Allez Startups

In this episode I spoke with Lode Uytterschaut, Co-Founder and CEO of Start it @KBC — Belgium's largest startup accelerator, with 9 locations in Belgium and 3 abroad, having coached over 3,500 founders since it launched from a single floor of an Art Deco tower in Antwerp.I cannot stress enough the monumental impact that Start it @KBC has had on the Belgian ecosystem. With no strings attached, no equity and no charges, the incentive to apply is strong, there is nothing for founders to lose and much to gain. Built from nothing, when there was no startup ecosystem in Belgium, it has created a flywheel of startups (eg. Conveo, Aikido, Loop Earplugs) and a thriving community.What struck me most was how Start it @KBC was built in the margins. When Lode joined KBC as an atypical hire, corporate life left him with more unstructured time than he was used to. He used it to go to events, meet people, and build relationships — which is ultimately how he found his two co-founders. How we use our free time can be a real differentiator for long-term impact. People who are hungry to build and learn do great things in their free time, they use it to push themselves, learn and create.We also talked about the flywheel effect the Belgian startup ecosystem has reached, the deliberate work Start it @KBC has done on gender inclusion and why it's still hard, what they look for in founders at jury stage, and why scaling a mistake is one of the most common ways startups fail.Chapters01:00 From architecture to KBC — an unlikely pivot05:00 Building in the margins: how the co-founding team came together12:00 The first six startups and how the program was built from their feedback20:00 Why Belgium sends more founders through accelerators than the rest of Europe28:00 Gender inclusion: what works, what's still hard38:00 Mental health, family and what founders take for granted48:00 What Start it @KBC looks for: coachable, but not too much

Meet the deeply human startup whose product has been built entirely thanks to AI.In this episode, I’m joined by Thomas Butstraen, co-founder of Maurice & Nora, the Antwerp-based startup on a mission to become the “Uber for non-medical care.” Maurice & Nora connects seniors and busy families with reliable, vetted students who can help with everyday tasks, from gardening and companionship to after-school childcare and homework support.They’re tackling one of Europe’s biggest societal challenges: the growing care crisis. But what makes this story even more remarkable is how they’re building it. The entire platform was created using AI coding tools (without a traditional engineering team!) allowing them to move at extraordinary speed.We talk about:The personal moment that sparked the ideaWhy building B2C in Belgium is so hardHow they turned PR into a growth engineTheir bold B2B2C strategy, positioning care as an employee benefitWinning major recognition within their first yearWhat it really means to build a “societal unicorn”And the founder reality behind the ambitionThis is a conversation about speed, impact, and rethinking how we care for both older and younger generations: powered by AI, but built for humans.Keep listening to discover how Maurice & Nora plans to change the way Europe thinks about non-medical care.

My vision for this podcast was always for it to be highly practical and operational, not just inspirational. This is why I’m pairing founder interviews with expert advisor interviews, who share knowledge and insights that are relevant to people building in Belgium. This episode really delivers. It’s jam packed with practical, local advice, 100% tailored to startup founders building in Belgium. Dups is a legal and financial advice firm specialised in startups. Their team, approach and pricing is founder-centric and it’s visible from this interview. Check it out to learn: Belgian specific dos and don’s for fundraising and exitsCommon mistakes seen in Belgian startup founders and how to avoid themImportant things to look out for in the term sheets, specific to Belgium And more...Check out their fundraising guide for a glossary of terms and for a structured, well-written read on the topic. 

In this episode I spoke with Rutger Bevers, founder and CEO of Conversation Starter, a matchmaking platform helping event participants and communities meet the right people and have meaningful 1-on-1 conversations. He's also co-founder of several communities, including Steward Owned and Long Term Society.Based in Antwerp, founded in 2015, Conversation Starter is a Belgian startup born before the ecosystem had the support network it has now.I found Rutger inspiring and impressive. I’ve heard people say that “Belgian founders aren’t ambitious enough”, but Rutger is deeply defying this stereotype. He started coding and teaching before he was even legally allowed to start a company. He has unstoppable ambition and high standards and it’s from these extremely high standards, that Conversation Starter was born. He built for Hasselt's first TEDx event, which Rutger co-organised, and the rest is history.We talked about the tricky balance between working on vs working in your company. Rutger shared how he’s navigating that shift today, hiring his first salesperson, raising new funding, and trying not to get stuck in day-to-day operations.We also explored why communities are moving away from social media and into smaller, curated spaces.ResourcesConversation StarterSteward Ownedimec.istart

SummaryIn this episode I spoke with Vincent Declercq, CEO and Co Founder of Dalton, a startup revolutionizing website optimization through AI. Vincent shares his journey from previous ventures to the inception of Dalton, emphasizing the importance of validation and learning from past mistakes. He discusses the appeal of marketing and growth hacking, the impact of competitive sports on his entrepreneurial spirit, and the significance of finding the right co-founders. The conversation delves into Dalton's innovative approach to website performance, including a case study showcasing impressive conversion rate improvements. Vincent also addresses the technical challenges of building the product, market positioning, and future directions, including pricing strategies and customer engagement.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Dalton and Its Vision01:23 The Journey to Dalton's Creation03:04 Lessons from Previous Ventures05:34 Vincent's Background and Interest in Marketing08:37 The Concept of Growth Hacking10:14 The Impact of Competitive Swimming on Vincent's Career13:34 Finding Co-Founders and Building the Team15:51 Product Overview and Case Study of Dexter21:17 The Technology Behind Dalton24:31 Challenges and Market Positioning27:22 Future Directions and Vision for Dalton30:34 Pricing and Customer Engagement

The startup in focus for this episode is Altheria and I spoke with two of its co-founders, Dimitra, the CEO and Can-David or CD, the Chief Design Officer.Altheria provides immersive virtual reality safety trainings for blue collar workers and its product is actually saving lives and limbs, keeping employees safe all over the world. They gave me a deep dive into their product and its evolution, from fun stories of people walking into each other in the early days to the real impact its having on the ground reducing accidents and increasing learning speed. We talked about what it means to be too early in a market and we ended with a candid discussion on the challenges of being a female leader in a male dominant sector.Link to the viral reddit thread mentioned

Episode SummaryIn this episode I spoke with Marte Greefs, CEO and Co-Founder of Go Ocean, a sister company of Go-Forest, of which Marta was the first employee. Each company is a small team of 2 or 3 people, with restoration partners all over the the world and big ambitions for the future. Go Ocean is on a mission to restore and improves the ocean’s health and biodiversity. They do this by offering  transparent and tangible restoration projects for companies to invest in, ranging from coral or mangrove restoration in the Global South to shellfish reefs and seagrass in our more northern waters. This helps companies compensate their CO₂-emissions, meet their sustainability goals, marketing and comms or even HR goals.I was deeply touched by the founding story behind Go Forest: a tragic event that led to a strong push for positive impact.Marte talked about the challenges of sales and fundraising as an impact business, some of the restoration projects they support, and them broader topics like when to move to an office what to delegate as a founder. She chose Go Forest over a role at the EU Commission (!) and she talked about what helped her make that decision.Founder help recommended by MarteGig and GrowNoaBelgium Startup Ecosystem (and Awards)Chapters00:00 Introduction to Go Ocean and Marte's Journey05:44 Navigating Career Choices: Startups vs. European Commission09:45 The Early Days at Go Forest14:03 Business Model of Go Ocean and Go Forest18:31 How to do Sales and Marketing as an Impact Business22:34 A Different Take on the Carbon Credits Market26:51 From Tragedy to Positive Impact: The Story Behind Go Forest31:21 Current Projects and Future Directions of Go Ocean32:54 Restoration Efforts and Challenges35:24 Building Partnerships for Marine Restoration36:05 Engaging Employees in Ocean Conservation39:13 The Journey to Finding an Office43:01 Aligning Values with Investors46:02 Support Systems for Startups

In this week’s episode I spoke with Quinten Vandermullen, cofounder and CPO of Mbrella, which is an HR platform that allows Belgian companies to manage everything related to mobility for their employees, for example their mobility budgets and commuting allowances. It’s a more mature startup compared to the ones we’ve discovered in previous episodes, arguably at this stage a scale up. Based in Brussels and founded in 2020, they’re currently a team of nearly 40 people. they’ve had two fundraising rounds, the most recent one in 2023 when they raised 6 million and acquired Mobbox.What stood out to me from this conversation is the intentional and unconventional company culture Mbrella is building, based on a fundamental belief in the power of an async and written first communication style. We talked about the inspiration for that, how it works on a practical level and the impact it’s having.As the conversation evolved, I realised that their success has also come from defying conventional advice. Instead of building global from day 1, they built hyper-local from day one, and it’s paid off. In 5 years, Mbrella has had 100% customer retention, no customers have churned. This is almost unheard of in SaaS.We see on Linkedin these 10M ARR in just a few months stories. Mbrella is an example of success achieved on a different path. A belief in the market opportunity, even when growth was slow, and a commitment that paid off down the line because after 5 years, the results are visible.Keep listening to see how they got there.ResourcesMbrella's company handbook Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonChapters00:00 Introduction to Quentin and his first Startup Moovle05:47 The Birth of Mbrella: Addressing Mobility Needs09:57 Market Positioning: Competing in a Niche13:11  Winning The ING Tender and Building for Enterprises16:42 Building an Async Writing First Company Culture 26:15 Launching from a Studio32:43 Creating a Parent-Friendly Culture39:50 Deep Work and Slow Responses46:00 PLG Doesn't Work for Everyone

In this week’s episode, I spoke with Christina Hadinoto, founder of Contour Lab, a fashion tech startup based in Antwerp. Their product is a digital shopping assistant that uses AI to help you find clothes that match your body type and preferences, just like a human shopping assistant would do in a real store.I first met Christina when we both participated in an incubator organised by Impact Shakers in collaboration with BeCentral, Elle Magazine, and Google. This was in January 2023; she was just at the beginning of her journey and was still working on closing her first paid customer.Then I saw her pitch at SuperNova in March 2025, and I was amazed by the results she had achieved since I’d last seen her. Some major names appeared on the customer slide, she had strong data about the impact of her product, and she’d just closed a funding round. They’re now a team of five. When I saw that, I knew I had to get her on the show to share the story of how she got to where she is now.Keep listening to find out how she found a technical cofounder despite not having a network to draw from, how she managed the shift from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, what it was like to enter a market as an early visionary before the world was ready for her solution, the impact she aims to have within the fashion industry globally, and her passionate call for more female entrepreneurs and investors.ResourcesCo-Founder matching from IMEC iStartLovable, the app building tool mentionedChapters00:00 Introduction to Christina and Contour Lab06:25 The Impact of Contour Lab on Fashion and Mental Health12:54 Finding Co-Founders and Building the Team19:33 Overcoming Fundraising Challenges24:57 Scaling and Market Opportunities29:38 The Role of Support Programs in Entrepreneurship32:45 Lessons Learned and Mindset Shifts36:29 Future Ambitions and Advice for Founders

SummaryIn this episode, I spoke with Margot Wuillaume, co-founder and CEO of eBloom, an HR tech startup. The core product is employee engagement software but they've expanded their offering to provide a broader suite of digital HR tools. I’ve tried several different tools in this space as a Head of People I can honestly say that I don’t think there’s another tool on the market that’s more customer centric than eBloom. We talk about many things in this episode, the two stand-out topics for me were eBloom’s contrarian approach to building a product in a crowded market and their journey fundraising in the early stages. Margot shares how they managed to close their first round in just 2 weeks.We talk about many other things including hiring, finding customers, the help they received as a Brussels-based startup from local organisations. Chapters02:07 Introduction to Margot and eBloom04:10 EBloom’s origin story05:32 Building a product in a crowded market space09:30 Launching during covid and finding their first customers 12:03 eBloom’s first hire13:50 The power of meeting in person 15:53 Building a company culture that optimises for employee happiness18:75 How a Master’s in Entrepreneurship became eBloom’s launchpad 20:06 The origins of Margot’s entrepreneurial itch22:18 Writing a book about management 24:29 eBloom’s fundraising journey 28:35 eBloom’s key metrics that matter31:32 The Belgian entrepreneurial support networkLink to Margot's bookYou can buy a copy hereBrussels organisations mentioned in the episodeStartLabRéseau EntreprendreHubBrussels 

In this episode I spoke with Patricio Castillo, co-founder of Prodi, a SaaS tool that uses AI to create internal communication podcasts for big corporates. At the time we recorded the episode, they’d only been incorporated for 5 months, but they’d already closed deals with some major customers such as Lineas and EntityData. The first customer they signed was Delaware, who chose them over Google’s Notebook LM! We discussed:Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Patricio Castillo and Prodi05:42 The Journey from Idea to First Customer11:13 Incorporation Decisions and Challenges13:38 Transitioning to Full-Time Entrepreneurship20:10 Getting into Start It KBC24:04 Other Key Accellerators That Boosted Prodi31:13 Onboarding Clients and Product Iteration35:26 Overview of The Mom Test: How to Talk to Customers40:13 Vlaio Subsidies42:13 Choosing Belgium for Entrepreneurship45:33 Advice for Future Founders48:04 Future Goals for ProdiResourcesThe Mom Test by Rob FitzpatrickTalking to Humans by Giff ConstableThe YC talk Patricio mentioned about the 3 things you need to build a tech startupFull TranscriptFull transcript of the episode with time stamps available here