What VAEngineering does

VAEngineering is a Belgian professional services firm that designs custom printed circuit boards (PCBs) and develops the embedded firmware that operates them, delivering projects from initial concept through prototype to production-ready hardware. The firm's two core service lines are Electronics Design (schematic design, PCB layout, prototyping, testing, and production support) and Firmware Design (low-level drivers, communication protocols including UART, I2C, SPI, CAN, and Modbus, application logic, state machines, and real-time responsiveness), with a specialized Space Applications service line covering radiation-tolerant PCB design, thermal and EMC simulation, and CubeSat-grade component development.

The company serves clients ranging from ambitious start-ups and research-driven ventures to global corporations and family-owned businesses, with case studies spanning aerospace (Arcsec CubeSat reaction wheels and star trackers), healthcare (Pendulum's Snoezle sensory stimulation system and Aimé tandem mobility bike, both CE-certified), consumer micro-mobility (Specter bikes, Studio Dos Santos' Sumura e-bike smart lock entering production in 2025), industrial robotics (Tractonomy's 600 kg autonomous towing robot), semiconductors (Spectricity's NVIDIA Jetson-based multispectral camera evaluation kit), and smart building/energy (Nobi fall-detection lamps, Limitrix/Elizze energy management). A modular, reprogrammable electronics architecture has been standardized across multiple Pendulum products, and a vetted network of manufacturing partners handles advanced builds (blind vias, fine-pitch BGAs) and CE certification coordination.

VAEngineering operates a sales-led, consultative go-to-market model built around free initial consultations, a portfolio of 25+ published case studies, and technical blog content (covering build-vs-buy strategy and edge-AI hardware design). The firm is privately held, self-funded with no disclosed external venture or private equity backing, and based in Wachtebeke, Belgium, with a 13-person team led by Director Thomas van Aken and a bilingual English/Dutch website targeting the broader Benelux market.

Name

VAEngineering

Legal name

VAEngineering

Website

https://vaengineering.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VAEngineering is a Belgian embedded engineering services firm designing custom PCBs and firmware for startups, SMEs, and global corporations across space, healthcare, robotics, and consumer micro-mobility verticals, delivering projects from concept through production-ready hardware.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Embedded Electronics & Firmware Engineering Services

NAICS

Printed Circuit Assembly (Electronic Assembly) Manufacturing (334418), Computer Systems Design Services (541512)

SIC

Printed Circuit Boards (3672), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

PCB Assembly (PCBA/EMS) (HDAHAOAI)

Keywords

• Embedded electronics design
• Firmware development
• PCB design services
• Embedded systems engineering
• Prototyping services

Headquarters

HQ city

Wachtebeke

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Electronics Design Services: VAEngineering designs custom PCBs and embedded hardware optimized for prototyping, testing, and seamless integration, providing full development from concept to production-ready hardware.
2. Firmware Development Services: Custom firmware development for embedded systems, from low-level drivers to application logic, covering the full development lifecycle including testing, validation, and production integration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

VAEngineering is a Belgian engineering services firm that designs custom PCBs and embedded hardware and develops the embedded firmware that brings them to life. They deliver turnkey embedded development from first concept to working prototype and production-ready hardware, covering schematic design, PCB layout, firmware development, prototyping, EMC/CE testing, and coordination with manufacturing partners.

Product overview

VAEngineering is an electronics and firmware engineering services company offering two core service lines: Electronics Design Services (custom PCB design and embedded hardware) and Firmware Design Services (embedded software development). The company also provides specialized Space Applications Services for aerospace projects. Projects are delivered from concept through prototype to production, serving clients ranging from startups to global corporations across sectors including space, healthcare, consumer, and industrial.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electronics Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• EMC test compliance achieved after rebuilding charging module within 2 weeks for Sumura e-bike charger
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Studio Dos SantoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Dos Santos is a Belgian design studio that creates smart products at the intersection of design, technology, and manufacturability. VAEngineering partnered with them on the Sumura e-bike smart lock and charging station project, handling embedded hardware, firmware, and mobile app integration. Both teams collaborated on scaling prototypes to production, supported by a reliable network of manufacturing partners.
• SpectricitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpectricity develops multispectral camera chips. VAEngineering was engaged to translate their requirements into a functional NVIDIA Jetson-based evaluation kit (EVK), handling both electronics and mechanical design while Spectricity focused on software development. VAEngineering also leveraged their network to connect Spectricity with a company for device enclosure design.
• Pendulum (Pilipili)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPendulum is the healthcare division of design agency Pilipili. VAEngineering has a long-standing collaboration with Pilipili/Pendulum across multiple products including Snoezle (sensory stimulation tent) and Aimé (tandem mobility bike). VAEngineering designed the modular reprogrammable electronics architecture that is standardized across these products. They also handled CE certification for Aimé through EMC testing.
• Raak Design StudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRaak Design Studio collaborated with VAEngineering on the Kidô Alarm wearable child safety device. Raak handled the industrial design and concept, while VAEngineering developed the hardware and software, providing guidance on feasibility, scalability, and certification.
• Trusted Manufacturing PartnerscoreOthersVAEngineering relies on trusted partners who meet advanced manufacturing needs such as mobile-grade designs with blind vias or fine-pitch BGAs. They also coordinate CE certifications and cable assemblies through a network of vetted suppliers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Antmicro: Antmicro is a Poland-based embedded systems and edge AI engineering services firm with strong space and FPGA credentials — directly comparable to VAEngineering's space-grade PCB work and embedded firmware capabilities.
• ByteLab Group: ByteLab Group is a Netherlands-based embedded product development firm offering custom electronics, firmware, and industrialization services to startups and OEMs in Europe — directly comparable to VAEngineering's B2B engineering services model and Benelux footprint.
• Bsquare: Bsquare provides embedded and IoT software/firmware engineering services and Edge AI solutions for industrial and enterprise clients, overlapping with VAEngineering's firmware development and embedded systems integration work.
• Nuvation Engineering: Nuvation Engineering is a North American embedded systems and firmware design services firm delivering custom electronics, FPGA, and product development for industrial, medical, and energy clients — closely matching VAEngineering's full-stack embedded engineering offering.

Emerging players

• Hardent: Hardent is a smaller design services firm providing electronic design, FPGA, and embedded software services to European semiconductor and systems clients — comparable as a niche engineering services peer with overlapping technical capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Neways: Neways is a Netherlands-headquartered Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) provider offering design, industrialization, and production for industrial and semiconductor clients — a broader incumbent that overlaps with VAEngineering's design-to-production coordination work.
• VDL Enabling Technologies Group: VDL ETG is a Netherlands-based industrial group providing electronics manufacturing, assembly, and engineering services across automotive, medical, and industrial sectors — comparable as a broader European EMS incumbent with design support.

Others

• Eurocircuits: Eurocircuits is a Belgium/Germany-based PCB prototyping and small-batch manufacturing service used by European hardware developers — adjacent infrastructure provider that VAEngineering relies on for prototyping and low-volume PCB builds.

Regional players

• Impulse Embedded: Impulse Embedded is a Germany-based embedded computing distributor and engineering services provider serving European industrial clients — comparable in custom embedded design services and European regional presence.
• Sintecs: Sintecs is a Netherlands-based firm specializing in embedded electronics, FPGA design, and PCB layout for high-tech systems — closely comparable in technical scope and Benelux regional focus to VAEngineering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tva_vae
• Facebookfacebook.com/VAEngineeringBE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vaengineering

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 VAEngineering