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Awards
HRtech believes technology is a driving force in a rapidly changing world of work. It will be instrumental in designing more efficient processes, creating an engaging employee and learning experience and enable better decision making. We present two awards. The team award will be given to a Benelux HR team that concluded a strong HRtech project in 2024-2025. The startup award will go to the HRtech startup that designed solutions for real HR business needs.
The candidates have been announced, so voting can begin!
Ready to vote?
Important: You can only vote once. Voting ends on August 31 at 23h59 CET.
Team of the year
And the nominees are…
Facilicom Group Belgium employs thousands of people every day—representing over 100 different nationalities. Every two weeks, every Belgian consciously or unconsciously comes into contact with a Facilicom employee. Whether it’s the cleaner in your office building, the company restaurant where you eat, the receptionist at the front desk, or the facility management team behind the scenes—our people are also present in public swimming pools, town halls, libraries, and more. For a company like Facilicom, fair and accurate compensation is one of the most important commitments we make to our employees. That’s why we developed an intuitive and accessible tool to create a seamless interaction between employer and employee. It offers clear insight into work schedules and makes it easy to submit vacation requests or other applications. The tool is fully compliant with current social and legal regulations and is future-proof—ready to adapt quickly to any changes in legislation.
At Pfizer Puurs, we recognised a growing challenge: while our teams are the driving force behind our success, the data needed to measure team engagement is often fragmented across various sources, making it difficult to understand how our teams are really doing. Our vision was clear and ambitious: First, to develop an interactive dashboard that would combine various data sources, including both team-level HR metrics as well as qualitative feedback obtained via recurring pulse surveys. Second, to increase transparency by making these insights available at all levels of the organisation, offering team-level dashboards for team members and team leaders, as well as broader organisational perspectives for HR and leadership. In partnership with JiGSO, a Belgian HR-tech company, we brought this vision to life with the creation of an interactive engagement dashboard that was designed to be intuitive, accessible across devices, and adaptable to the evolving needs of our organisation. Currently supporting over 850 and soon expanding to 4000+ employees, the solution has provided valuable insights into team engagement, enabling better decision-making and targeted support. We believe our project is a testament to Pfizer’s commitment to innovation, not just in healthcare but also in how we use technology to empower our people.
At BDO, we proudly lead the way in HR innovation with our Continuous Listening initiative, a transformative program that empowers employees and fosters a culture of continuous feedback. This effort unites our leadership, management, and workforce in a shared vision of growth and collaboration. By prioritizing employee voices, we’ve created an environment where engagement thrives. This initiative aligns with our strategic vision of “Let’s grow together,” ensuring that all voices are heard and valued. With a keen sense of community and commitment to professional development, we are building an organization where collaboration and innovation flourish. Our advanced AI technology enables us to gather real-time insights that inform decisions and drive meaningful change. This agile approach allows us to adapt to the evolving needs of today’s workforce. By moving away from traditional, annual engagement surveys and implementing a data-driven Continuous Listening approach, we enhance participation and reduce survey fatigue through gamification and tailored questions. By voting for BDO, you are supporting a pioneering approach that enhances employee engagement and drives sustainable growth and innovation within the professional services sector.
Startup of the year
And the nominees are…
Every company struggles with the same pain: expert knowledge gets lost in long recordings, trainings are repeated endlessly, and learning is hard to scale. We solve that instantly. With our AI-powered platform, one live training becomes a full, reusable learning suite: short video snippets, documentation, summaries, quizzes all auto-generated. No extra work, no lost insights. We’re not just another tool. We change the game: 1. We help HR and L&D teams scale learning effortlessly. 2. We bring real ROI by reducing time, cost, and repetition. 3. We match every learner’s preference video, text, quiz, or micro learning drip campaign. In a world where knowledge changes fast and people learn differently, we enable organizations to train once and teach forever. We believe this is the future of workplace learning. Help us bring it to the world.
70% of the workforce isn’t actively looking, but they’re still scrolling. That’s why at enplooi, we blend push and pull marketing to make sure the right candidates don’t just find you, you find them first. We help you meet them where they are: on social media, in their feed, in their mindset, long before they hit the job boards. We combine the creativity of a marketing agency with the precision of recruitment data, and wrap it in a human-first, tech-enabled experience. Our AI dashboard empowers companies to manage campaigns and candidate flows effortlessly, while our team ensures every message hits home. What makes us stand out? – We’re hyperfocused on recruitment marketing, not as a side service, but as our core. – We help clients reach and resonate with both active and passive candidates through smart social media campaigns. – We balance tech and touch: our AI-driven tools streamline the process, while our experts keep it real, personal, and strategic. – And we built it to scale: fast, flexible and efficient, without losing human connection. – We leverage A/B testing, data-driven insights, behavioural marketing, and principles of social psychology. In a tight talent market, we give companies the tools, content and insight they need to stand out.
Everyone has experienced it at some point: you resign because you feel unseen. Because no one ever really asked how you were doing. Or maybe you’re an entrepreneur or a manager, and you keep seeing great people leave—just when you thought your team was finally complete. EXIRE is here to change that by making HR truly data-driven. Using people predictive analytics and machine learning, we provide instant insights into which employees are likely to hand in their resignation. Not based on gut feeling, but on predictive analysis using data from HR systems, planning tools, absenteeism records, our proprietary EXIT survey, and customer feedback. And always enriched with human context. Our technology makes employee behavior predictable and retention a strategic lever. In doing so, we don’t just strengthen HR—we empower the entire organization. EXIRE is built by professionals from a wide range of backgrounds: HR, recruitment, change management, development, machine learning, IT adoption, and security awareness. This unique mix allows us to truly bridge technology and people. No more generic data, but actionable insights. Vote for EXIRE and help build a future where innovative HR tech helps organizations retain their people.
JobFunders is reinventing how companies find and connect with talent — not through expensive intermediaries or noisy job boards, but through shared talent communities that empower both employers and job seekers. Our platform gives candidates a free digital career buddy with instant feedback, cultural fit insights, and personalized job suggestions. For employers, we offer a fully GDPR-proof, AI-driven recruitment platform that significantly reduces cost-per-hire and time-to-hire. We help community-builders like Roularta Media Group, Leuven MindGate, and Hangar K set up their own branded collaborative career hubs. These hubs drive cooperation, talent sharing, and targeted matching — solving a structural hiring problem that no classic platform addresses. With over 13,000 active candidates and 200+ employers already on board, our model proves that smart collaboration works. We’re not just improving recruitment — we’re building a fairer, faster, and more transparent job market. If you believe in the power of innovation to unlock human potential and want to support a bold new approach to hiring — vote JobFunders. Let’s make recruitment work for everyone.
The world needs better leaders. We just need to watch the news and understand the impact people in a leadership role can have on a global scale. Not surprisingly, the Vlerick & Hudson HR barometer clearly shows that for 2 years in a row (2024 & 2025), leadership development has become the top priority for organizations. But although organizations worldwide invest billions into leadership development programs each year, too many programs fail to yield meaningful results (Leroy, 2024). Leah is here to fix that, as we maximize the return on investments in leadership development through tech & AI. Through Leah as a plug-in to your leadership programs, we enable more scalability, more systematic follow-up (also post-program), more activation of learning content, and – simply – more leadership action.
At Maurice & Nora, we’re building more than a platform — we’re creating a movement for accessible, community-driven care. In a world where families struggle to balance work and caregiving, we offer a simple, scalable, and deeply human solution: connecting students with seniors and families in need of support. What makes us different? We combine social impact with cutting-edge tech — smart AI matching, autonomous agents, and voice assistants — to ensure care is not only reliable but also seamless. We’re already making a difference in people’s lives and are gearing up to scale through employers as a meaningful employee benefit. This award would amplify our mission to support working families, empower students, and help older adults live independently — all while proving that innovation and compassion can go hand in hand. Vote for a future where care is smarter, warmer, and within everyone’s reach. Vote Maurice & Nora.
I’m not a traditional tech founder, I’m a systems thinker shaped by two worlds: large-scale technology implementation and human vulnerability. For over 10 years, I worked in tech-driven environments in the chemical industry, managing automation and digital transformation. I saw how technology evolves fast, while people are often left behind. Years later, during a period of long-term sick leave, I experienced that gap firsthand. Reintegration was fragmented, unclear and reactive. That moment gave me purpose: to build something better. I founded Montisoro, and later ssstorm, a platform that unites care, structure, and technology into a scalable solution for absence and reintegration. It doesn’t just digitize workflows. It supports decisions, builds trust, and accelerates return to work. Innovation doesn’t always start in code. It can start in lived experience, in purpose, and in the will to make complexity manageable. With ssstorm, I’m creating a new category: Service as a Software, designed to empower people, strengthen organizations and reduce the societal cost of absenteeism. That’s why I built ssstorm. And that’s why I believe this award would accelerate impact where it matters most. Thank you, Laurence Van den Bergh
Belgian HR and L&D managers are big fans of Smart Lions – and that has nothing to do with the tech guys behind the product. Well, maybe a little: we know we can build all the software, but it’s the end-user input that’s crucial to creating something truly usable and likeable. Both the product concept and every single feature in it come directly from the market: we’re constantly talking to HR, almost to the point of annoyance. With Smart Lions, every aspect of training and its related obligations is mapped out. The software suite includes a variety of modules designed to make training management far less painful. Whether it’s calculating statutory training entitlements, generating training plans, gaining insights into social contributions, giving employees access to their own training CV, applying for training subsidies, or managing legally required training certificates-Smart Lions is your companion every step of the way. Having Smart Lions win the HRtech Awards of the Year is, in fact, a tribute to all the HR managers who have given us feedback on how they approach “learning on the job”.
Wenite helps HR consultants run their business smoother. Since narrowing our focus to this niche in early 2024, we’ve grown ARR by more than 150% while maintaining 20% quarterly growth. We’ve created a genuinely disruptive business model where customers become invested resellers earning large margins, in returns they handle customer success and renewals – unprecedented in SaaS. We’re not just another startup — we’re building the infrastructure for how HR services will be delivered in the future, transforming an entire industry through strategic innovation. Our breakthrough: building the first predictive intelligence platform for HR interventions, where network effects make us stronger with every logged action. This positions us to democratize enterprise-grade HR tools across 30M European SMBs through our scalable reseller network.
Bevoy deserves this award as the first truly hybrid wellbeing company, combining digital innovation and physical engagement in a uniquely effective way. Through years of refining employee engagement methods, we have discovered that merging digital and physical wellbeing initiatives creates lasting positive change. Our strategic partnerships with leading HR experts like Happy Humans and Golazo Energy allow companies to benefit from top-quality physical workshops and keynotes, seamlessly integrated with our digital platform. For instance, post-workshop recommendations delivered via Bevoy ensure continuous reinforcement of workshop insights. Our platform’s gamified approach and charity-driven rewards foster a joyful, positive atmosphere, embedding wellbeing deeply and sustainably into organizational culture.
Sourcing high-quality talent is the number one problem in recruitment, and it’s getting worse. Today, we are caught in an AI arms race: ATSs use AI to filter resumes, while candidates use AI to generate them. This has created a high-volume, low-trust stalemate that benefits no one. The only way to break this cycle is to fall back on the one signal that can’t be faked: trust. Hiring through the social proof of referrals is the ultimate competitive advantage. To make this possible, a solution is needed that combines a seamless user experience for employees with powerful, intelligent search capabilities for the recruiters who have to get the job done. That solution is Wintro. Born in Ghent’s new tech hub, Wintercircus, we are built for global adoption with an obsessive focus on quality and scalability. Winning this award would be a powerful statement that hiring should be about human connection, not algorithm-versus-algorithm warfare. A vote for Wintro is a vote for putting trust back at the heart of recruitment and for building the great teams of tomorrow.
Curious about more inspiring stories and projects?
We also present an award for L&D project of the year.
About the awards
HRtech believes technology is a driving force in a rapidly changing world of work. It will be instrumental in designing more efficient processes, creating an engaging employee and learning experience and enable better decision making. Did your team conclude a strong HRtech project or are you an HRtech startup? Then maybe one of these 2 awards will be shining on your desk next year. The winners will also get an article in HRmagazine and lots of visibility through video content on the gala evening and on social media.
The selection process
- Nomination Phase: Fill in the application form. Deadline applications: Monday, June 15, 2025, 23:59h.
- The candidates that match the criteria will be evaluated by the jury.
- The Jury selects the candidates for each category. These candidates will be published on the website.
- Public voting will be possible from June 25 till August 31, 2025.
- Public voting ends August 31, 2025, 23:59h.
- Two laureates in each category will be selected through public voting & jury expert opinions (40%-60%).
- Jury meeting September 5, 2025. The laureates convince the jury for one last time.
- Presentation of the HRtech awards @ the gala dinner on October 8, 2025.
The jury
Nicholas De Poorter
Nicholas De Poorter is an investor at Strada Partners, a Belgian private equity firm focused on Software, Business Services, and Healthcare. Within the firm, he is responsible for Invincible Software Holdings (ISH), a platform of founder-led B2B SaaS companies built in partnership with two experienced software entrepreneurs who lead day-to-day operations across the group.
Nicholas also serves as Head of M&A at ISH, where he is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and executing acquisitions from end to end. His focus lies in building a strong and coherent portfolio of independent software businesses with long-term growth potential.
To date, he has led five acquisitions in the HRtech space, specifically in recruitment and people management software. This experience has provided him with deep insight into the technologies and business models that are redefining the future of work.
Before joining Strada in 2023, Nicholas held M&A roles at PwC, Cargill (Food & AgTech), and Kraken (Crypto). He holds a Master’s degree in Business Engineering from KU Leuven.
Nicholas De Poorter
Strada Partners
Investment Manager Strada Partners + Jury President
Ann Guinée
Ann Guinée
Ann has a strong connection with the world of digitisation, in all layers of the organisation. At Beltug, Ann is responsible for the communication with the members and facilitates many of the member-events on various topics.
This allows her to be in direct conversation with the Belgian ICT business users and gain insights on their drive and on the challenges they face.
Her energy boosts when she can talk to Belgian companies, listen to their stories and hear about their priorities.
Ann Guinée
Communication Manager Beltug
Communication Manager Beltug
Kristof Van der Stadt
Kristof Van der Stadt
Kristof Van der Stadt is an experienced journalist with a strong technical background in computers and consumer electronics. His passion for information and communication technology has driven him to become a respected figure in the industry. With a focus on telecoms, enterprise computing, and the impact of social media on business, Kristof’s expertise allows him to analyze and report on complex subjects with clarity and depth. He has contributed to both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) magazines, sharpening his skills in print and online journalism. Known for his comprehensive understanding of the tech landscape, Kristof combines his technical knowledge with a talent for explaining intricate concepts to a wide audience.
Kristof Van der Stadt
Editor in Chief DataNews
Editor in Chief DataNews
Hilde Haems
Hilde Haems
A seasoned HR professional with 37 years of experience on the counter. In addition to HR, the rubric includes a passion for business and innovation. Currently working at Ackermans & van Haaren. Her career started at ING, and has built up further at Allen & Overy, RGF staffing and SD Worx.
Hilde Haems
Chief Human Capital Officer Ackermans & van Haaren
Chief Human Capital Officer Ackermans & van Haaren
Kathleen Vangronsvelt
Kathleen Vangronsvelt
Kathleen combines a broad business experience as HR Professional (DHL Aviation, AB Inbev, H.Essers, Belfius) with academic skills (PhD in Business Economics “Values at work” – KU Leuven). Her work was published in both top-ranked academic and practitioners’ journals and presented at national and international conferences. She taught at Rotterdam School of Management, IESEG Paris and – up until today – Antwerp Management School.
The combination of business and academia enables her to translate a wealth of scientific knowledge into hands-on insights and workable solutions. Her domain of expertise focuses on realizing individuals’ potential in a work context and spans topics such as values and authenticity at work, leadership, resilience and well-being, enabling diversity in teams and strategic HRM.
Her background in psychology (Master – KU Leuven) and mediation (Post Graduate – KU Leuven) empowers her to optimize the learning experience for a group, and to understand the deeper motivations and processes behind some questions and events.
Kathleen Vangronsvelt
Professor Organizational Behavior & HRM Antwerp Management School
Professor Organizational Behavior & HRM Antwerp Management School
Congratulations to our winners of 2024
Team of the year
Retail Concepts (AS Adventure & Juttu)
Startup of the year
Bloomup