales — The Gen Z Shift: Sale of the book 'The Gen Z Shift: Why Today's Leaders Keep Acting on the Wrong Signals' published by 20Something Editions, September 2026. Written by Benoît Vancauwenberghe.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

20Something sells professional advisory services focused on Generation Z and Generation Alpha. Its primary offerings are paid keynote speaking engagements, customized interactive workshops, and comprehensive brand audits delivered across Europe. The company also publishes a book ('The Gen Z Shift') and produces the 'Gen Z on Gen Z' podcast as supporting content assets. The core deliverable is expert-led strategic guidance that translates generational research into management, recruitment, and brand decisions.

Product overview

20Something is a consulting and expertise company offering a unified portfolio of services focused on helping European organizations understand and engage with Generation Z and Generation Alpha. The core offerings include keynote speaking engagements, interactive workshops, brand audits, and research-driven storytelling—all centered on decoding youth culture, generational differences, and cultural shifts. The company also publishes 'The Gen Z Shift' book and produces the 'Gen Z on Gen Z' podcast as content resources. The portfolio is unified around generational strategy consulting rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Keynote Speaking Engagements Captivating paid keynotes focusing on insights into Gen Z and Gen Alpha, empowering brands to refine and elevate their strategies. Available for speaking engagements and seminars throughout Europe, including London, Berlin, Paris, and Amsterdam.
• Interactive Workshops Customized interactive workshops helping organizations decode Gen Z and Gen Alpha behaviors, values, and expectations across leadership, communication, recruitment, and culture topics.
• Brand Audits Comprehensive brand audits helping companies understand how Gen Z and Gen Alpha perceive and interact with their brand, with strategic recommendations for cultural relevance and engagement.
• The Gen Z Shift (Book) A book by Benoît Vancauwenberghe exploring how Gen Z was shaped by mobile technology and what this means for organizations, endorsed by Bas Moeyaert, Head of People & Culture at Loop Earplugs.
• Gen Z on Gen Z (Podcast) A podcast unpacking everything about Gen Z and Gen Alpha through candid street interviews and conversations about how young people think, communicate, and influence the world.

Quantifiable outcome

• 72% of Gen Z employees would leave a job if leadership lacked transparency (Deloitte study, cited in 20Something content)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Movers+ShakerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner20Something collaborates with Movers+Shakers on the 'Gen Z on Gen Z' podcast, a show that unpacks everything organizations need to know about the generation — so they do not have to. Movers+Shakers produces and co-hosts the podcast series, which is distributed through the 20Something website and podcast platforms.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• GWI (GlobalWebIndex): Audience insights platform publishing generational and Gen Z consumer behavior datasets widely licensed by brands. It competes indirectly via subscription research products targeting the same buyer personas.
• Ipsos: Global market research firm with established generational research and youth trend reports widely used by enterprise HR and brand teams. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose youth practice overlaps with 20Something's research content.
• Kantar: Global market research giant operating dedicated generational insights and youth divisions under its Millward Brown and consulting brands. It competes for the same enterprise buyers at a much broader portfolio level.

Regional players

• McCrindle: Australia-based social research and generational strategy firm that publishes research reports and delivers keynotes on generational cohorts. It mirrors 20Something's expert-led model with a strong regional footprint in ANZ rather than Europe.

Direct peers

• Trendwatching: Global trend-spotting consultancy producing trend reports, workshops, and advisory for brands. It operates a comparable content-as-funnel-plus-paid-advisory model targeting brand strategists.
• BridgeWorks: US-based generational research and consulting firm led by Jason Dorsey delivering keynotes, original research, and brand strategy advisory on Gen Z and Millennials. It is the closest direct peer given its nearly identical expert-led content-plus-speaking-plus-advisory business model.
• Future Foundation: UK-based consumer insight and foresight consultancy producing research, reports, and strategic advisory for brands on youth and future consumers. It is comparable as a Europe-based boutique insights firm serving similar brand-strategy buyers.

Emerging players

• Night Market (formerly Sparks & Honey): Cultural insight and youth research consultancy producing Gen Z/Gen Alpha reports and advisory for global brands. It overlaps directly with 20Something's cultural-relevance audits while operating at a larger scale and global remit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_2xNZC9IAUwjWi1Vv9RTaA
• Facebookfacebook.com/20Something.be
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/20something
• Instagraminstagram.com/20something_be
• Xx.com/20Something_be

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 20Something