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A Dutch operator and entrepreneur with more than 20 years of leadership experience in SMEs, Matthijs Wilhelmus aims to acquire and lead an SME through his search fund, Porast, with respect for what has been built and a clear vision for what it can become. In many Balkan countries, the word “Porast” means “growth.” For Matthijs, this word captures the essence of entrepreneurship and his approach to life: the growth of people, teams, and organizations. He is backed by a strong group of highly experienced investors across the Netherlands, Spain, and France, including MaasInvest, SearchRight Capital, Scipio Holding, Novidam, Maarten van der Kwaak Holding, Moonbase Capital, Turtle Capital, Secways, Cabiedes Capital, and Le Fonds Capital.
Matthijs is a seasoned executive with more than 20 years of international experience in business transformation, marketing, commercial strategy, and innovation across the FMCG, consumer goods, and healthcare industries. Throughout his career, he has held senior leadership roles at companies including BASI Systems, Karo Pharma, Boretti, Koninklijke De Kuyper, Bavaria, Nestlé, and HEINEKEN. Most recently, as CEO of BASI Systems, an internationally operating Pilates equipment company, he led business transformation initiatives focused on scaling operations, driving revenue growth, and strengthening the company’s international market position across more than 80 countries. Matthijs combines strategic vision with hands-on operational expertise in digital transformation, e-commerce, brand development, stakeholder management, and board-level advisory, making him a highly versatile leader with a strong track record of growth and organizational change. On a personal note, he was a member of the Dutch Jiu-Jitsu team for 10 years, winning the World Championship in 2002.
Porast is seeking to acquire a company with €1–5M EBITDA and healthy margins, particularly within specialist B2B products and services, niche light manufacturing, and health, wellness, or medical-related businesses. More broadly, Matthijs is especially attracted to companies with strong brands, differentiated expertise, resilient customer relationships, and strong organizational cultures, operating in industries supported by long-term structural trends such as ageing, sustainability, and technical outsourcing.
His philosophy is reflected in the opening quote of his PPM, from heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk: “I don’t have motivation, I have discipline. Motivation is temporary. Today, for example, you have motivation. Tomorrow, you wake up early, and you don’t have motivation. But when I wake up early in the morning for training, I never have motivation. I only have discipline.”
