ProUnity celebrates its 10th birthday

A rollercoaster in Tech and touch!

The Start of a Bold Dream

Ten years ago, ProUnity officially began its journey. After an intense year of planning and preparation, David Muyldermans, Cristian Ciuperca, and Nicolas Dardenne signed the company’s founding documents and stepped into their daring business venture.

In just a decade, ProUnity disrupted the market for external talent with its unique modular combination of a powerful VMS, Marketplace and MSP services. In 2024, the company is a market leader, achieving a remarkable €355 million in expected revenue, marking a 43% increase from the previous year. Today, it connects more than 2,250 suppliers and 10,000 freelancers searching for new missions.

The community expands rapidly: 2,500 extra freelancers and 542 suppliers joined the lively Marketplace in 2024 alone. With a team of 40 experts, ProUnity supports 60+ clients across 3 countries, facilitating work for more than 3,100 external professionals daily. Naturally, To keep pace with this growth, ProUnity is hiring.

January 15, 2015

Wikipedia received the Erasmus Prize for spreading knowledge, Barack Obama was leading the United States, and Adele’s Hello was topping the charts. Outside, the weather was cloudy with rain showers, but in the minds of the three entrepreneurs, everything was clear, and the sun was shining.

They had a strong idea that propelled them forward.

David Muyldermans recalls the dozens of simulations they ran to test whether their concept was economically viable. The founders were no strangers to the business world, and their experience proved invaluable for assessing their dream with a healthy dose of reality and preparing them for a solid start.

“Time and again, we refined our plans to make them as concrete as possible, overcoming our doubts each time. Ten years later, we’ve fulfilled our forecasts beautifully and continue to grow.”

The road ahead would be long, requiring far more investments and yielding lower margins than expected. However, that didn’t slow down the ProUnity train. The team gained the trust of major clients, and the number of platform users grew rapidly.

Energy, Fun, and Hard Work

One year earlier, back in 2014, the three founders began shaping their plans to bring a fresh approach to finding and managing external workers. Every free moment—every evening, weekend, and holiday—they dedicated to the project. It demanded a lot from them, as they also had family and professional responsibilities. Thankfully, their entrepreneurial drive kept their spirits high. Even after a gruelling mountain bike ride in the Ardennes, they would return home to spend hours in online meetings, updating mind maps and sketching out flowcharts.

“The early days were an incredible time filled with energy and fun. It was hard work, but our belief in each other and the project gave us the strength to keep going.”

That enthusiasm quickly inspired early supporters. Andrei Baducu and Mihai ‘Mishu’ Marin eagerly collaborated with Cristian to develop the technology, while Luc Malcorps helped David to come up with the name ProUnity, build the brand, and craft the first communications.

First Steps into the new world of work

ProUnity was introduced to the world of freelancers with a large-scale campaign.

“You’re welcome on board. Truly! With this smart alternative, you’ll find new assignments without detours.”

The campaign worked, but it was a day filled with stress and high on emotion. The first platform registrations and positive reactions poured in. All went well! But then, out of the blue, the world seemed to stop. A ‘stack’ of Microsoft Azure went down across Europe, leaving everyone offline. The proud and enthusiastic ProUnity-startup went from cloud nine to rock bottom in a matter of minutes.

Thankfully, the outage was brief, and everyone showed understanding. In hindsight, it was almost humorous, with plenty of opinions on how things could have been done better. Since then, both the platform and Azure have proven to be rock-solid, with no significant issues, while Microsoft has made tremendous progress with its solution.

After that memorable launch day, David and Cristian kept the flame alive together with just the two of them, with Nicolas supported the project from the sidelines. In the first year, David was even the only face of the startup to the outside world, presenting the first version of the platform (‘MVP 1’) to potential clients. The small team even accepted projects that didn’t perfectly align with the system, as the early revenue helped them to reinvest in the VMS/MSP model.

“Our goal was always crystal clear: ProUnity would make hiring and managing external workers more efficient and transparent.”

A Smart Alternative to Traditional Recruitment

In 2016, the free platform took off rapidly. Experienced HR expert Tania Vivane joined the team, bringing fresh energy to the management mix. In no time, over 5,000 freelancers had registered. The founders’ investment in the project paid off, attracting attention from investors.

In times when attracting new investors and funding seem more important than the financial success itself, ProUnity managed to build its success mainly on its own merit, with barely 2 million euros in funding.

First, the Brussels public funding pool finance.brussels/ Gimb confirmed its support. Soon leading payroll and social administration company Securex joined as an investment partner. Their Innovation Director, Patrick Lootens, saw ProUnity’s potential early on, and Securex became both a partner and a client, using the platform to manage its own external workforce. ProUnity even relocated to Hive5, Securex’s coworking space, reinforcing their strong collaboration. These signs of trust inspired Venture Capital investor Seeder Fund as the third financial partner in ProUnity’s growth story.

Loyal and Esteemed Clients

2017 was the year all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. With Rossel joining as a new client, ProUnity’s growth gained momentum. The platform’s reputation was further solidified when Smals and Credendo chose ProUnity, after a public tender process. The unique combination of a robust VMS platform, an in-house marketplace, and MSP guidance was a true innovation in the market.

“It’s amazing that we’ve earned the trust of such wonderful clients. Many of them, like Smals, Credendo, and Securex, have been with us for many years. Together, through close collaboration, we’ve developed our services. I’m deeply grateful to them for that.”

A 10 years’ rollercoaster

ProUnity’s first decade was a real rollercoaster. The dedication of the team, their belief in the formula, and their trust in each other made all the difference. The COVID-19 pandemic was a period of uncertainty and tension, shaking the foundations of both clients and ProUnity itself. However, the team weathered the storm, using the global crisis as an opportunity to reinvent, strengthen, and pivot swiftly once the tide turned. The result? Strong outcomes in the years that followed.

“We’ve always stayed true to our vision and mission. We offer a people-focused solution, and our organization embodies that in everything we do.”

So many positive experiences make ProUnity’s first ten years remarkable. Strangely enough, you almost start to take them for granted, the team confirms. Even the tough moments matter—they shape you and enrich you as a person and a professional.

“I’m still captivated by the DNA of our organization. ‘Pro’ represents professional, client- and results-driven work. ‘Unity’ signifies enthusiastic, open, and honest collaboration. The entire team embodies these values.”

A new boost with HeadFirst Group

The acquisition of ProUnity by HeadFirst Group in 2022 marked the beginning of a new chapter. Several parties had already approached ProUnity’s management, but with HeadFirst, there was the best ‘click.’ The new step came at the right time for ProUnity, its clients, and its partners.

Han Kolff, Chairman of the Board, and Marion van Happen, CEO of HeadFirst, simply presented the strongest case. As an experienced industrial partner, they knew the field and brought valuable expertise to the table. Both companies were complementary, with a similar vision and mindset. HeadFirst was the right partner to give ProUnity the momentum it was looking for and pave the way for international success.

“We saw exciting opportunities and we felt we could strengthen our cross-border businesses, while respecting each other’s identity. The strength of our platform and the expertise of our people are valued in the group, making our collaboration even more powerful.”

The best is yet to come

The new position of ProUnity as a market (and thought) leader opens new doors. The inclusion in HeadFirst Group helped to further professionalize the internal processes at ProUnity and helped to grow the maturity of its management. The startup from ten years ago had passed the scale-up stage to become a powerful competitor in its market. Now it was ready to further develop its organisation and market reach, as a well-structured business with a clear corporate approach.

“HeadFirst gave ProUnity the wind in its sails (and its sales), with new insights that clearly helped us to move forward and expand our reach and scope. With our DNA as a clear compass and the continued close contact with our clients and users, we further set our course with an open spirit and positive energy. The future looks bright.”