New management to lead the next phase of company growth
Freshstream today announces that it has agreed to make an investment in Worldstream and take a controlling stake in the Netherlands-based Infrastructure-as-a-Service provider. Worldstream, an IaaS provider with company-owned data centers and over 15,000 servers deployed to host cloud and dedicated server solutions for its clientele globally, operates in a high-growth market, benefitting from a shift from on-premise to outsourced infrastructure, growing data consumption and increasingly complex use-cases. According to Freshstream, Worldstream has a strong track record of above-market growth, underpinned by its state-of-the-art data centers and market-leading customer service.
Worldstream was founded in 2006 by Dirk Vromans and Lennert Vollebregt who led the business through its initial growth phase. They will remain minority shareholders in the group following the transaction, having stepped back from their executive roles in 2020.
Freshstream has been impressed with the company’s significant transformation during the past 12 months, building on the impressive historical growth track record, further improving its market proposition and professionalizing its organization and governance.
The business is headquartered in Naaldwijk, the Netherlands, with a loyal employee base of over 70 people and a global customer base of over 2,500 clients. The company operates two self-owned data centres housing ~15,000 servers connected to the AMS-IX, which is one of the world’s major internet exchanges and has a point of presence in the company’s data centers. Following Freshstream’s investment, Worldstream plans to accelerate its organic growth plans led by Ruben van der Zwan, incoming CEO and Eric Boonstra, who will join the Board as non-executive Chair.
Worldstream will be the 7th investment in Freshstream’s first independent fund, which closed last year having raised €762 million. The business joins other portfolio companies Project Better Energy, DeterTech, Bella Figura Music, Big Motoring World, Nafinco and MCR, which are all high growth, entrepreneur founded businesses.
Ruben van der Zwan, Worldstream’s new incoming CEO said: “Freshstream’s investment will be transformational for Worldstream, providing us with the support to grow our offering to meet the rising demand for outsourced cloud and IT infrastructure. I am very excited to be leading the business through this next stage of growth with a shareholder who understands our journey and shares our entrepreneurial mindset.”
Paul Tutein Nolthenius, Director at Freshstream said: “As we look to the future, we see huge demand for dedicated servers and cloud solutions. With its infrastructure, expertise and strong focus on customer experience, Worldstream is well placed to benefit from the positive macro drivers in this sector. Furthermore, the entrepreneurial spirit instilled by Dirk and Lennert continues to run throughout the workforce and will be a key pillar in Worldstream’s success under Ruben’s leadership.”
Dirk Vromans and Lennert Vollebregt, Co-Founders of Worldstream, said: “We are immensely proud of what Worldstream has become and we are very excited to start this new chapter. The timing couldn’t be better to hand over to Ruben and Eric to steer the company to the next level. We are delighted to remain on board as investors alongside Freshstream.”
About Freshstream
Freshstream is a mid-market private equity firm with offices in London and Amsterdam. It seeks to partner with entrepreneurs, families and management teams of rapidly growing companies to provide insight, expertise and capital in order to build strong, future-proof businesses that create value for their shareholders. Freshstream is a signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment and the Initiative Climat International, a participant in the ILPA ESG Data Convergence Initiative, and has been carbon neutral since 2018.
Freshstream was also nominated as a 2023 Finalist by Real Deals for Best in Class ESG for the lower mid-market and recognised for Excellence in ESG in 2023 by the British Venture Capital Association (BVCA).
To learn more about Freshstream, visit: https://freshstream.com/
About Worldstream
Founded in 2006 by childhood friends who shared a passion for gaming, Worldstream has evolved into an international IT infrastructure (IaaS) provider. Our mission is to create the ultimate digital experience togetherwith you and our partners.
We advise, design, and provide advanced infrastructure solutions, offering peace of mind to IT leaders at tech companies. With a commitment to high-quality infrastructure, industry-leading service, and strong partnerships, we simplify IT leaders’ lives and provide round-the-clock 24/7 support.
To learn more about Worldstream, visit: https://www.worldstream.com/en
