What Vela Group does

Vela Group is a Belgian investment holding company and family office based in Drongen (Ghent) that operates through three pillars: VELA Co-Pilot Invest (direct equity participation and hands-on co-piloting of Flemish SMEs), VELA Family Office (independent wealth structuring, financial planning, succession planning and a 24/7 digital wealth overview for entrepreneurial families), and VELA Corporate Finance (M&A advisory, business sales and acquisitions, and strategic guidance during growth or succession events). Founded by Olivier Lanckriet and Agnes Souvagie — who previously scaled Connect+ to €600M turnover across 15 buy-and-build transactions — the firm is led by CEO Tom Vandenbussche, who joined in 2020 after running a private family office and serving as family officer at BFO Family Office and ABN AMRO Wealth Management.

The firm invests proprietary capital alongside management teams in roughly 10 participations across sustainable energy (In-Tec Group), renovation (Tifre), outdoor furniture (Gescova), real estate promotion (DC Green) and real estate expertise (Topo-Immo/HubR), and in August 2025 became co-shareholder of the Fronnt multi-technical platform (15 companies, 500 employees, €150M turnover) alongside Gimv. Technology is limited to a CRM tracking approximately 1,000 companies and families, the Co-Pilot platform that deploys specialists from a network spanning more than 1,500 independents across electro, IT, kitchen and sanitary markets, and the Digital Wealth Overview System; no AI/ML capabilities, patents or proprietary algorithms are disclosed.

The business model combines advisory and management fees from family office mandates, M&A advisory fees on individual transactions, and capital appreciation and exit proceeds from portfolio equity stakes. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: approximately 150 entrepreneurial families have been contacted personally, often via "kitchen table" meetings, supplemented by content marketing (blog, LinkedIn, newsletter) and referrals from the portfolio and Co-Pilot network. Operations are concentrated in Flanders, Belgium, with no disclosed expansion outside the region despite some portfolio companies operating pan-European.

Name

Vela Group

Legal name

Vela Group

Website

https://velagroup.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Office & Investment Advisory Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Management of Companies and Enterprises (55)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Office Investment Platforms & Direct Investing (PE/VC/Co-Invest) (FSAAADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Office Advisory & Outsourced CIO (OCIO) (FSAAADAC), Family Office Administration & Operations (Accounting, Reporting, Payroll) (FSAAADAD), Family Business & Succession Advisory (FSAAADAL), Family Office Advisory (Single/Multi-Family) (FSAEAAAI)

Keywords

• Family office services
• Corporate finance advisory
• Private equity investment
• Wealth management advisory
• SME investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Drongen

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: VELA Group generates returns through equity investments in portfolio companies, functioning as a co-pilot investor for entrepreneurial families and SMEs. The firm participates in capital and benefits from value creation and eventual exits.
2. Family Office Advisory Fees: Comprehensive wealth management and advisory services for entrepreneurial families including financial planning, succession planning, and investment advisory with fees for ongoing management and strategic guidance.
3. Corporate Finance Advisory: M&A advisory, business sales, acquisitions, and strategic advice services with over 35 years of experience and more than 20 successful transactions completed.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Vela Group is a Belgian joint family office operating through three service pillars: VELA Co-Pilot Invest (equity investment and active co-piloting of Flemish SMEs and family businesses), VELA Family Office (wealth management, succession planning, and administrative support for entrepreneurial families), and VELA Corporate Finance (M&A advisory, business sales, acquisitions, and strategic transitions). The firm combines single-family-office entrepreneurial engagement with multi-family-office independence, while maintaining a portfolio of approximately 10 participations across sustainable energy, renovation, real estate, outdoor furniture, and retail/electronics.

Product overview

Vela Group is an investment holding company with a family character that operates through three main service pillars: VELA Co-Pilot Invest (investment in and co-piloting of companies), VELA Family Office (wealth management and administrative support), and VELA Corporate Finance (M&A and strategic advisory). The company also maintains a portfolio of approximately 10 participations across various sectors including sustainable energy (IN-TEC GROUP, DC GREEN), renovation (Tifre), outdoor furniture (Gescova), real estate (Topo-Immo/HubR), and retail/electronics brands (ECK-Brio, Expert, Connect IT, Selexion, ElectronicPartner). The ecosystem connects entrepreneurial families, provides comprehensive wealth overview and planning, and supports business growth and professionalization through strategic investments and hands-on co-piloting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HubR: A network that brings together real estate experts including land surveyors, real estate brokers, building promoters, and syndics, providing tools to combine the strength of local expert relationships with digital power.

Products and services

• VELA Co-Pilot Invest Equity investment and active co-piloting service for Flemish SMEs and entrepreneurial families. Vela invests its own capital alongside founders and provides strategic, financial, and operational support, including buy-and-build add-on identification, succession/sale advisory, and full transaction execution.
• VELA Family Office Independent, holistic family office service for entrepreneurial families. Includes a 24/7 digital wealth overview for the entire family, financial planning, succession and estate planning, investment advisory, governance support, and day-to-day administrative relief.
• VELA Corporate Finance Advisory service for entrepreneurs and families at critical inflection points: M&A, business sales, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and family business transitions. Covers the full process from valuation to closing.
• HubR Network platform connecting real estate experts — land surveyors, real estate brokers, building promoters, and syndics — with digital tools to combine local client proximity with digital scale.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20+ successful transactions completed over 35 years of combined experience
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FronntcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Fronnt is a multi-technical cooperation model in Flanders with 15 companies, 500 employees, and 150M EUR turnover. Vela Co-Pilot became co-shareholder of Fronnt as part of the integration of In-Tec Group, Van Severen, and Famil into the Fronnt network. Fronnt was initiated by Gimv in 2022 and partnered with Tilleghem since 2023.
• SideKickminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Administrative partnership with SideKick to provide concrete administrative solutions for Vela family office clients, handling paperwork and administrative burden.
• HubRcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021HubR is a network platform created with Topo-Immo bringing together real estate experts (surveyors, brokers, developers, syndics) combining local relationship strength with digital capabilities. Target of 200 experts within 5 years.
• Stefan ClaeyscoreOthersInternational B2B professional with 35 years experience in industrial sectors, focus on business development. Member of Co-Pilot network providing sector-specific expertise when needed.
• Geert RoelenscoreOthersFormer CEO of Beaulieu International Group with expertise in industrial companies, acquisitions, digital transformation, family business leadership transitions. Brings China internationalization experience.
• Philip DeclatcoreOthersExperienced General Manager with strong financial background, specializing in financial department professionalization, logistics restructuring, and indirect cost optimization.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Gimv: Listed Belgian PE firm with €2B AUM and 60+ portfolio companies; named co-investment partner of Vela on Fronnt and competes in similar SME-succession and growth-capital opportunities at a larger scale.
• Delen Private Bank: Belgian private bank offering discretionary wealth management and family-office services to HNW families, overlapping with Vela's Family Office pillar at a much larger institutional scale.
• Sofina: Belgian investment holding listed on Euronext Brussels, with diversified direct-investment exposure including consumer, healthcare and digital; broader and larger-scale variant of Vela's direct-investing mandate.
• Degroof Petercam: Belgian wealth manager and investment firm with private banking, asset management and family-office services to entrepreneurial families; overlapping competitor in Belgian HNW wealth advisory.
• BNP Paribas Wealth Management (Belgium): International private bank's Belgian wealth-management franchise for HNW/UHNW families with discretionary and advisory mandates; competes with Vela on Belgium-based entrepreneurial-family wealth advisory.
• KBC Private Banking: Belgian bank's private banking arm serving HNW clients with wealth planning and investment services; comparable to Vela Family Office's wealth-management offer but bank-tied rather than independent.

Direct peers

• Clairinvest: Family-controlled Belgian investment company pursuing long-term direct equity in mid-sized European companies; comparable in being a family-driven holding/investment platform outside listed-PE structures.
• CapitalatWork: Belgian independent asset manager offering wealth management and advisory services to private investors and families, comparable in targeting Belgian family-wealth clients with an independent mandate.
• Sofindev: Belgian private equity firm focused on buy-and-build investments in Benelux SMEs, very similar model to Vela Co-Pilot Invest in target market, ticket size and value-creation approach.

Regional players

• Banque de Luxembourg: Luxembourg-based private bank offering wealth structuring and multi-family-office services to Belgian and Greater Region entrepreneurial families; comparable service mix from a neighbouring jurisdiction.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vela-co-pilot

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 Vela Group