Federatie Vrije Beroepen

What Federatie Vrije Beroepen does

Federatie Vrije Beroepen (FVB) is a Belgian non-profit umbrella organization (vzw, KBO 0412.875.649) headquartered at Willebroekkaai 37, Brussels, that represents free profession practitioners and their representative professional organizations in Belgium. Its constituency spans accountants, pharmacists, bailiffs, dentists, physiotherapists, doctors, veterinarians, brokers, psychologists, midwives, and adjacent liberal professions, operating through 52 general assembly members and a 35-member board. The federation's mission is structured around three pillars — defending member interests at Flemish, Brussels, and federal levels, strengthening the offering available to member organizations and individual practitioners, and connecting free professionals for cross-pollination across sectors.

FVB operates as the structural partner of UNIZO, with the UNIZO CEO simultaneously serving as FVB CEO, and individual free professional memberships channeled through UNIZO. Its offering consists of non-software services: an information website and member portal, the quarterly "De Vrije Beroeper" magazine, the Connect programme with VLAIO that surfaces Flemish government subsidies, and the Liberform training fund under Paritair Comité 336 providing premium subsidies up to €1,750 per year and an online learning platform. Logo partnerships with KBC and Liantis, alongside events such as the Dag van het Vrije Beroep, round out its advocacy and community programming.

The business model is that of a member-funded federation rather than a commercial enterprise: revenue is generated implicitly through UNIZO membership dues, employer contributions channelled to Liberform, and minor sponsorship from financial and HR-service partners. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and there is no software, app, or API product. The organization employs 1–10 staff and is led by Chairman Tom Bovyn, CEO Bart Buysse (shared with UNIZO), and Secretary-General Philippe Van Walleghem, with a new board term commencing 26 June 2025.

Name

Federatie Vrije Beroepen

Legal name

Federatie Vrije Beroepen vzw

Website

https://federatievrijeberoepen.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Federatie Vrije Beroepen is a Belgian non-profit umbrella organization that defends, strengthens, and connects representative professional bodies and independent practitioners in free professions including accounting, pharmacy, dentistry, medicine, and law, operating as a structural partner of UNIZO.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Federatie Vrije Beroepen is a Belgian non-profit umbrella organization that represents, advocates for, and connects free profession practitioners (accountants, pharmacists, bailiffs, dentists, physiotherapists, doctors, veterinarians, brokers, psychologists, midwives) and their representative professional associations at Flemish, Brussels and federal governmental levels. Its offerings include policy advocacy, training support via the Liberform fund, member networking events (e.g., Dag van het Vrije Beroep), informational publications (De Vrije Beroeper magazine), and the Connect program with VLAIO for economic free professionals.

Product overview

Federatie Vrije Beroepen is a Belgian umbrella organization for free professions, operating as a membership and advocacy organization rather than a technology product company. The organization provides its members with an informational website and member portal, offers the Connect project (in collaboration with VLAIO) for economic free professions, and supports Liberform as the training fund for Paritair Comité 336. The organization also publishes 'De Vrije Beroeper' magazine and organizes events like the Dag van het Vrije Beroep. These offerings are complementary services supporting the professional development and advocacy needs of member organizations rather than a unified software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership and Policy Advocacy Services

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UNIZOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNIZO is the structural partner of Federatie Vrije Beroepen. The federation operates as a structural partner under UNIZO's umbrella, with the CEO of UNIZO also serving as CEO of FVB. Individual memberships proceed through UNIZO.
• KBCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKBC is a logo partner of the Federation, shown on the website footer alongside UNIZO and Liantis.
• LiantisminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLiantis is a logo partner of the Federation, offering services for starting as a free profession through their platform.
• LiberformcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiberform is the training fund for the sector of free professions as defined by Paritair Comité 336. It is managed by employer federations and trade unions, financed through employer contributions. FVB works with Liberform to support training and development of free profession practitioners.
• ConnectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnect collaborates with FVB and VLAIO to provide economic free professionals with information about subsidy and support measures from the Flemish government.
• UNIZOcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint webinars and events with UNIZO on topics relevant to free professions, such as director liability changes and GDPR compliance.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• UNIZO: Belgium's largest SME and independent professional organization and the structural partner of FVB. Highly comparable in mission (advocacy for self-employed professionals), funding model (membership-based), and governance structure, with shared executive leadership.
• NSZ (Neutrale Syndicale Zaakvoerders): Belgian politically neutral SME and self-employed professional organization. Comparable in its representation of independent professionals and advocacy function, competing for the same Belgian SME membership base.

Regional players

• UCM (Union des Classes Moyennes): Walloon counterpart to UNIZO representing self-employed professionals and SMEs in French-speaking Belgium. Directly comparable mission and operating model but serves a different linguistic/geographic community.
• SMEunited: European-level federation of crafts, trades, and SMEs. Operates at the EU policy level with a comparable advocacy and representation mandate for independent professionals and small businesses across member states.
• Conseil des Entreprises Non Financières: Walloon/Federal Belgian enterprise council representing non-financial sectors in social-economic negotiations. Comparable as a Belgian umbrella body engaged in advocacy and collective representation, though focused on broader enterprise categories.

Broad incumbents

• VBO-FEB (Verbond van Belgische Ondernemingen / Fédération des Entreprises de Belgique): Belgium's largest employers' federation, representing a broader set of businesses including larger enterprises. Comparable as a Belgian inter-professional federation advocating on labor, economic, and regulatory matters, but with a wider portfolio and bigger scale.
• Boerenbond: Belgian federation for the agricultural sector, providing advocacy, advice, training, and member services to farmers. Comparable as a Belgian sectoral umbrella organization with similar member services and policy representation model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vrijeberoepen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/federatievrijeberoepen
• Facebookfacebook.com/federatievrijeberoepen

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Federatie Vrije Beroepen