Eindhoven and Rotterdam, January 8, 2024 – ECFG (through its investment fund ECFG Ventures III) and Brink Software are jointly investing in the next growth phase of IB Data.

IB Data is the Dutch and Belgian market leader in providing product and pricing information for construction products. For Brink Software, the IB database, with information on over 250 product ranges, adds significant value to the calculation software for the construction, infrastructure, installation technology, and real estate sectors. ECFG, as an investor, specializes in guiding and financing innovative companies in the scale-up phase. Both companies will acquire a substantial (minority) stake in IB Data through their investment.

Access to Current Product and Pricing Information
In 2022, Brink Software introduced the Ibis Articles Service, which makes current product and/or pricing information from suppliers accessible to every calculator and work planner at the touch of a button. This allows them to choose products and compare alternatives faster, resulting in more efficient and accurate calculations. This ‘Ibis Articles Service’ is based on IB Data’s database. “Brink Software and IB Data complement each other seamlessly, as we are the market leader in calculation software, which uses a lot of product and pricing information,” says Erik Deiman, director of Brink Software. “Furthermore, we notice that access to current product and pricing information is becoming increasingly important, due to, for example, strongly fluctuating prices and the need for insight into product delivery times.”

Sustainability Information
Due to increasing regulations, such as in the area of sustainability, construction, installation, and infrastructure companies need to share more information with their clients. “Another reason for our investment in IB Data is the opportunity we see to expand IB Data’s database with information about the environmental impact of products,” says Deiman. “If a calculator has access to this information in the bidding phase, they can make more sustainable choices. Furthermore, Brink Software is already active in Belgium, and there are plans to sell our software in Germany, which seamlessly align with IB Data’s international growth ambitions.”

Accelerating Business Growth
ECFG is an investor that helps promising, innovative companies grow successfully with advice, guidance, knowledge, and capital. “In other markets, such as the manufacturing industry, we have long seen the value that product and pricing information can add to the entire value chain,” says Hans Bloemen, managing director and co-founder of ECFG. “In the Netherlands, this is already better organized for the installation sector than for the construction and infrastructure sector. By investing in IB Data together with Brink Software, we believe we can significantly accelerate business growth and, in line with that, the efficiency of collaboration in projects. Manufacturers will then only need to update their product, price, and sustainability information with IB Data.”

Access to the Market
IB Data has partnered with Brink Software for the Ibis Articles Service to gain access to end-users in the construction sector. “We have experienced that Brink Software, like IB Data, is a company with a people-oriented culture, which makes for pleasant collaboration,” says Tim Schillemans, commercial director of IB Data. “They have many construction companies, installers, and civil engineering contractors as clients who need our current product and pricing information daily when budgeting their projects.” “ECFG is an important value-adding partner for us because they guide and co-finance us to accelerate our growth in a pragmatic way in the coming years,” says Jop Schillemans, general director of IB Data.