Partnify lets companies collaborate in a streamlined way

Ron Lohuis, co-founder of Partnify: ‘Partnify was created from a clear need: companies often work together, but run into obstacles. Think loose emails, spreadsheets and communication through different channels. We wanted to streamline that process by bringing everything together in one place.' Partnify's B2B platform specifically targets SMEs and freelancers in sectors such as sales, marketing, IT and AI. Ron explains: 'We have built an AI-enabled online platform where teams collaborate securely and efficiently on projects. Users connect their partners or meet within business communities on Partnify. With AI, among other things, we speed up processes and enable targeted collaboration. We facilitate follow-up steps such as quotes, contracts and secure sharing of data and progress, all conveniently in one place.'

Harjan van der Linde, Startup & Scale-up Banker at Rabobank: ‘What makes Partnify special is that they capitalise on a niche. Many entrepreneurs are tired of LinkedIn: they don't just want to network, they want to be able to ask for help, work together concretely and be facilitated from A to Z in the process. Partnify offers exactly that, with a clear focus on service sectors and SMEs.'

The partnership between Rabobank and Founded, formed in mid-2024, is aimed at accelerating innovation in the Northern Netherlands. Founded plays an important role in connecting startups, companies and knowledge partners such as Partnify. Ron: ‘Founded provides a valuable network where startups, companies and knowledge partners come together. In our case, that collaboration has provided access to knowledge and new connections.' Harjan adds: ‘These kinds of collaborations are essential for strengthening the ecosystem in the Northern Netherlands. Together, Rabobank and Founded provide a solid network in which young, innovative companies can grow.'

Ron: ‘For funding, our investor Raymon Pouwels put us in touch with Harjan and his team. They immediately understood where we wanted to go and offered us an innovation loan. We used that loan to further develop our software. After that, we quickly moved into the scale-up phase.' Harjan: ‘The Rabobank Innovation Loan is an instrument that helps young companies with product development and scaling up operations. Partnify already had some turnover but was still at the beginning commercially. This loan gave them exactly the push they needed to grow.'

Partnify looks beyond solutions for streamlined project management and communication issues. Ron: ‘Our solution capitalises on sustainable growth and more efficient collaboration. This is not only nice for SMEs and freelancers, but also for innovative sectors. Companies save time and resources.' Harjan confirms this: ‘Many SMEs still work in traditional ways, with separate documents and e-mails. Partnify offers a solution in a secure, central environment where working together only gets easier. They show that you can build a stronger ecosystem and future-proof SMEs through sustainable innovation.'

With the support of Rabobank and Founded, Partnify has laid a solid foundation in the northern Netherlands. Now the company is looking ahead to further growth. ‘Our roadmap is clear,’ says Ron. ‘We are developing new features and functionalities based on feedback from our users to grow our user base.’ Internationalisation is also on the cards. 'We are looking at Belgium, Germany and Scandinavia. We are happy with Rabobank's confidence. Surely that gives us a more ‘mature’ character.'

Harjan also sees that potential: ‘It's smart to focus on the northern Netherlands first, where Partnify is close to their customers. They are carefully building their product and taking solid steps. That is exactly what is needed to eventually become internationally successful.'