Founder Story

    Why we built Velvet

    Roelof Hengst, Founder of Velvet

    Roelof Hengst

    Founder Velvet

    Former Founding Partner Winning by Design

    Renske van der Heide, Co-Founder of Velvet

    Renske van der Heide

    Co-Founder Velvet

    Operations Velvet

    We spent years in the B2B SaaS space. Roelof helping sales teams across Europe, Renske running the operations that made it all work. Hundreds of workshops. Thousands of reps. Both of us in the trenches, feeling the pressure firsthand.

    The training worked. We saw it in people's eyes. The energy after a good session, the intent to change.

    But managers didn't have time to coach every call. Reps were too busy hitting quota to reflect. And buyers ended up in conversations that could have been so much better.

    When we left Winning by Design (Roelof being one of the Founding Partners), we stepped away from SaaS entirely. A completely different venture. A fresh start.

    But the domain pulled us back. Former clients started reaching out. "Can you help us again?" After some distance from the market, we realized we finally had the perspective—and the technology—to build what we'd always wished existed.

    That's why we built Velvet.

    We started with a clean slate. No legacy. No compromises. AI-native. Around us, we've assembled a nimble team of seasoned professionals with deep expertise in SaaS sales, coaching, and AI. Boutique by design—because the best work happens when you stay close to your clients and close to the craft. And yes, we are a couple.

    Velvet combines AI-powered call analysis with live training sessions. Every call analyzed. Every rep coached. Not once a quarter—every single day.

    This isn't about replacing human judgment. It's about giving reps the feedback loop they've always needed, and giving managers their time back.

    Track Record

    The company is new. The experience is not.

    Velvet was founded by the team that helped build Winning by Design across Europe. Between us: thirty-plus years of B2B SaaS and AI sales, dozens of sales teams coached, from seed-stage to global scale-up, on three continents.

    We started Velvet because we saw the same thing everywhere: training works in the room and fades in the field. Velvet is built for that last mile.

    Former Winning by Design Execs

    Supported hundreds of sales teams across the globe.

    The same challenge every time

    Training sparks energy and intent, but daily habits and lasting results don't stick.

    Now possible with AI

    Fully closing the performance gap requires a short and continuous feedback loop on skill execution. With AI, we can shorten that loop significantly.

    That's why Velvet

    We solve the 'last mile' of sales performance with a focus on improving win rate, increasing ACV and reducing Sales Cycle.

    Our Mission

    We turn selling back into a craft.

    Velvet is built for sales leaders. Because when you get the coaching layer, your team gets the craft.

    Great selling is not a talent a few people happen to have. It is a set of things that can be taught, practised and kept alive. We teach them, then we stay to make sure they hold. You get the time back to lead. Your reps get to become the sellers they came here to be.

    Because the more of selling gets automated, the more the conversation decides.