VLAIO simplifies business transfers thanks to online valuation tool

| minute read

Many entrepreneurs wonder what the market value of their business is. Because there’s a high price tag attached to third-party calculations, Sopra Steria and VLAIO (Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Flanders) have developed an online valuation tool that enables companies to make this complex business assessment themselves. In that way, they have a rock-solid foundation on which to negotiate when they eventually sell their business.

A technical masterpiece 

In order to achieve a feasible tool, Sopra Steria and VLAIO have mapped out all the possible calculation requirements in an in-depth functional analysis. A large number of questions, divided into 7 categories, had to be answered by a test audience. Thanks to their company data and figures, we were able to obtain a detailed report. 

Afterwards, Sopra Steria had created the website and the necessary dynamic templates in order to process the extensive workflow as well as possible. For example, various dynamic fields and mandatory input fields were used depending on the answers that were provided by the entrepreneurs involved in the analysis. 

Complicated calculations made easy 

Excel is a widely used tool for making extensive calculations and yet, it’s also an easy and familiar environment to adapt to. That's why we’ve implemented the spread sheet program in our valuation tool. In this way, VLAIO employees with different access rights can adjust and perform simulations and refine the tool even more. 

Sopra Steria has ensured that the imported data is entered in the correct Excel fields and that calculations can be introduced into a report. Each user can receive this report digitally in his mailbox. 

A powerful tool during handovers 

There’s no doubt that the tool has already proven its effectiveness for both the VLAIO employees and the end users. After all, the brand-new tool offers loads of advantages. For example, VLAIO employees can customise the tool themselves via a back-end Excel file that is connected in an advanced way to the tool's web portal. As a result, no technical website knowledge is required, which is a great bonus for the VLAIO staff.

Thanks to the user-friendly development process, every business can ultimately count on a powerful valuation tool. Or to say it in the words of Hilde Crevits, the Flemish Minister of Economy: “Thanks to the new online valuation tool, our entrepreneurs now have a good and useful tool that can help them determine the value of their business during important transfer processes."