simone

What simone does

Simone (ASBL Simone Stories) is a Brussels-based, non-profit production and publishing house founded in 2020 by Béatrice and Virginie Eeman that transforms oral life stories into three core deliverables: custom-printed biographies, intimate documentary-style films, and private audio podcasts. Services are delivered by a six-person team of biographers, journalists, video operators, and a graphic designer using professional audio, video, and book-design workflows rather than automated tooling; clients approve every chapter, layout, and print run, and projects are conducted in French, English, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, and Russian.

The company sells through a direct, sales-led motion: customers reach the team via the website contact form, phone, or email, complete an initial consultation, and pay one-time project fees starting at €9,500 for a biography, €2,750 for a film souvenir, and €35 for a Simonade dinner event ticket. Beyond its core consumer franchise, Simone operates adjacent lines including 'Simone for Business' for corporate storytelling, a 'Baby Podcast' sub-product, 'Simonade' community dinner events, and the 'Souviens-moi' philanthropic initiative run in partnership with Belgian hospitals and the Fondation Roi Baudouin to provide end-of-life testimony services.

The business is structurally a Belgian ASBL non-profit, independently founder-owned with no external investors, no disclosed revenue or funding, and no enterprise sales infrastructure. Distribution is single-country (Belgium, with Brussels as headquarters) and earned-media-driven through coverage in BX1, Flair, Eventail, Femmes d'Aujourd'hui, BECI, and other Belgian outlets. Revenue concentration sits across many small one-time projects rather than recurring contracts, and the company is GDPR-compliant under Belgian and EU privacy law.

Name

simone

Legal name

ASBL Simone Stories

Website

https://simonestories.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Simone Stories is a Brussels-based, non-profit storytelling house founded in 2020 that transforms oral testimonies into custom biographies, films, and private podcasts for individuals, families, and a small corporate clientele, primarily in Belgium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Storytelling Services

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Ghostwriting & Collaborative Writing Services (MPAJAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Editorial & Production Services (Copyediting, Proofreading, Formatting, Typesetting) (MPAJAJAG), Cover Design, Illustration & Book Interior Design Services (MPAJAJAH), Audiobook Self-Publishing & Production Services (Narration, Studio, ACX-style) (MPAJAJAJ), Biography, Memoir & Narrative Nonfiction Publishing (MPAJAAAI)

Keywords

• Custom biography writing
• Life story publishing
• Private podcast production
• Documentary film services
• Corporate storytelling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Forest, Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Biographies (Books): Full-length life story books created from a series of recorded interviews, transcribed, written, edited, proofread, custom-designed, and printed. Priced from €9,500. Revenue is generated through one-time project fees based on the scope and complexity of the biography.
2. Film Souvenir (Documentary-style Films): Half-day filming sessions with a person in their own environment, edited into a 5–20 minute intimate film. Priced from €2,750. Revenue is one-time per project.
3. Private Podcast / Souvenir Sonore: Private audio recordings of personal testimonies, memories, or declarations, professionally recorded and edited. Revenue generated as one-time project fees.
4. Simone for Business: Corporate storytelling services including company culture books, leadership profiles, and organizational narratives for enterprises.
5. Simonade Events: Ticketed dinner events where individuals share their life stories to an audience of up to 10 people. Ticket prices starting from €35, with proceeds supporting the 'Souviens-moi' philanthropy project.
6. Donations and Philanthropy: The ASBL accepts donations through the Fondation Roi Baudouin for its 'Souviens-moi' initiative, which supports hospitalized individuals in leaving a life story. Belgian donors receive a 45% tax deduction on donations over €40.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Simone is a Belgian non-profit production and publishing house that transforms oral life stories into professionally written custom biographies (printed books), documentary-style films, and private audio podcasts. Professional writers and journalists conduct in-depth interviews, then handle transcription, writing, editing, proofreading, custom design, and printing (for books), professional filming and editing (for films), or audio recording and editing (for podcasts). The company also delivers a corporate variant (Simone for Business) for company culture documentation and leadership profiles.

Product overview

Simone is a Belgian production and publishing house specializing in personalized life story narratives. The company operates as a multi-service platform offering three core products: custom biographies (Biographie sur mesure), memory films (Film Souvenir), and private podcasts (Podcast souvenir). These services are delivered through professional journalists and writers who conduct interviews and transform oral stories into structured books, videos, or audio recordings. The company also offers Simone for Business for corporate storytelling and Baby podcast as specialized variants. Related initiatives include Simonade (intimate dinner events for story sharing), Souviens-moi (charitable program for hospitalized patients), and Les Ami.es de Simone (donor foundation). All services are human-driven, relying on professional writers and production teams rather than automated or AI-powered solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Souviens-moi: Philanthropic initiative offering storytelling services to hospitalized or terminally ill patients, allowing them to leave messages and testimonies for their loved ones.
• Simone for Business
• Simonade
• Baby Podcast

Products and services

• Biographie sur mesure (Custom Biography)

Quantifiable outcome

• Books printed in custom quantities chosen by the client — from 1 copy for personal use to multiple copies for family distribution.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 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

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fondation Roi Baudouin (King Baudouin Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 'Fonds des Ami.e.s de Simone' (Friends of Simone Fund) is managed by the Fondation Roi Baudouin. This fund supports the philanthropic activities of Simone, particularly the 'Souviens-moi' initiative which provides storytelling opportunities to hospitalized or terminally ill individuals. Belgian donors receive a 45% tax deduction on donations over €40. The partnership enables Simone to offer tax-deductible giving and manage its philanthropy in a regulated framework.
• Nomad CommunityminorOthersNomad Community is listed as a supporter of Simone's projects, appearing in the 'Ils nous soutiennent' (They support us) section of the Friends of Simone page.
• Les Visites de Mon Voisin (Gaspard Giersé)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLes Visites de Mon Voisin, led by Gaspard Giersé, collaborated with Simone on events including the 'BRUXELLES CHAOS' spectacle and the Aegidium cultural visit, both organized as fundraising events for the Friends of Simone Fund.
• CohabsminorOthersCohabs is listed as a supporter of Simone's projects in the 'Ils nous soutiennent' section.
• Belgian HospitalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSimone has established partnerships with Belgian hospitals to offer the 'Souviens-moi' initiative, providing patients — including those who are seriously ill or in end-of-life situations — with the opportunity to leave a testimony or message for their loved ones in the form of a book or audio testimony.

Scale indicators3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Legacy.com: Major obituary and memorial platform serving families across North America and Europe. Operates in the adjacent end-of-life and remembrance category that overlaps with Simone's most emotionally charged use cases.
• StoryCorps: US nonprofit oral history project that records and archives personal testimonies — a broader, mission-driven incumbent in the life-storytelling space whose archive positioning parallels Simone's Souviens-moi philanthropic arm.
• Ancestry (Storied): Large-scale genealogy and family-history platform that increasingly offers personal narrative and storytelling tools. A broader incumbent competing for the same 'preserve family history' customer wallet.

Direct peers

• Storyworth: Subscription-based memoir writing service that prompts customers with weekly questions and produces a printed book of their responses. Targets the same life-story-for-family use case as Simone, though via a more templated, lower-touch model.
• LifeBio: US-based life story and memoir service that works with individuals, families, and senior living communities to capture and publish personal histories. Directly comparable offering and target market to Simone's biography service.
• StoryTerrace: UK-based professional biography service that pairs customers with writers to produce custom memoir books. Operates the same interview-to-finished-book model as Simone, serving a closely comparable premium individual/family customer segment.
• Mem.com: Family storytelling platform that helps relatives privately share memories, photos, and life narratives. Competes with Simone's podcast souvenir and biography offerings at a more software-driven, lower price point.

Others

• Association of Personal Historians: Professional association for personal historians, memoir writers, and biographers. Not a direct competitor but the primary trade ecosystem for the same boutique life-storytelling services Simone operates in.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/simonestories
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/simone-stories

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 simone