Investment Company for Flanders - Special Issue: Venture Capitalists in Belgium - Company Profile

INVESTMENT COMPANY FOR FLANDERS

The INVESTMENT COMPANY FOR FLANDERS (GEWESTELIJKE INVESTERINGSMAATSCHAPPIJ VOOR VLAANDEREN or G.I.M.V.) was founded in 1980 as a limited company. The Flemish Government is the controlling shareholder of G.I.M.V., but the company is run independently, with a fully paid capital of approximately $ 115 million at year end 1990.

G.I.M.V. operates as a Group, clustering specialized subsidiaries in a market driven way.

Directly and indirectly, through its group structure, G.I.M.V. markets the total spectrum of risk financing, including seed money, start-up financing, venture capital, growth financing, MBO, MBI and turn-around financing.

A feature of G.I.M.V. lies with its contract as an advisor on business projects to the Flemish Government. Again, on a contract basis, G.I.M.V. is in charge of the management of the portfolio of the Flemish Government and is paid for this assignment. As a positive consequence of these government assignments, G.I.M.V. has acquired valuable experience in turn-around situations as well as in project management and strategic planning.

In view of the increasing internationalization of businesses and the fast development of new technologies, G.I.M.V. has built up an international network over its ten-year existence, consisting of Financial Associates in North America and Europe.

COPYRIGHT 1991 Embassy of Belgium
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group