Data Analytics
This page summarizes the published SME benchmark for this business type, including its disclosed market basis, so advisors and operators can cite a clear starting point before a full company-specific valuation.
Business type benchmark
Last published: 13 Apr 2026fresh · 51 days old≈ 6 min readEndpoint
Model-ready data package
Pull this sector's multiples together with country market data in one response. Use JSON for agents and apps, or CSV for Excel models and deal workpapers.
/api/benchmarks/v1/context?business_type_id=data-analytics&locale=enClassification
62.01.3
NACE Rev. 2 primary code. National statistical labels (e.g. SBI, NACE-BEL) describe how each country maps this activity.
Markets
Benelux aggregate
Published benchmark
13 Apr 2026
Published benchmark ranges
Sign up free to see P25, median, and P75 ranges and NACE codes. No credit card.
Sign up freeHow To Use This Benchmark
Use these ranges as a market reference, not as a substitute for a full valuation. Company quality, growth, concentration, recurring revenue, margin profile, and deal context still matter.
Pair This With The Right Valuation Method
These benchmark pages work best when they feed into a fuller valuation workflow on Upswitch. Start with the market range, then choose the method that fits the company.
Upswitch Index vs Damodaran
Both are useful — they answer different questions. Pick the right reference for the work.
Upswitch Index
Private-market, SME, by business type
- Benelux-native where the row proves local evidence
- By business type, disclosed market basis, citable vintages
- Free to use — no credit card
Damodaran
Listed equities, global, by sector
- Public-market companies, annual global cuts
- Broad sector buckets, not country-resolved
- Free academic resource
ICT, software and media
How data analytics actually gets valued
The multiples above are a market anchor — not the valuation. What drives the outcome are sector-typical normalisations, value drivers and risk compressors.
Normalisation checklist
What reported EBITDA almost always distorts in this sector.
- For SaaS: validate ARR is contractually billable, not blended with one-off services revenue.
- Capitalised vs expensed R&D drift: re-classify consistently. SME founders often expense everything for tax, deflating real EBITDA.
- Customer concentration in B2B SaaS: top-10 above 50% materially compresses the multiple.
- Strip founder coding hours from cost when valuing on EBITDA — the next owner pays a senior engineer for that work.
- Verify unit economics: payback period, gross margin per cohort, net revenue retention.
Value drivers
What typically lifts the multiple in this sector.
- Net revenue retention above 105% with documented expansion playbook.
- Multi-year contracts with annual price-escalator clauses.
- Product-led growth: low CAC, organic signal in marketing channels.
- Documented technical architecture and a senior engineer not the founder.
Value killers
What compresses the multiple or kills the deal.
- Founder-developer combo with no engineering bench — knowledge transfer risk.
- Customer churn above 8% logo / 5% revenue annualised in B2B SaaS.
- Significant technical debt or platform rebuild required within 24 months.
- Open-source licence contamination in the code base.
Anonymised worked example
Illustrative — not a recommendation. Real valuations run through the Upswitch engine.
A vertical-SaaS firm reports €2.1M ARR, €450k EBITDA and 4% logo churn. Pure SaaS valuation pivots on ARR multiple, not EBITDA: at €2.1M ARR with 110% NRR and 4% gross churn, a sector range of 3.5×–5.5× EV/ARR yields €7.4M–€11.6M. EBITDA-multiple cross-check at €450k × 12×–16× gives €5.4M–€7.2M, which is lower because ARR-multiple already prices in growth. The defensible band is the overlap, €7.2M–€7.4M, with the upper-bound moves driven by NRR proof and the lower bound dragged down by founder-developer dependency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these published numbers company-specific?
No. They are published market reference points for this business type in the country markets that Upswitch has evidence for. A real valuation still needs company-specific inputs and judgment.
Why do some business types show more than one metric?
Different sectors are often discussed with different market lenses. Upswitch shows the published metrics that are available for this business type.
Can I use this in a client conversation?
Yes. These pages are designed as citation-friendly starting points. For a client-ready report, use the full valuation workflow on Upswitch.
Is this database free to use?
Yes. The Upswitch Index publishes free SME valuation multiples (EV/EBITDA, EV/Revenue, and P/E) by business type. Benelux can be native-local where row evidence supports it; wider European market views are disclosed as beta, borrowed, aggregate, or compatibility coverage. Historical vintages and audit exports are on paid plans.
How does Upswitch Index compare to Damodaran?
Damodaran publishes annual global multiples for listed companies by broad sector — a gold standard for public markets. Upswitch Index publishes granular SME/private-company benchmark ranges by business type with row-level disclosure of whether evidence is native-local, borrowed, aggregate, or beta-stage. Both are useful; they answer different questions.
What is the source methodology behind these multiples?
Upswitch publishes only through row-level benchmark contracts. Evidence can include private-market observations, local filings or statistics, listed-comparable context, and macro calibration anchors, but source labels are used only when they actually contributed to the resolved benchmark. Full methodology is on the methodology page.
Related Business Types
Deeper reading
How valuation, normalisation and succession actually work
Three long-form articles on the infrastructure layer beneath European SME succession — selected for this sector.
The five primitives of liquidity
Five building blocks for a working SME succession market: normalisation, transparency, advisor distribution, shared truth and matching.
Read on upswitch.app →
Normalising SME EBITDA — six categories
Two accountants, one P&L, EBITDAs 20% apart. The six categories where most divergence happens — with worked examples.
Read on upswitch.app →
Cross-border M&A in the Benelux — foreign buyers
30-45% of strategic acquirers for Belgian and Dutch SMEs sit in Germany, France or the UK. Synergy, buyer typology and what this means.
Read on upswitch.app →
Upswitch.app
Full valuation workflow — Upswitch
This database is the public benchmark layer. Upswitch is the full platform: company-specific valuations, client-ready reports, advisor workflow, and API access for teams. Free accounts work across both.