Utrecht, June 16, 2025 – Smizer, the fast-growing platform of regional IT service providers, is gearing up for a new growth phase. Investment company Riverdam, initiator and co-founder of the platform, has attracted a new group of renowned institutional investors to support the further expansion of Smizer. The investment will enable the platform to expand, professionalize and maintain Smizer’s customer-centric culture.
Smizer originated from the vision that regional IT Managed Services Providers are stronger together. In a year and a half, Smizer grew into a buy-and-build platform of eight IT service providers spread across the Netherlands, with now more than 250 colleagues. Since November 2023, the name Smizer has been in use – derived from “Smile with the eyes.” That name symbolizes the job satisfaction, sincere attention to each other and the pleasant working environment Smizer wants to offer both customers and employees.
“Smizer’s growth is not just about scale or numbers,” said Erik van Laar, CEO of Smizer. “It’s about creating room to continue investing in what sets us apart: personal service, technical reliability and local involvement. The investment allows us to maintain those values, especially as we continue to grow.”
The fund investment was made possible by Riverdam and comes from an international consortium of institutional investors, including Schroders Capital, Turnstone Private Equity, Qualitas Funds and Syz Capital. In collaboration with Foremost Partners – a specialist in fund structuring – Riverdam’s investment vehicle was created.
In the coming years, Smizer intends to further strengthen itself through organic growth as well as strategic acquisitions. The focus remains on supporting SME companies and non-profit organizations with high-quality IT Managed Services: from cloud workstations and network management to proactive support on a subscription basis.
The market in which Smizer operates remains in a state of flux. The demand for stable, scalable and secure IT solutions is growing rapidly – and with it the need for professional, locally rooted IT partners. Smizer offers just that: national coverage with a personal approach.
“Over the past year, we have moved picket lines,” continued the Erik van Laar “We have laid a solid foundation for what we want to be: an organization that colleagues are proud of, customers trust and entrepreneurs want to work together in. With this investment, we are at the beginning of yet another new phase – and we are ready for it.”
