15 Years of horsum: A Digital Architect for Streamlined SMEs
horsum is celebrating its 15th anniversary! To mark the occasion, we were featured in the June 2026 Jubilee Edition of Voka East Flanders. Read the interview with Sofie and Frederik, the driving forces behind horsum.
horsum helps SMEs understand, manage, and improve their processes and data by translating complex challenges into pragmatic improvement programs and actionable insights. Don't expect theoretical reports. Expect advice that works. From insight to impact: for 15 years, horsum has been bridging the gap between processes, data, and results.
In 2010, Dennis Houthoofd sketched the first concept for horsum, inspired by the London Underground map. Stations represented process steps, while lines symbolized connections. The concept made it immediately clear where bottlenecks occurred and what logical next steps were needed. Fifteen years later, the metaphor remains as relevant as ever.
The company grew steadily from a one-person business until Dennis realised he had become the bottleneck himself. In 2019, Sofie Defraeye joined as co-owner. Her hands-on operational experience at Dreambaby and Colruyt Group immediately strengthened both the team's expertise and the value delivered to clients. In 2023, Frederik Arnauw came on board, bringing a financial background from Vandelanotte and extensive expertise in financial and management reporting.
Today, this increasingly translates into projects where processes, data, and reporting are inseparably connected. The partnership with the Vandelanotte Group also opened the door to a broader business network and geographical expansion. Through the integrated collaboration of Vandelanotte's specialised services (Accountancy, Audit, Tax & Legal, Advisory, Digital, and Risk & Benefits), both organisations are able to support their clients even more effectively. Today, the team has grown to more than 20 motivated consultants.
Digital Architect and Site Supervisor
A food manufacturer still conducting quality inspections on paper. A company unable to identify which product category performs best in its stores. In 2025, these situations may seem exceptional, but for many SME employees, they are all too familiar. horsum addresses these challenges as a digital architect: a partner who not only designs the blueprint but also oversees the entire implementation.
"A good architect also supervises the construction site," says Frederik. "Are people still building according to the plan? Are employees being brought along in the process? Has everything been tested properly? We ask those questions to both the client and the implementation partner. And we stay involved until the system truly becomes part of the organisation."
horsum is also transparent about expectations. "The first year after an ERP implementation is always demanding. You register more information and introduce a certain degree of complexity. But afterwards, automation creates efficiencies and enables you to answer questions you could never ask before. Which market segment delivers the highest margin? Which customer is consistently reducing purchases? Where are the bottlenecks in project management? For many companies, that knowledge used to reside in people's heads and was never broadly accessible. Today, it's available to anyone who has the right processes and systems in place. Keeping those systems continuously up to date is no longer a nice-to-have; it's a fundamental requirement."
The first year after an ERP implementation is intensive, but afterwards you gain insights that were previously out of reach.
Thinkers and Doers
What sets horsum apart is not only technical expertise but also its ability to translate between daily operations, business processes, and systems, and back again.
"We speak the language of both management and the shop floor," says Sofie. "That results in advice that resonates and insights that are actually implemented. The greatest compliment we can receive is when a client says they don't notice we're external consultants."
This approach requires a specific profile. Everyone at horsum is analytical, curious, and capable of seeing the bigger picture. To embed knowledge sharing structurally, the company organises a full-day internal knowledge-sharing event six times per year. Colleagues present the projects they are working on, the clients they support, the methodologies they apply, and the insights they have gained. This keeps the team sharp, and that directly translates into better advice for clients.
First the Foundation, Then the Next Floor
AI is changing the rules of the game for knowledge-intensive organisations. horsum recognised this reality early on and systematically built expertise by integrating AI on top of a strong foundation of process knowledge.
"We see every day what goes wrong when companies deploy AI without having their core processes in order," says Frederik. "If the context isn't clearly defined or the data is messy, AI simply won't produce the right output. We help SMEs build that foundation first, and only then do we add the next layer. That way, technology becomes a genuine lever for growth rather than an expensive gamble."
This philosophy reflects a commitment to sustainable impact. horsum aims to be the partner that helps SMEs take this step thoughtfully: with a deep understanding of processes, insight into data, and a strong focus on the people who work with it.
Fifteen years of horsum is not a final destination, but a starting point. The challenges facing SMEs continue to grow more complex: more data, faster technology, and higher expectations. horsum continues to grow alongside them, with its team, with its clients, and with the times.
