BEREIK.IO MAKES NAME CHANGE AND CONTINUES INTERNATIONALLY AS RINKEL

May 17, 2022   •   3 min

Rotterdam / Barcelona, May 17, 2022 – The leading provider of virtual telephone exchanges, Bereik.io, will continue as Rinkel. In addition to this name change, part of an ambitious, international growth strategy, the company has brought in Amsterdam-based investment company Airbridge Equity Partners as a shareholder. Financial details will not be disclosed.

The company, founded in 2014 by entrepreneurs Jeroen van Vierzen and Jesper Paardekooper, develops and supplies virtual telephone exchanges with which companies can easily organize the accessibility of employees. They use a fixed telephone number and a platform designed by Rinkel with which incoming telephone calls are forwarded to the right person via smart, flexible functions or are answered automatically.

Accessibility and flexibility

Jeroen van Vierzen, CEO of Rinkel: “We are increasingly less tied to a fixed workplace. That has many advantages, but it also means there are challenges regarding reachability. Do you want to be available at all times? That question is important to many entrepreneurs, as is getting calls to the right person.” Rinkel customers can easily control this through an app, which allows you to determine how calls coming into your landline number are processed. Van Vierzen: “It’s all about flexibility and solutions that fit your organization and the services or products you provide. We focus on companies of up to 10 people. Still, freelancers and entrepreneurs with two or three people benefit from our services and the appearance of a fixed number, without the costs of a fixed line or a traditional switchboard.”

Foreign expansion

The name change to Rinkel is part of an international growth strategy. “We recently brought in Airbridge Equity Partners as a shareholder. This will enable us to roll out our strategy at an accelerated pace. This means that in addition to further expanding our platform and services, we will increasingly focus on foreign countries. A few months ago we opened an office in Barcelona. With its lively startup scene and many young, fast-growing companies, that city is a logical place to shape our international expansion further.”

Rick van Boekel, co-founder and partner of investor Airbridge Equity Partners: “Rinkel shows how you can use smart technology to break the monopoly of a few large, traditional companies. Telephony is an excellent example of this. Why would you still opt for an expensive traditional telephone exchange with limited functionality if you can also manage your reachability via an app?”

Van Vierzen is happy with Airbridge as a minority shareholder: “Airbridge is not only bringing capital but also has a large network and much knowledge of our sector. In addition, they are not focused on a particular, fixed exit but want to build on Rinkel with us and grow the company in a responsible, sustainable way.”

 

About Rinkel

Rinkel was founded in 2014 by Jeroen van Vierzen and Jesper Paardekooper as Bereik.io. The company provides an accessible online PBX for small businesses, allowing a landline number on the cell phone or computer. Rinkel replaces a traditional telephone exchange’s complex and costly infrastructure with this intelligent fixed-to-mobile integration. In this way, Rinkel responds to the growing demand for sustainable and hybrid business solutions without compromising quality or image. Rinkel employs around 25 people and works daily from its head office in Rotterdam and a branch office in Barcelona to connect the business of more than 10,000 entrepreneurs throughout Europe. See also: https://www.rinkel.nl/

 

About Airbridge Equity Partners

Airbridge Equity Partners (AEP) was founded in 2017 and focuses on the growth funding of technology-driven scale-ups in Europe. AEP invests in both B2B and B2C and has investments in the Netherlands (including Knowingo+, ChannelEngine, DAN.com, Wonderkind, Join Marketing & Roam.ai), UK (Vintage Cashcow, UENI, Tifosy), Germany (AX-Semantics, TravelCircus, Moebel24), Italy (Data Appeal), Poland (Survicate.com) and Czech Republic (Smartlook). See also: www.airbridge.nl