KooKoo founder, Simon Stremersch, uses his passion for processes and technology to help clients navigate unsupported growth plans, untapped pricing potential and overestimated synergy cases.
Simon Stremersch is always thinking about ways to improve processes – even when he’s cooking, taking the dog for a walk, or simply brushing his teeth – and believes technology is a powerful enabler. “Once you understand how something works, you can play with technology and automate it. Every time you identify a process pain point and resolve it efficiently with technology, you create value,” he explains.
His career emulates this thinking. Simon has hands-on experience with selecting and implementing software throughout the various management positions he’s held over the years. During his time at METRO in Belgium (2016-2019), he rolled out a demand and supply chain planning software, supported by big data analytics. Later, whilst working for METRO AG in Germany (2019-2021), he was responsible for a large-scale digital transformation programme across the European wholesaler.
This background gave him a much better understanding of where technology creates value and what makes it sticky. So, in November 2021, Simon joined the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in Germany, where he advised clients across large-scale transformations, topline growth, procurement strategies and rapid value delivery.
“The economics of technology companies are very interesting; while there are many growth levers for tech companies, M&A is not usually an obvious one,” Simon shares some of the insights he’s gained over the years.
“Software companies often need sufficient scale to be profitable. M&A can help accelerate growth in specific segments, overcome market-entry barriers or counter rapid AI-native competitors.”
But making big bets (and getting them right) is what excites Simon, which is why he returned to Belgium mid-2023 to start KooKoo with Margot Desseyn and Ellis Broos. “I saw there was a huge community, specifically in private equity, buying and selling tech companies and thought I could use my past and passions to add some value,” he says.
Entrepreneurs with various expertise
Simon’s bet paid off. Since its founding, the strategy consultancy has grown into a trusted advisory partner for well-known Belgian private equity firms investing in tech such as Fortino Capital, Smartfin, Gimv, Sofindev and Think to Act.
He accredits this success to KooKoo’s team. “We are entrepreneurs ourselves, so we know what it takes to find new clients, lose a client, negotiate big deals, try to standardise stuff and scale, etc. We are building a business, just like they are.”
Everyone in the team has a unique combination of consulting and industry expertise: Ellis, who heads up consumer industry, has worked at Kearney, D’Ieteren and Lucien; Margot, who heads up heavy industry, worked at Roland Berger, Syensqo and Solvay; Jari Ingang, who joined KooKoo in May 2026, has worked at Kearney and brings a family office perspective gained at Deparco; and their newest addition to the team (announced this August, 2026), Cas Dessers, brings expertise from SIA partners and has hands on experience growing tech start-ups.
“We don’t hire people only based on hard skills. It’s more important to have people who have lived the challenges CEOs and investors are facing, then go a step beyond and present some strategies to address them, too,” Simon unpacks KooKoo’s hiring strategy. “Ideally, someone who dares to challenge the status quo, like us.”
Read also: Margot Desseyn believes M&A is a people’s business
Finding one fish in a sea of many, instead of sleeping with the ‘phishes’
Simon heads up Tech & Services at KooKoo, where they consult on companies’ growth and pricing strategies. His team has seen the huge impact AI has had on how software and service organisations grow.
“Because of AI, everybody can build their own software tool in a matter of days or weeks. As a result, there are many new, smaller entrants trying to disrupt markets, while their corporate clients suddenly have more firepower to develop solutions in-house,” Simon shares, adding that AI also brings a cost and makes tech companies reflect on their margin and pricing strategy. “We see many segments where the cost-plus or seat-based model is no longer optimal. Companies are forced to reflect on how defensible their customer base is and how easy it is to switch to a different solution.”
This is where he comes in. “If you're threatened as a software company, there are three things you can do: shift your customer base with your current product, change your product for the current customer base or buy your competition,” Simon advises.
Buying the new entrants could create additional value within a company’s current platform, attracting new customers, too. “In most cases, you’re not buying the product, but the new way of thinking and the logic that comes with their teams,” Simon elaborates. “Their fast-moving nature can also create momentum for the rest of the organisation.”
Exchanging with CEO’s and Investors on the best growth path for a company is one of my favourite aspects of the role:
“Just like with M&A, I believe that synergies come from collaboration, challenging each other’s thinking and adding new perspectives – it’s a process that creates immense value if structured in the right way”
The ‘green flags’ he urges companies to look for are:
- Sticky customer base with high switching costs.
- Data that is not widely available and can be used for an intelligence layer.
- A management team that has deep expertise in the problem they solve.
“There’s a lot of dry powder being put to use at the moment. Just because a startup has initial investor backing doesn’t mean it has a viable long-term value proposition,” Simon counsels. “The speed at which American tech moves is incredible; what was true yesterday isn’t true anymore tomorrow.”
One of the biggest red flags he warns against is something that is easily replicable. “Companies with data exclusive to them are super defensible,” he suggests, explaining that if it takes years to collect data or win public contracts, it is difficult to immediately replicate, even at the speed technology is moving today.
Simon urges that Europe needs to wake up. “We are lagging behind China and are dependent on the US; if we challenge tariffs, we might end up using second-class AI models,” he encourages. “If two cats are fighting for the same fish, a third one will run away with it.”
Interrogating ‘the rule of 40’
On 30 September 2026, Simon will gather 40 of the country’s top investors and CEOs to discuss the best growth strategies for software companies in 2027. “During the event, we will explore whether they should grow organically or through M&A, how they should go about it and the lessons learned from industry successes and failures,” he reveals.
The evening will begin with a panel conversation, featuring Jürgen Ingels (founding partner at Smartfin), Frank van Vliet (operating partner at Fortino Capital), Jan Van Autreve (CEO at Protime) and other industry experts. The speakers will examine how to hit ‘the rule of 40’ – a golden standard for good software companies on how fast they grow vs how profitable they are. “If they’re above the line, they are considered attractive, but if they’re below the line, they still have some work to do,” is all Simon will disclose about the session, which he will be moderating.
After this, the attendees will break up into roundtables focusing on specific topics – ranging from GTM, product, pricing, internationalisation and M&A – allowing all participants an opportunity to engage with the panel members.
By bringing together the bright minds of the tech and M&A sectors, Simon hopes to cut through the noise and equip leaders with actionable strategies for navigating an unpredictable market.
Find out more about the event, here.
