It’s the era of real time, big data analytics. Large companies such as IBM and SAS are still the powerhouses in this booming market, yet there’s plenty of room for a small Gaulish village to tackle the Roman Empire. Real Impact Analytics, a telecom big data startup from Belgium, is one of those Gauls. Today, they’ve announced a (first) 12 million euros investment round, led by venture capital funds Fortino Capital (Belgium) and Endeit Capital (the Netherlands), together with Euronext-Brussels-listed Gimv.
Real Impact Analytics helps telcos
Real Impact Analytics helps telecom operators manage their marketing, sales and distribution networks more efficiently with big data applications. The company was co-founded in 2009 by high school and college friends, Sébastien Deletaille (31yo) and Loïc Jacobs van Merlen (32yo). Prior to joining Real Impact Analytics, Sébastien Deletaille was a Junior Associate at McKinsey and Loïc Jacobs van Merlen was a Management Consultant at Roland Berger.
Delivering easy-to-use applications
The company is looking to disrupt the traditional big data approach by delivering simple and easy-to-use applications for telecom employees. In this context, the funds will support the continued development of the startup’s applications catalog. As one of the fastest growing European startups, the company has more than doubled in revenue and team size (now above 120) every year on average since its inception in 2009.
Five of top ten global telcos
The Belgian startup is already working with five of the top ten global telecom operators (Airtel and Digicel to name two) and has five offices around the world. This first round of external funding will enable Real Impact Analytics to continue its expansion and provide the resources to further battle giants like SAS and IBM. RIA is headquartered in Brussels and has regional offices in Brazil, Luxembourg, Malaysia and South Africa.
Endeit Capital: “One of our focus areas”
Endeit Capital’s Hubert Deitmers, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, stated: “Big data is one of our focus areas and we selected Real Impact Analytics among other promising players due to its unique offering. Besides, we are very impressed by its highly talented team.”
Fortino: “Disruptive approach”
Fortino Capital’s and former Telenet CEO Duco Sickinghe said: “Real Impact Analytics is the company that will enable telecom operators to successfully undergo their big data journey. It is now evident that operators that effectively use big data deliver superior profitability. The startup’s disruptive approach and powerful technology are delivering tremendous impact. It is a new quantum leap in improving customer acquisition and success as well as driving a superior return on network assets.”
