Babbage and Loo van Eck join forces

Amsterdam/Ede, September 5, 2023 – Babbage, the connecting link in the network of marketing, communication and content professionals, and Loo van Eck, the specialist in communication and writing training, are joining forces and entering a new phase as a group. Together they will build the largest communications company in the Netherlands. Both organizations have grown strongly in recent years. Investment company Synergia Capital Partners has been brought on board as a majority shareholder for further growth. The total turnover of the new group is expected to amount to approximately 50 million euros this year.

Babbage and Loo van Eck are both leading players in their domain and complement each other perfectly in terms of expertise, target groups and clients. Babbage and Loo van Eck will belong to the same group as of 1 September 2023, but will continue to operate independently and alongside each other under their own (brand) name. In the coming period, both companies will investigate the possibilities for synergy and new joint initiatives.

Managing Director/Founder of Babbage Lieke Severijns takes a step back

Severijns: “After 25 years of entrepreneurship and a 40-year career in the sector, this is a good time for me to let go of Babbage. There is a wonderful company, which I am very proud of. With a fantastically diverse and inclusive team, in which I have a lot of confidence. Our core values ​​of personal, involved and expert are paramount and I am convinced that they will continue to be leading in the future. In the combination with Loo van Eck and Synergia as partners, there is a solid foundation for further growth.”

On October 1, Carina Snaas will take up the position of General Manager, accompanied by partners Monique van Vliet and Iwein Trel, new partners Yke Hoekstra and Karel Beekman, and MT members Merlijn Wessels and Michiel de Zwart, with whom she will form a broadly supported and experienced management team.

Founder Hans van Eck says goodbye to Loo van Eck

Van Eck: “Loo van Eck is ready for the next step. Through the collaboration with Babbage and Synergia, I expect Loo van Eck to continue its solid growth. I am confident that if both companies combine their knowledge and expertise and can expand the group, they will be the largest communications player in the Netherlands within a few years. Babbage and Loo van Eck are a good match, in terms of culture, core values ​​and level of ambition.”

Martijn Jacobs and Danielle Westerhof have been the defining faces of Loo van Eck for years and continue to develop the organization as directors/partners.

About Babbage

Babbage was founded in 1999 by Lieke Severijns and has been active for 25 years in supplying professionals, both permanent and interim, but now also by carrying out projects and providing training in the areas of marketing, communication and content. The acquisition of recruitment and training agency De Redactie in 2021 led to an expansion of the network and further growth. In recent years, an in-house team of communication advisors & content specialists has been continuously built and the in-house project office has developed strongly. Babbage now has 45 employees internally and approximately 350 interim marcom professionals at various organizations.

About Loo van Eck

Loo van Eck, founded in 1983 by Gijs van 't Loo and Hans van Eck, has been helping employees and organizations improve their written and verbal communication for 40 years through training, e-learning and content production. Over the past 40 years, Loo van Eck has grown into the largest writing trainer. Thanks to its innovative strength, the company has managed to gain a leading position in the (local and regional) government, the corporate sector and the financial services sector. Gijs van 't Loo left the company in 2016. Loo van Eck employs 70 permanent employees.

About Synergia Capital Partners

Synergia Capital Partners is an independent private equity firm whose assets have been raised by successful entrepreneurs, families and executives from the Dutch business community. Synergia has a great deal of experience in the staffing sector through previous investments. For example, it has participated in Quint Group and The Human Network, the latter of which was successfully sold to fellow industry member House of Talents in 2021. Synergia also has experience in the marketing & communications domain, through investments in NOBEARS Group, a leading digital agency.