According to Deloitte, the Eindhoven-based start-up Sendcloud is the fastest growing company in the Netherlands. After winning the Gerard & Anton award in 2016, the start-up showed impressive growth. Turnover has grown by no less than 5463% over the last four years, 5 million euro in investments have been raised and in November, the company managed to win the German-Dutch Prize for Economics. E52 was allowed to take a look during the working visit of alderman Staf Depla.
In the new office on the Insulindelaan, alderman Staf Depla is welcomed. During a guided tour of the building, the growth of the company becomes visible. In a few years, the start-up has grown from an idea on a terrace into an office with two floors and a fitness room. “The health of our employees is very important to us,” says Sabi Tolou, one of the company’s founders. “If you have a busy day and want to blow off some steam, you can do so here.”
“At the end of 2018, we want to be the market leader in Europe”Sabi Tolou, CCO Sendcloud
While a part of the staff ends the afternoon with a drink, Depla would like to know what the region has meant in SendCloud’s growth and what the city can do for the company. Despite the fact that BOM has invested in the start-up, the relevance of the region, unfortunately, turns out to be disappointing. As one of the few software start-ups in Eindhoven, it is difficult to find good staff. “A lot of people go to Amsterdam. It is all very much high-tech oriented here. IT start-ups go to Amsterdam more often than they stay in Eindhoven. Of course, Amsterdam has a lot more capital. We also need to attract that capital in Eindhoven”, says co-founder Rob van den Heuvel. Because there are few other large software start-ups in Eindhoven, SendCloud misses contact with other companies in the region.
But fortunately, there are also advantages of a headquarters in Eindhoven. “The house prices here are still a lot cheaper than in Amsterdam, we should really try to keep it that way. And of course, there’s a lot happening in the city, but it isn’t always visible from the outside.” Tolou indicates that SendCloud would be helped if they were to get a marketing package from Eindhoven365. “If people are not convinced yet, then traveling from Amsterdam for an hour is not that long.”
Nevertheless, the company is doing very well. With ten thousand customers spread across France, Germany, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands, there is still room for further growth in the coming years. “At the end of 2018, we want to be the market leader in Europe”, says Tolou. To achieve this, SendCloud intends to expand to the UK in the last quarter of next year. “We also want to strengthen our position in the markets where we are currently active.” The company expects to increase revenue by 230% in 2018.
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