Nico Bogaerts

Partner Smile Sail | Investing in Software & AI Leaders (SAIL) | Member of the Investment Committee

Antwerp Metropolitan Area

About

With over 20 years experience in SaaS software of which 8 years of in business development and M&A and 4 years managing a SaaS scale-up, I am passionate about driving growth in SaaS Business to Business sectors. As the Head of M&A at SD Worx, a leading European HR and payroll service provider, I manage the strategic M&A agenda and execution across the group in Europe. I bring diverse perspectives and experiences to the team, having worked in different countries and cultures, and having completed multiple transactions and disposals in 10 countries. I also have an entrepreneurial MBA from Flanders Business School, and executive education from INSEAD and IMD. In my previous role as Managing Director at Basecone, a fast-growing SaaS fintech scale-up, I led the organization and business growth and innovation, delivering significant ARR growth over four years. I built and scaled the team in Portugal, India, and the Netherlands, from 35 to over 120 people, and developed a strategic vision and roadmap for the product, leveraging ML/AI to enhance the pre-accounting solution. I also worked closely within the larger group of Wolters Kluwer, the parent company, to align the strategic plans, business goals and synergies. Some of my key skills include M&A, new business development, thought leadership and strategy to execution. Previous mentor @Hyperfox Previous board member @Riskconcile

Experience

  • Partner & Member of the Investment Committee at Smile Sail - Investing in Software & AI Leaders
    May 2025 - Present · 1 yr 2 mos

  • Board Observer at Harmoney
    May 2026 - Present · 2 mos

  • Non Executive Director at Twikey
    Feb 2026 - Present · 5 mos

  • Non Executive Director at Rsult
    Feb 2026 - Present · 5 mos

  • Non Executive Director at Dataswitcher
    Feb 2026 - Present · 5 mos