Just Moved!
Tom Vertregt to learn the technical aspects of M&A as a new associate
Smile Invest has promoted Tom Vertregt from investment analyst to associate.
Tom Vertregt has been with Smile Invest since graduating from the Delft University of Technology with a master’s degree in applied mathematics and financial engineering. He says the team’s support and guidance have been instrumental in his transition from student to analyst, and now investment associate.
“What I have enjoyed most about working at Smile Invest is the transparent culture and team spirit, not only within the Dutch and Belgian teams, but also across both,” he explains. “Everything is openly discussed, which means I get to learn from the experiences of my colleagues and even our portfolio companies.”
This is helping to unlock his full potential as an M&A professional. As such, Tom feels very excited to take on the extra accountability that comes with the new role and support the team in return.
“There are a number of areas I am focused on in this next phase of my career at the firm, including continuing to develop myself on the technical aspects of the job, but also bringing workstreams further and managing processes end-to-end,” he shares.
Besides that, Tom also plans to concentrate on the value creation aspect of the job, supporting management teams with quantitative analyses to help them make the right decisions concerning the growth trajectory of the company.
“There are a lot of forces at play today (geopolitics, AI, shifting government policy) that touch businesses in different ways,” he elaborates. “For an international business exposed to a particular region, having a clear view of geopolitical developments from the ground is essential, especially in a downside case. For businesses with a software aspect, the priority shifts to product robustness and defensibility against AI-driven replacement.”
This is where associates – now including Tom – come in. “On the quality-of-revenue side, I look hardest at recurring versus one-off revenue, pipeline quality and visibility, customer concentration, and the durability of pricing — the indicators that tell you whether a growth rate is real and repeatable rather than flattering,” he says.
Tom’s technical toolkit and analytical background will be central to his expanding responsibilities at Smile Invest, as the firm continues to target high-growth technology and innovative healthcare businesses across the Benelux region.
