BNR Podcast: The deal of a lifetime

Episode 02. Fred Al l Timechimp

From friendship to scale-up

Fred and Wouter aren’t just business partners; they’ve been friends since kindergarten. What began as a kitchen-table idea grew into a fast-scaling tech company with more than 4,000 clients across the Netherlands and Belgium. Their mission: to make time tracking simple. No more endless Excel sheets, but an intuitive online tool for managing time, projects, and invoices.

Fred took charge of commercial growth, Wouter led on technology. Together, they built TimeChimp into a brand known for its ease of use, reliability, and smart integrations with accounting software.

The first approach — and the long game

One day, Fred received an email from Visma, the Scandinavian software giant, asking if he had time for a coffee.
That meeting led to a conversation, but not yet a deal. The founders weren’t ready to let go. They decided to keep growing, professionalize further, and strengthen their company from within.

That decision paid off. When they officially put the company “in the shop window” in early 2024, they were in a completely different position. With the support of advisors from Clearwater International, they prepared a full sales process: from the information memorandum to the digital data room and a competitive auction among interested buyers.

The right moment

Visma came back, this time with the right timing and strategy. What followed was a careful sales process that lasted months: intense, emotional, and highly strategic. Until, right in the middle of a padel match, Fred got the call: the deal was done. TimeChimp was officially part of Visma.

The financial details weren’t disclosed, but one thing is clear: Fred and Wouter achieved what many founders dream of — a successful exit and the confidence that their product and team have a strong future within an international group.

Lessons from the deal

At Virtual Vaults, we see stories like this unfold every day. Behind every headline-making deal lies months, often years,of preparation: structuring information, building trust, and creating transparency between all parties involved.

The TimeChimp story shows how vital preparation and professionalization are. A well-organized data room, clear documentation, and collaboration with experienced advisors can make the difference between chaos and control. And perhaps most importantly: success isn’t just about timing, it’s about knowing when you’re truly ready.

Listen to the full story

In the podcast The Deal of Your Life, Fred shares openly about the road from idea to exit, including the tension, the strategy, and the moment he got the call, right in the middle of a padel game, that the deal was done.