Exclusive Insights from Visionary Leaders: Unveil the Journey of Resilience and Innovation in Startup Culture.
Join us for an exceptional evening at TheMerode where we delve deep into the heart of startup culture, and embrace the profound learning that comes from facing and overcoming failures and challenges. This event promises a unique blend of storytelling, expert advice, and personal reflections from the forefront of entrepreneurial innovation.
Successful entrepreneurs and industry experts, Johan van Mil, Nicolas Debray, Thibaut Vanderhofstadt and Christophe Debeukelaer will explore the multifaceted nature of startup success, from the initial hurdles to the ultimate triumphs, providing a comprehensive perspective on what it takes to thrive in this competitive landscape.
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Johan is co-founder and managing partner with early stage venture capital fund Peak based in Amsterdam, Berlin, and Stockholm. Peak invests Europe-wide and have over 40 active investments in the Benelux, DACH, and Nordic regions. Furthermore, he is founding partner and IC chair at Healthy.Capital which invests in digital health companies. As an entrepreneur he was founder of various companies such as data marketplace Adatus, social marketing business
ReturnSocial (exit to Uberconnected in 2015), MailMedia and Yourleads (exit to OMG in 2009).
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Nicolas Debray started his digital career at Google where he set up the Belgian operations. He became an entrepreneur when launching Semetis, in 2009, with a vision to grow the agency as the best-in-class data-driven marketing agency in the Benelux region. He sold Semetis to Omnicom Media Group in 2015. Nicolas stepped down from his operational duties in 2019 and, in January 2023, he sent his resignation letter from the Board to Omnicom who now fully owns Semetis in a stronger state than ever.
Since 2010, Nicolas has always been committed to giving back. Today, he plays an active role in the Belgian tech ecosystem: Advisor, Board Director, Business Angel. He has over 15 participations (Accountable, Cycle App, Merchery, …) and holds a dozen Board positions (BeInfluence, Noukie's, Smovin, Sortlist, Symplicure, Yago,,...). He is also Lecturer at the ‘Solvay Business School of Economics and Management’ and Entrepreneur in Residence at the StartLab (ULB and ICHEC).
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Thibaut Vanderhofstadt is the CEO of Sortlist, a B2B marketplace for marketing, creative, IT services in Europe & Middle-East, which he co-founded in 2014. He has led the company through significant growth, including two M&As and raising €20 million from various financial sources.
Thibaut actively contributes to the entrepreneurial community as a coach at StartLab since 2021 and a member of Réseau Entreprendre Bruxelles since 2020. His academic background includes a Business engineering Master degree at Solvay Business School. Before co-founding Sortlist, Thibaut Vanderhofstadt started his entrepreneurial journey with Team Corner, offering digital advisory services to SMBs. At Sortlist, he has overseen the company's growth, managing a team that expanded from 4 to 140 employees and turnaround the business from growth at all cost to profitable growth by pivoting the business model & organisation.
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Christophe de Beukelaer is a Member of Parliament and President of Les Engagés Brussels, where he challenges the status quo with a pragmatic and intelligent approach to ecology, prioritizing climate action and sustainable mobility. With a keen understanding of the startup ecosystem, he advocates for innovation and entrepreneurship while ensuring budget responsibility. Christophe draws from his entrepreneurial background, founding Meltingpom.be, a provider of healthy snacks and Belgian organic gift boxes. He also explores blockchain's transformative potential across sectors and co-founded the Brussels Blockchain Week with his friend Raoul Ullens.
