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Cloud computing / SaaS
Annual report 2015

Sirris supports Prosteps’ international SaaS and upscaling ambitions

Prosteps develops growth software for the retail and wholesale sector from its base in Antwerp. Over 30 employees support international players, such as travel and outdoor sports chain A.S. Adventure, with ERP solutions. The company recently launched its first Software-as-a-Service offering onto the market: Tilroy, an online and omni-channel checkout system that connects up all sales channels in real time. However, Prosteps does not have all the necessary know-how in-house to grow internationally via this SaaS platform. In 2015, it sought assistance from Sirris to set up the ideal advisory board.
  • International growth via SaaS-based retail platform
  • Disruptive business model and corresponding go-to-market strategy
  • Advisory board to support ambitious upscaling 

Prosteps is an Antwerp software company that develops growth software for retailers and wholesalers: from SaaS platform Tilroy for omni-channel retail to e-commerce, ERP and reporting solutions. 

“Sirris helped Prosteps set up an advisory board to support the company’s upscaling ambitions. It did this by putting the MyAdvisoryBoard methodology into practice.”

Brand-new business model

After participating in the Sirris Startathlon – an acceleration programme for start-ups and spin-offs with upscaling ambitions – it was clear to Prosteps that the future of the company lay in SaaS, i.e. software offered as an online service. It has taken the first step in this direction by developing the Tilroy retail checkout system, which is already used in a large number of shops. Its ambition for the future is to carve out a pioneering position in retail SaaS and also to expand globally, the target being to have over 2,000 shops and chains using the system in two years’ time. To prepare the company for the future, Prosteps decided to set up an advisory board in collaboration with Sirris, bringing together carefully selected profiles eight times a year over a two-year period.

Method in practice

Such an advisory board must be assembled with care. Sirris experts Omar Mohout and Peter Verhasselt therefore deployed their version of MyAdvisoryBoard – a methodology for helping business owners to optimise their growth strategy – tailored to technology growth companies. A shortlist of possible candidates was drawn up based on Prosteps’ needs and ambitions. Following the initial introductions, the advisory board officially came together for the first time in the summer of 2015. The MyAdvisoryBoard methodology structures each meeting around an agenda of three topics: growth indicators, operational bottlenecks and innovative levers.

Advisory board with expertise

The members of Prosteps’ advisory board were carefully selected to support the international upscaling of the Tilroy SaaS checkout system. The board therefore combines various types of relevant expertise, from experience in international retail and start-up environments, via expertise in the automatic identification of people and goods, to an in-depth knowledge of international business development and marketing communication in complex B2B environments.