Your questions
about Saper Vedere.

Saper Vedere is a research and strategic advisory firm, incorporated as a Belgian SRL and founded in 2017 by Nicolas Vanderbiest. The firm has offices in Paris and Brussels. It has four areas of expertise: societal intelligence, public affairs, influence communications and crisis management. It also owns two proprietary SaaS platforms.

“Knowing how to see” in Italian. The phrase comes from Leonardo da Vinci. It describes a stance: observe patiently, understand, then act. It is the philosophy that shapes our method.

We only advise well on what we can prove. Proof takes three forms: data that has been collected and qualified, a transparent method, and a sourced deliverable. We produce evidence first, and only then help you act.

Neither, exactly. We combine the methodological rigour of a research institute (mapping, barometers, quantified audits) with the capacity to act of an advisory firm (advocacy, key messages, editorial strategies). The combination of the two is what sets us apart.

Paris and Brussels. We work mainly on France, with coverage from Brussels for European issues. We take on occasional assignments elsewhere in Europe, depending on the stakes.

Four: societal intelligence, public affairs, influence communications and crisis management. Crisis management draws on the other three in emergency mode. All of them rest on the same methodological backbone.

Your reputation is shaped in the conversations you are not invited to. We bring our clients into them in three ways: auditing their influence environment, producing expert content (notably executive LinkedIn profiles), and mapping and activating the relevant relays.

Monitoring is not a peripheral service. It is the raw material for everything we produce. Our advice, strategies and recommendations rest on monitoring qualified by our consultants. No monitoring, no proof.

Data is neutral; what we do with it is not. We use AI, machine learning and social listening in the service of human analysis. No Saper Vedere recommendation is produced by an algorithm alone: a consultant always qualifies the output.

Yes, as an outsourced unit on request. The terms are set out contractually, with a consultant on call and a second consultant as backup.

Two proprietary SaaS platforms (Follaw.sv, Connexia) developed in-house, supplemented by analysis tools and targeted APIs as needed (Gephi for working with graphs, press and institutional sources). Our consultants choose the tools suited to each assignment, not the other way round.

Our SaaS platform for monitoring the French Parliament. It covers legislative documents, parliamentary questions, the JORF (France's official gazette), HATVP-registered lobbyists, appointments and the parliamentary agenda. Available at app.follaw.fr.

Our SaaS platform for multi-platform monitoring and ecosystem mapping. It monitors Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, Twitter/X, LinkedIn and YouTube in real time (configurable alerts, semantic analysis, weak-signal detection), and maps stakeholders and influence graphs: network visualisation, community identification, and GEXF export compatible with Gephi and NetworkX.

Follaw.sv is available as a standalone subscription. Connexia is currently offered as a managed service with a dedicated consultant.

Federations, pension funds, industry bodies, sensitive industrial companies, property companies, listed groups and mid-sized companies.

A societal audit takes 4 to 6 weeks, with a quantified deliverable. A legislative advocacy campaign runs over a parliamentary cycle. LinkedIn influence support is rolled out over 6 to 12 months. Every assignment is framed by a written brief and a firm timetable.

We do not publish a price list. The first scoping meeting (30 minutes) is free and carries no obligation: it is used to define the issue and the scope with you. We then come back with a protocol and a quote within 5 to 10 days.

Reputatio Lab is an editorial brand associated with Nicolas Vanderbiest, founder of Saper Vedere. The studies published under this label are available at reputatiolab.com, and some are republished on our site.

We are looking for profiles in societal issues, consulting, research, understanding of social media, public affairs and influence. Unsolicited applications are read and kept on file even when there is no open position.

Yes. Several interns have been offered permanent contracts in recent years.

Through our contact page. You can describe your needs using the form or book a meeting directly on Google Meet.

Through our Sociétale newsletter (sign up at the bottom of every page), our LinkedIn account and Nicolas Vanderbiest's posts. Our SIS and Activism barometers are published several times a year.