capital D acquires majority stake in Dutch HR tech startup, VONQ

capital D, the European private equity firm, has acquired a majority stake in VONQ, a recruitment marketing startup that enables companies to bypass traditional recruitment agencies and reach their target talent. The firm has acquired 54 percent of the startup. VONQ’s platform integrates over 2,000 job boards, streamlining recruitment so that corporate recruiters can find the same high-quality talent in less time and with less administrative hassle. Part of the service is data-driven advertising, whereby clients can automatically execute targeted awareness campaigns across digital platforms. Nearly 1,000 corporations use the platform, including over 250 large enterprises such as Lidl and BMW group.

The equity firm, which typically invests in disruptive mid-market companies across Europe, was attracted in part by the Dutch tech company’s growth, a rate of 30 percent per year. 

Wouter Goedhart, co-founder and CEO of VONQ, said: “We are delighted to have secured this significant investment from capital D. The team has real insights into the fast changing recruitment sector and proactively approached us more than a year ago. We see this as a great opportunity to continue to empower hiring teams to attract the right applicants. In capital D, we’ve found a partner that can further accelerate our growth and help us increase the reach of our recruitment marketing technology on a global scale. We look forward to working with them to build our position in our existing markets and further extend our reach globally.”

Jean-Marc Jabre, co-founder of capital D, said: “Our focus is on business models that transform industries.  VONQ and its leadership team have created an outstanding platform in HR Tech. We see in VONQ the opportunity to become a platform that redefines and resets recruiting for enterprise clients and we look forward to partnering with the team.”