Five years! Do you still remember what you were doing five years ago? Five years of Zure Belgium feels both long and short, I still remember Pieter and myself sitting at our shared office desk thinking about what the future of Zure Belgium would look like.

We’ve shared many of our stories over the last years, but still, when I think of these past years and all the untold stories of challenges, failures, and all the moments with colleagues, I find it hard to believe where we are.

I could not be happier with the current state of Zure Belgium, we’re looking back at 2024 as our best year by far. We managed to grow the team with Tim and Wouter and increased our revenue by a remarkable 47% – while staying profitable.

That said, I know we still have a lot to learn, and there’s always room for improvement. Last year we continued investments in further optimizing our sales and marketing efforts while also streamlining the way we work. Despite those challenges, I feel that the foundation we’ve built over the last couple of years is strong and I look forward to building upon that with everyone on the team.

Tim and Wouter

In the first couple of days of 2024, Tim joined the team. Both Maxim, Pieter and I had previously worked with Tim. His years of experience in combination with some fresh perspectives allowed him to fit in seamlessly.

I’m happy we could provide Tim with the right balance between work and family he was looking for, the blog post Tim wrote a couple of weeks ago made me feel deeply grateful and proud about the environment we’ve built over the last five years. An environment where people can thrive and feel at home, I could never have imagined that people would write so openly and positively about their journey in Zure Belgium, it really means the world to me.

A few months after Tim, we had the pleasure of welcoming Wouter to the team. Wouter joined us in July. For some of us, Wouter was also a familiar face, as both Ruben and Frederik previously worked with him. Starting in the middle of summer can be challenging with the yearly holidays and a quieter office vibe, but Wouter handled it easily. From the start, he brought a great sense of enthusiasm and the way he started contributing right away was nothing short of impressive.

Community Building

Over the past years, community building has been at the heart of what we do, 2024 was no exception. It’s one thing to work on our daily projects, but it’s another thing to showcase and share those learnings with others. As always, our yearly Azug event and CloudBrew remain a highlight for us.

This year, however, our commitment to community building has extended beyond those flagship events and our presence in the community has grown in many ways across different tech communities. A huge part of that is thanks to Ruben. Watching him take the stage, share his insights and his natural ability to connect with people is incredible. It has been a powerful motivation for me to keep pushing forward and finding new ways to give back and make a difference.

For us all, community building isn’t just about showing up. It’s about creating a space where learning, innovation and human connections can succeed. It’s a reminder that while individual accomplishments are meaningful, collective efforts truly make an impact.

What’s next?

As we celebrate our 5th anniversary today, I want to look forward to what’s next. The past years have been an incredible journey, not only for Zure Belgium and all the people involved but for me as well, and I feel we’ve set the stage well for the future. It is impossible not to feel excited about the next steps.

Our main focus in 2025 will be continuing to grow the team with talented, culture-fit workmates. We’re not just looking to fill roles, we’re looking for people who align with our values, share our passion for technology, and are not afraid of learning. Last year we saw fantastic growth in our local customer base, our ambition in 2025 is to further strengthen that local footprint. Those local efforts go hand-in-hand with increased collaboration across the Zure Group – as we continue to help customers in both Finland and Denmark.

The tech landscape continues to evolve at an extraordinary pace, and with it, opportunities to innovate and make a meaningful impact with the entire Zure Group continue to rise. Our ambition is to stay at the forefront of it. As we grow bigger, challenges will arise that we have to meet with creativity and determination, however, the future is not only about reaching those milestones or certain goals; it’s the journey about how we get there. By supporting each other, learning constantly, and staying true to our culture that has brought us this far.

As we step into 2025 and our sixth year of operations, I feel a huge sense of gratitude toward all the people who brought us this far. Pieter, Maxim, Ruben, Frederik, Tim, and Wouter – you’ve made this all possible. Let’s continue building something remarkable together!

If you want to read more, here’s the link to previous posts expanding on the details of our journey since 2020:

Zure Belgium 2023

Zure Belgium 2022

Zure Belgium 2021

Appendix: Graphs & Numbers