One of Denmark’s fastest growing software companies

Configit is a company which develops software that solves the challenges which characterizes configuration of complex products with a high degree of customization.

Configit is one of Denmark’s fastest growing IT companies. Its turnover increased by 50% annually from 2012 and 95% of the turnover is exported to global giants such as Jaguar Land Rover, ABB, Philips and John Deere. Furthermore, the Danish portfolio of customers includes companies such as Danfoss, Grundfos, Vestas, Lego and Oticon.

Michael Moesgaard Andersen was the principal shareholder and chairman of the board of directors in Configit during the period in which Michael N. Wilkens was part of the company. In addition, Michael Moesgaard Andersen is one of Denmark’s most respected businessmen who is also assigned as an assistant professor at CBS and author of several strategy and strategy development books.

A long-standing cooperation

“It started in 2008 when Michael was engaged to solve a business development project,” says Michael Moesgaard Andersen. “We established a working relationship when the company was still in a start-up phase with only 8 employees and Michael’s primary task was to develop the business model, support sales and enter partnerships with SAP and potential resellers of Configit’s software.”

“I was pleased about Michael N. Wilkens’s dedication to the company and we therefore offered Michael to join as shareholder in Configit,” tells Michael Moesgaard Andersen.

The primary task was business development and sales as well as development of business models to position Configit in new markets. “One of Michael’s huge strengths is that he is familiar with working in many markets – the German, the English as well as the American markets,” explains Michael Moesgaard Andersen. “This has been important in connection with making the company international. He has been part of starting up our branches in Germany, the US and England.”

Involving strategy processes

During the period of years in which Michael N. Wilkens worked in Configit, he frequently facilitated strategy processes for management. Michael Moesgaard Andersen points out that these processes were very valuable.

“What I liked about the strategy processes was that they were very involving,” Michael Moesgaard Andersen explains. “There are many strategy processes in which the facilitator is trying to come up with the answer in the form of a presentation and then you have to comment on it. I was very excited about the idea of creating the strategy together because it generally provides a better dialogue and better results.”

Michael Moesgaard is a very acknowledged author of books about strategy and business development and he says: “In my own books, I have used some of the models and concepts which Michael has presented to me, including the entire toolkit for innovation and development of business models which Michael has developed together with Alex Osterwalder."

Impressive growth in Configit

During the period in which Michael N. Wilkens worked for Configit, the company has experienced an exponential growth and many impressive results. Today, the company is therefore far from being the newly established company which it was when Michael N. Wilkens was engaged. It is now a large, well-known and recognized player in the market.

This was reflected in the sale of the majority ownership of the company in 2016 when Configit was sold to the Nordic venture capital firm Polaris. “This transaction reflects the outstanding results which were achieved during the previous periods,” explains Michael Moesgaard Andersen and he continues “and the company was afterward ready to be managed by a venture capital firm on its onward journey."

A relation which goes beyond Configit

Although the cooperation in Configit ended with the sale of the company in 2016, the contact is maintained. “I am pleased that we can continue the discussions, inspiration and exchange of experience which we both benefitted from in Configit and use it in our new projects," says Michael Moesgaard Andersen. “I highly recommend a cooperation with Michael N. Wilkens as consultant and facilitator of innovation and strategy processes.”