Walter van de Wege, Founder of Happy Horizon

Walter van de Wege is a true entrepreneur at heart. In 1992, he founded an agency specialising in direct mailing. In 2001, he bought out his partners and shifted his focus to customer and brand activation. This expanded to include email marketing, lead generation, and later, performance marketing—successfully integrating offline and online strategies. With the rise of Google and META, he added a data-driven agency and a web development firm to the portfolio. Then came the search for a strategic investor, leading to MG Partners. ‘I have never regretted it for a single day. In just a few years, we have quadrupled in size and expanded internationally. Today, we have over 500 employees and are approaching €100 million in revenue. And… our journey is far from over.’

A turning point and finding the right investor

Walter recalls: ‘in 2011, I reached a crossroads in my life and wrote myself a letter outlining my vision for the next ten years. After making about eight acquisitions, my own funds were running low, and securing a bank loan was becoming increasingly complex, requiring more guarantees.’

‘Despite being in a strong position with my portfolio, which I had named Happy Horizon, I saw major growth opportunities. But finding the right, reliable investor was a challenge. I had already been through a long, exhausting process with another investment firm, which ultimately fell through, and I did not want to experience that again. That’s when I encountered MG Partners.’

Young and unconventional private equity

‘René Manchester and Sjoerd van der Grift were young, independent-minded, and sharp, but from day one, we clicked. They understand entrepreneurs like me—they come from entrepreneurial families themselves. Their focus-driven approach was innovative, they were fast, skilled, and financially highly competent. Their pragmatism and depth were exactly what I needed.’

‘By late 2019, we signed a letter of intent, and in January 2020, the due diligence process began. And then… COVID hit. That threw a major spanner in the works. But after an initial slowdown, the pandemic actually became a growth accelerator for Happy Horizon. With our portfolio, we found ourselves at the heart of market demand.’

‘Eventually, the acquisition by MG Partners was finalised in October 2020. The additional funding enabled us to not only accelerate acquisitions but also drive autonomous growth at an even faster pace,’ Walter adds.

Collaborative entrepreneurship

‘During this period of rapid digital expansion and industry-wide consolidation, we turned out to be the perfect match. Together, we developed an active buy-and-build strategy. I remained at the helm as an entrepreneur, while MG Partners sat alongside me, providing strategic advice and insights into potential acquisitions.’

‘I also had my own shortlist of targets. Together, we identified the best candidates and the ideal acquisition structures and financing. Our shared vision for growth instilled confidence and energy. I have never enjoyed entrepreneurship as much as I do now. Our mutual vision and drive were a perfect fit.’

‘MG Partners then raised a new dedicated fund for our group. We also secured a banking consortium to support further international expansion. Four years after we began our collaboration, we have acquired and successfully integrated around 25 companies,’ Walter states.’

2023: a stabilisation phase

Walter van de Wege: ‘in 2023, we entered a stabilisation phase. Competition in the digital space increased significantly, and corporate cost-cutting measures led to a decline in relevant market volume, which impacted us.’

‘Together with MG Partners, we managed to cut costs, integrate operations more effectively, and restructure our portfolio. It was not an easy process, but it was necessary. As a result, we are now in a strong position for the future.’

2025 and beyond: accelerating growth

‘For 2025 and beyond, we are ready to go,’ Walter continues. ‘Together with MG Partners, we have developed a new growth strategy: Happy Horizon 2.0. This strategy integrates creativity and technology into a seamless solution that fully supports our clients.’

‘It combines the best of both worlds—the world of our clients and the world of their target audiences. We understand our clients’ industries like no one else and are fully committed to helping them achieve their growth ambitions. At the same time, we have deep insights into audience behaviour and know how to drive engagement and action.’

‘Hand in hand with MG Partners, we are rolling out this new growth strategy. Or, as we like to say together, “We will accelerate together.” As the founder, I have full confidence in this next chapter!’

Hidden gems in entrepreneurship

Walter van de Wege: ‘Together with MG Partners, we have added exceptional businesses to our group. Take our acquisition of Iconic, for example. We were already active in social influencing within sports and gaming, but Iconic expanded our reach into luxury and fashion. With CF Report, we acquired the market leader in reporting in the Netherlands, and together, we successfully took digital reporting to the next level.’

‘The acquisition of the global digital performance marketing agency AdBirds marked our international expansion. With GX Software, we connected platforms with content, data, and the latest web technology.’

‘Through a series of smaller add-ons, we integrated cloud solutions into our portfolio and enhanced our data analytics capabilities for mapping digital customer journeys. As a result, our added value has increased significantly.’