Karen Boers has a degree in German philology and started her career with View Interim, as an interim consultant. Karen was promoted to office manager and HR consultant, before making the transition to iMinds (formerly IBBT) on January 1st 2005, where she ran the daily office affairs. In 2006 Karen became Marketing & Communications Manager and started developing the corporate marketing & communications strategy. Six years later, she headed a team of 6, organized massive conference weeks and competitions and pulled off the name change. Also taking on in 2012 the development of our Human Capital strategy. Her drive to matching the right people and allowing them to develop while working efficiently and effectively towards a common goal led her to Co-Found Startups.be and become its managing director.

1. Karen Boers, Startups.be
Front runners in the global village

2. Once most
of us
were self
employed

3. Then it became global business

4. To grow into a global village

5. #BETECH STARTUPS
2015
Omar Mohout & Karen Boers
+3,000
STARTUPS
49,000
JOBS CREATED
More than

6. BELGIUM
B2B
B2C
69%
31%
TOP 10 INDUSTRIES
1. AdTech
2. Manufacturing
3. HealthTech
4. FinTech
5. HRTech
6. Mobility
7. EdTech
8. MICE
9. MusicTech
10. Retail
*Counting for 54% of total

7. BELGIUM
47% 39% 8% 6%
Startup Scaleup Deadpool Acquired

8. ECOSYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS
STARTUPS ONLY
1. Brussels: 29%
2. Antwerp: 12%
3. Ghent: 10%
4. Leuven: 4%
5. Liège: 3%
Counting for 59% of total
SCALEUPS ONLY
1. Brussels: 21%
2. Ghent: 8%
3. Leuven: 7%
4. Antwerp: 7%
5. LLN: 5%
Counting for 47% of total

9. ECOSYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS
ACQUISITIONS ONLY
1. Leuven: 19%
2. Brussels: 16%
3. Ghent: 12%
4. Hasselt: 7%
5. Kortrijk/Lochristi/Liège/Antwerp: 4%
Counting for 68% of total
AVERAGE EMPLOYEES
PER COMPANY
1. Leuven: 33
2. LLN: 32
3. Liège: 22
4. Brussels: 20
5. Ghent: 18

10. ECOSYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS
AVERAGE FOUNDING YEAR
1. Leuven: 2006
2. Hasselt: 2007
3. Brussels: 2008
4. Ghent: 2009
5. Antwerp: 2010
INTERNATIONALISATION
1. Ghent: 17%
2. Leuven: 16%
3. Hasselt: 15%
4. Antwerp: 11%
5. Brussel: 8%
Belgium average = 11%

13. VENTURE CAPITAL
2013
1. Ghent: € 9M (26%)
2. St.-M-Latem: € 9M (26%)
3. Hasselt: € 6M (18%)
4. Lochristi: € 5M (14%)
5. Leuven: € 3M (8%)
Total = € 33M
2014
1. Lochristi: € 20M (23%)
2. Brussels: € 19M (23%)
3. Leuven: € 17M (20%)
4. Ghent: € 12M (14%)
5. Antwerp: € 2M (2%)
Total = € 86M (of € 100M)
2015
1. Leuven: € 77M (33%)
2. Brussels: € 56M (24%)
3. Antwerp: € 26M (11%)
4. Ghent: € 24M (10%)
5. Hasselt: € 7M (3%)
Total = € 233M

14. STARTUPS WITH FOREIGN BRANCHES
31% 11% 11% 7%
USA France Netherlands UK
4%
Luxembourg

15. So what did/do we do
?

16. www.startups.be
ONE-STOP-SHOP
& MATCHMAKER
- Access to customers &
partners
- Access to coaching &
experts
- Access to investors
- Access to startups &
innovation
- International Go-to-Market
CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
- Data insights & Research
- Access to experts
(speakers, mentors
& jury members)
- Startup Voice in Policy
Making

17. A one-stop-shop on #betech
STARTUPS.BE COMMUNITY:
• 1000+ #BeTech startups
• 100+ #BeTech enablers
• 400+ investors
• 10+ corporate innovators
• 75.000+ online engagers
PARTNERING WITH:
• Policy makers at all levels
• Startup nations all over the world

18. Connecting the dots…
Sign up and…
• Get Visibility &
Tailored information
• Connect with investors,
partners and more!
• Register NOW AT
datascouts booth
Go to -> data.startups.be

19. Go global
2015 track record:
• 72 startups took the leap
• With 40+ B2B meetings/startup on
average
• 25+ pitches on main stages
• 45+ (inter)national press articles
Prize Winners:
• neoScores (Gustav)
• Teamleader
• Turbulent
• Bart De Wever
Go to > startups.be/go-global

20. Go gloal
• Take your startup to the
international arena
• Join our delegations
traveling to worldwide
tech hubs!
Go to -> startups.be/go-global

21. www.startupmanifesto.be
Launched: 12 March 2015

22. Impact so far…
• Digital Belgium: Startup Plan
• City of Antwerp: buy from startups @
ACPAAS
• FEDICT: buy from startups & open data
• EU Startup Manifesto Movement & European
Startup Network launched with Belgium as
best practice
• Press attention (#BeProud) in mainstream
press for startup & entrepreneur stories
• Work-in-progress: procurement framework
Go to -> www.startupmanifesto.be

23. So what’s next?

24. Join the startup manifesto
movement
• Share your ideas & views. Tell us
how the manifesto helped you!
• Let us know what should be the next
step – 2 month sprints per topic:
Use -> #bestartupmanifesto
• March-April: Startup Inc
• May-June: Buy from Startups
• Sept-Oct: Educate & Cultivate
• Nov-Dec: Pay if Forward
• Jan-Feb: #BE Proud

25. SHARE YOUR
PROPOSALS
JOIN OUR
TASK FORCES
HELP US
CROWD-FUND
Go to -> https://opencollective.com/bestartupmanifesto
Open Collective by @xdamman

26. www.europeanstartups.org
Main goals of the network:
• Benchmarking & sharing of best practices
• Data Analytics & Research
• Joint international go-to-market for European startups
Founding members :
• Austrian Startups
• Beta-i Association (Portugal)
• German Startups Association
• Italia Startup
• Spanish Startup Association
• Startup Britain
• Startup Cyprus
• Startup Delta
• Startup Estonia
• Startup Ireland
• Startup Norway
• Startup Poland
• Startups.be (Belgium)
• Swedish Startup Association
European startup network

27. Study, nurture and grow the ecosystem …
Grow the international footprint …

28. Grow access to customers & experts …
Grow access to & success rate with
investors …

29. With a Kick-Ass to make it happen !!!
Karen Boers Thibaut Claes
Laura
Ortiz
Gabriela
Fernandez
Philippe Rangoni Yeri TieteYonca Braeckman
Diana
Pati
Nataliya
Tkachenko
Naïri
Bonte
Anaïs Bouzidi
Marleen
Heyndrickx
Yoshi
Janssens

30. And thanks to our many Supporters
& Sponsors
… and ALL of our
COMMUNITY
PARTNERS &
AMBASSADORS !