Current event…

May 24 2013 Register

Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 42, 1050 Brussels, Belgium

Startup Weekend is the largest community of passionate entrepreneurs with over 1000 past events in 470 cities around the world. If you want to put yourself in the shoes of an entrepreneur, join 100.000 starters and register now for the best weekend of your life. For the 6th Belgian edition, they are back in Brussels !

Who it is for ?

Students, young starters, confirmed entrepreneurs, with a project or not! A large panel of profiles are welcome : developer, designer, architects, financial, commercial, marketing, legal, …

Whatever your profile is, if you are creative, ambitious and motivated, if you have a startup mindset, or if you have always dreamed to start your business, Startup Weekend is the place to be!

What it the program ?

On Friday evening, participants present their fresh new ideas. Best ideas are selected and teams are formed to start their projects. Over the activities during the weekend, participants get valuable advices, inspiration, coaching, and new contacts. The goal is to develop a “working prototype” and a “business model” to present on Sunday evening to a jury of experts. Best projects are then awarded and the weekend ends celebrating participants.

Startup Weekend is an opportunity to show your talents, your skills, and to share ideas. It is also a excellent way to collaborate with professionals from different horizons and to meet real entrepreneurs, journalists and investors.

Free Windows 8 Bootcamp on Friday *

The Windows 8 pre-weekend Bootcamp is a fun, no-fluff event for app builders, by app builders. You’ll learn from experts how to create rich and interactive apps and mock-ups for your final presentation on Sunday at Startup Weekend.

Interested ? Register here and join us on Friday morning !

*: Registration does not include ticket to Startup Weekend Brussels. You need to buy a ticket separately.

Schedule

Friday

May 24

5:00pm Registration Starts
6:00pm Welcome & Speakers
7:00pm Dinner & Networking
7:30pm Pitches Start
9:00pm Attendees vote for the top ideas
9:30pm Teams start forming and discussing ideas
10:30pm Start to formalize teams and take an inventory of skills. Be honest, and direct about what resources and skills are needed for the weekend. You may stay and work as late as the venue will allow

Saturday

May 25

9:00am Arrive, simple breakfast & coffee
9:30am Teams formed and setting up workspace for the weekend
10:00am Coaches help teams one-on-one. They are here to help!
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Call for needs & skills
2:00pm Coaches help teams one-on-one. They are here to help!
7:30pm Dinner
9:30pm Weekend check-in, status reports, call for help
0:00pm Finished for the day. You may stay and work during night !

Sunday

May 26

9:00am Arrive, simple breakfast & coffee
10:00am Call for help (this is self motivated, so don’t be shy)
12:00pm Lunch
3:00pm Gut check. Start prepping for presentations
6:00pm FINAL PRESENTATIONS
8:00pm Judging & awards
8:30pm Wrapup
10:00pm Go home!

Frédéric Ooms

Founder of Louvain Coworking Space, Investment Manager at Vives Louvain Technology Fund, Senior patent & licensing manager at SOPARTEC | Twitter LinkedIn

At SOPARTEC, Frédéric helps scientists, engineers, doctors of the Université Catholique de Louvain to bring their technologies to the market and launch their startups. He supervises the development of projects from the inventions identification stage to their commercialisation.

From 2011, he became the Investment Manager of Vives II-Louvain Technology Fund, an interregional seed and early stage technology multi-sector fund dedicated to creating sizeable value by building and investing in world class technology based companies with a view to supporting their growth and innovation activities, with a special focus on Eco-innovation.

In 2012, he founded the Louvain Coworking Space, where he helps freelancers, entrepreneurs, UCL alumni, scientists & engineers to connect with talented people and foster their startup projects.

Frédéric has more than 10 years experience in the field of life sciences. He obtained his doctorate in Science at Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix and rounded off his training with an MBA from Solvay Business School where he is now a guest lecturer in entrepreneurship and creativity.

Today, he actively helps entrepreneurs and innovative projects to succeed using best practices in Innovation, Business Model Canvas, Design Thinking, Ideation and Creativity management. Frédéric runs thebraintwist.com blog that features entrepreneurs and their lessons learned from building successful startups.

Judges

Pénélope Roux

Operational Director at Microsoft Innovation Center Brussels | LinkedIn

Pénélope Roux is the Operational Director of the Microsoft Innovation Center in Brussels (MIC Brussels), which was created in 2011. The MIC Brussels is a public and private partnership between Microsoft and the Brussels Government which supports entrepreneurship and IT companies in the Brussels Region with a special focus on Cloud technologies. The MIC organizes coaching sessions for entrepreneurs, and among other activities, runs 2 Boostcamps per year, to support IT entrepreneurs who wish to transform their idea into a company. The MIC Brussels organizes more than 150 events per year, directed to entrepreneurs, developers and SMEs.

Pénélope started her career at Microsoft France in 2005, where she worked as a Marketing and Communication manager on programs for IT professionals, developer audiences, and then for IT decision makers, as well as for the BizSpark program, the Microsoft program directly to Tech Startups.

Juan Bossicard

ICT Business Unit Manager at Brussels Enterprise Agency | Twitter LinkedIn

An avid technology enthusiast, Juan Bossicard started his career by joining Microsoft European’s office to join the European Corporate Social Responsibility team.
During his first 6 years at Microsoft he worked on implementing several European wide initiatives, like the Employee Volunteering program, the Software donations program, the refurbishment program and the grants giving program.

After leaving Microsoft for a brief stint working in Corporate Communications and Government affairs, he came back to Microsoft to work within the BizSpark program on the EU Grants giving program, a program aimed at helping start-ups finance their R&D through public grants.

He later joined APCO Worldwide to work on Public relations and lobbying. He now works for the Brussels Entreprise Agency as the ICT Business Unit manager, coaching and advising startups and SME’s in the field of ICT.

Bruno Schröder

National Technology Officer, Microsoft Belux | Twitter LinkedIn

Bruno Schröder graduated as an engineer in 1982 and sent his first email on Internet in 1985. With a 30 years career in IT, he has hold almost all possible positions, from Unix guru to Partner, from running his own company to creating the European Union Consultancy practice of Unisys. He has been involved in several very large pan European turnkey projects, has managed teams up to 250 people and has always been at the forefront of the technology.

At Microsoft, Bruno is Technology Officer in Belux to represent all markets, development status and economic conditions, focusing on technology policy, assessing the potential impacts of future IT technology on social life, public and private organizations and economic development.

Recently, Bruno initiated economic partnership agreements with the Federal and Regional governments which resulted in the creation of 4 Microsoft Innovation Centers in Belgium and in the setup of a national research and training center dedicated to the fight against cybercrime. In 2011, he was appointed co-president of the Quality Audit Committee of the Higher IT Education (Bachelor and Master)

Speaker, advisor and visionary, he is member of several technology and strategy advisory boards and think tanks and is an avid follower of how technology transforms our lives.

Koen Delvaux

Entrepreneur, Founder of Mobile Vikings, Innovation Manager at Lampiris | Twitter LinkedIn

Koen is an entrepreneur who combines insights in marketing and technology to discover new opportunities. He started his carreer at Siemens where he co-founded a number of new businesses. After a few consecutive startups he co-founded Mobile Vikings. Today, he is responsible for Innovation Management at energy provider Lampiris. He also offers his experience as a Social Media Consultant at Medemerkers (www.medemerkers.be) to help companies with their internal and external social media strategy.

Tom Vanhoutte

CFO at Capricorn Venture Partners | LinkedIn

Tom Vanhoutte holds Master Degree Commercial Engineering at the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL). He is a certified public accountant who worked as a senior manager in the New York Asset Management practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC for 10 years. Tom has 12 years of relevant experience as auditor of financial services organizations. He is CFO at Capricorn Venture Partners, an independent pan-European venture capital firm seeking to invest in technology based growth companies. Capricorn has a multidisciplinary approach with a deep understanding of technology and a handson business support to entrepreneurs.

Daniel Spindler

Teacher at Solvay Brussels School, Partner at Spindler & Associates | LinkedIn

Commercial Engineer from the Solvay Brussels School, holding an MBA from Columbia University (NY), Daniel teaches growth strategies of SMEs for the MBA from Solvay Brussels School. He also teaches Entrepreneurship Strategy and Growth Management at Solvay Entrepreneurs.

Recently, he worked with American Belgia &, French companies of all sizes and from all sectors. He has conducted numerous missions for 20 years.

Strategy consultant and co-entrepreneur of several companies, he specializes in strategic coaching for leaders and management committees.

Philippe Godfroid

President of UCM | LinkedIn

Philippe Godfroid is an entrepreneur, a director of several companies and the president of UCM.

He took the direction of Creyf's Interim while the company was very small. A few years later, during its IPO, it weighed 80 billions and was established in France, Spain and Portugal. He sold the company in 1996.
Philippe has created and developed several SME’s before joining Jema in 1998, a company active in electrical products. He took over the business in bankrupt with 10 people. In 2009, he sold the same company in good health with 26 employees.

Philippe has held positions of responsibility in various business organizations and economic development organizations. He has been administrator of the Union Wallonne des Entreprises, Vice-President of the Chamber of Commerce of Center, president of the UCM Hainaut and it is still Honorary Consul of Poland in Wallonia.

Today, Philippe is an independent administrator of 4 companies located at Genval, Waterloo and Brussels. He is the President of UCM, Union des Classes Moyennes, the Belgian association defending, representing and promoting self-employed workers (SME entrepreneurs, artisans, merchants & professionals).

Coaches

Bruno Wattenbergh

MBI, COO of the BEA, Expert, Manager, Professor, Editorialist of/in/about Entrepreneurship and Entreprises | Twitter LinkedIn

Bruno is the Chief Operational Officer & Founder of the Brussels Enterprise Agency (ABE-BAO) as well as the President of the Board & the Credit Committee for the Brussels Guarantee Fund (Fonds Bruxellois de Garantie). He is also an Economic Editorialist at BEL RTL, an MBA Professor at Solvay Business School, and President of the Executive Committee at Microsoft Innovation Center Brussels. Through all his roles Bruno expresses fully his entrepreneurial nature and his enormous enthusiasm for supporting entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship.

Xavier Corman

Entrepreneur, Coach, Financial expert | Twitter LinkedIn

Xavier is a passionate entrepreneur, having launched and managed several companies in the media and retail sectors. He has a multidisciplinary experience.
Since 2009, he coaches SMEs and startups in their financial management. Helping them to define their business model, to write their business plan, to develop their financial and research funding (capital, debt and aid).
He recently helped startups among the Belgian media in their fund raising.
In 2013, he successfully founded eDebex.com

Sidsel Graae

Executive Search in Human Synergies | LinkedIn

Sidsel Graae has worked with international business development across numerous countries. Sidsel came to Brussels in 1997 and after a MBA at Solvay and a entrepreneurship course she started up a management consultancy company in London. In the past 6 years Sidsel built up a headhunting company with a consultative approach to headhunting where she combined her management consultancy experience with the human resource business. As a career coach Sidsel support people in changing their career hereunder to start up their own business. Sidsel is passionate about the people aspects in any business success.

Payam Moini Tabatabai

Founder, Chairman and CEO of MOBYLLA Group | Twitter LinkedIn

Before founding MOBYLLA, Payam was working at Phrywave, a wireless service provider, at its corporate headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. He has been working as an expert in mobile technologies for more than 10 years. Payam started his career in Brussels where he worked with various reputed companies. Some of his significant achievements include his involvement in the development of one of the first Net Banking Systems. In 2000, Payam joined SignOn, a global IT Software Development firm, to develop the business outside the Scandinavian Countries.

Payam left Iran when he was 12, has grown up and finished school in Belgium. He has a strong management and technology background. Payam’s academic background includes 2 Doctorate degrees in Computer Science and Electronic Engineering from Free University of Brussels, Belgium and University of Westminster, UK, an MBA in Executive Management from Said Business School, Oxford University, UK and several certifications including Entrepreneurial Strategies for Innovation and Growth, Corporate Entrepreneurship, Technology.

Martin Van Wunnik

Financial strategist | Twitter LinkedIn

Martin works part-time for the ICT Hub Brussels Enterprise Agency (BEA) and actively assists startups for their financial strategies.
Together with starters, he reviewed their financial plans critically and constructively. It also checks that the business model is sustainable and possibly "scalable".
Martin started his own company in 2008, Arsima Projects sprl / bvba. Besides its range of support services, it develops with ICT partners a financial software (Consolite).

Quentin Nickmans

Cofounder @eFounders @Mailjet @Pressking @mention @textmaster | Twitter LinkedIn

Quentin Nickmans, holds a Master's Degree in Business Engineering from Brussels’ Solvay Business School and London’s Cass University. He spent his first years working as a strategy Consultant at the Boston Consulting Group. Later he ran a turnaround on a bankrupt web service venture he could successfully sell 3 years later.

He successfully founded multiple SaaS startups within eFounders with Thibaud Elzière: PressKing, Mailjet, Mention or TextMaster.

Jean Derely

Founder of Betagroup, Woorank.com | Twitter LinkedIn

After finishing my studies at Solvay Business
School in 2000, I became a Business Developer
for several large companies. I was sent to Buenos
Aires, Madrid, Guatemala and Boston. While in
Boston, I left my job at Forrester Research to start
my first startup, Hispanito.com, a social network
for the Hispanic Americans. I sold this business
and arrived in Brussels in 2008. In Brussels, I started the BetaGroup which is today a large community of 5000+ Belgian Web Entrepreneurs. In 2010 I started a new venture, Woorank.com, which is today, with 800.000 monthly visitors, a world leader in automated Website Reviews.

Thibaud Elzière

Founder @eFounders @Fotolia @mention @mailjet @textmaster @Pressking | Twitter LinkedIn

Thibaud Elziere holds a Master's Degree of engineering in Ecole Centrale de Lyon, a french engineering school . After studying management and economy at the TU Berlin, he founded Fotolia in 2004. Fotolia is the European leading image bank with more than 2.5 million clients. He has been investing in more than 15 projects in the last years as a business angel.
He successfully built several startups like : eFounders, PressKing, Mailjet, Mention or TextMaster.

Bruno Sbille

Agile Coach & Trainer, Life Coach | Twitter LinkedIn

Bruno is an Agile Coach teaching, helping individuals and companies to implement Agile methods. Using tools like: Scrum, Agile but also NLP, coaching, people management, creativity techniques... He's passionate about "making things happen".

He blogs about the use of Agile methods in Belgium (and Europe) on brunosbille.com and regularly speaks to conference like Agile 2013 (U.S), Scrum Gathering (FR) and Agile Tour Brussels (BE)

Bruno is also a Life Coach, helping people to live their passions.

Regis Lemmens

Founder of SalesCubes, Sales Strategy Specialist at ABE-BAO | Twitter LinkedIn

After a career as consultant and sales manager in the IT industry, Régis Lemmens founded Sales Cubes in 2003, a management consulting company specialized in sales performance management aiming to bridge the gab between practice and academic research. With the support from a number of large international organizations he raised sufficient funds to start a first research project with the Robert Gordon University. Since then he further developed more partnerships with other academic institutions.

Regis graduated with an MBA from Surey University and a PhD in Sales Management from the Robert Gordon University. He is a visiting professor in Sales and Sales Management at Tiasnimbas Business School (Tilburg) and at Cranfield University (UK). In 2010, he launched the research project called “Sales Management 2020” in collaboration Tiasnimbas and Cranfield University.

With his experience, Regis helps startups and entrepreneurs in Sales Management as a Sales Strategy Specialist at ABE-BAO.

Olivier De Doncker

Founder of fullmedia.be, co-founder of Digital Managers Club | Twitter LinkedIn

Olivier De Doncker is the founder of fullmedia.be. Over the last 3 years, he has helped more than 30 Belgian startups to grow their business and improve their marketing, communication and business model. His main areas of expertise include information architecture, search engine optimisation, content strategy, PR and business analysis.

He's also the founder of the Digital Managers Club, a brand new circle that aims to gather the leaders of the digital sector in Belgium.

When he's not at the office, he loves building Mr. Potatoes with his 2-year old daughter.

Tony Hamadouche

Founder at Retail Expertise | LinkedIn

After 20 years experience in retail and wholesales management positions ( Benelux Director, Country Manager, Commercial Director, Retail Manager) for famous fashion companies and cosmetics brands, Tony founded Retail Expertise, an advice and training agency specialized in selective retail, wholesales and franchising.
Retail Expertise helps companies and brands to improve their performance by developing positive customer experience. It also advices young retail chains and concepts to develop through franchising.

Tony is passionate by customer experience, customer centricity, personal development matters and entrepreneurship, and attended this year the ICHEC program for young starters.

He can coaches young starters on business plans, commercial / marketing and sales strategies.

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