What Startlab.brussels does

StartLab.Brussels is a non-profit early-stage business incubator headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, created in 2022 through the merger of Université libre de Bruxelles' Start.LAB (founded 2016) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel's Start.VUB (founded 2018), with organizational roots going back to the Start Academy launched in 2002. It serves first-time entrepreneurs and academic founders across the Brussels-Capital Region, delivering trilingual (French, Dutch, English) pre-incubation and incubation programs that take founders from idea qualification through to a structured Grow Track, supported by an online info session funnel, self-learning digital resources, and a community of 186+ supporting members and 170+ alumni entrepreneurs. Since 2016 the combined programs have helped create 185+ startups, coaching 250+ entrepreneurs and screening 180+ projects per year.\n\nCore deliverables are cohort-based programs (qualification phase plus the Grow Track), mentorship and jury sessions, corporate partner workshops, and community events. The technology layer is thin: program applications and management run on a third-party SaaS platform (acceleratorapp.co), with no proprietary platform or AI tooling evidenced. Delivery is increasingly hybrid, with online info sessions and digital self-learning resources extending reach beyond on-site cohorts.\n\nThe business model is non-commercial. StartLab.Brussels does not charge participation fees or take equity from cohort founders; instead it is funded through a combination of public subsidies (European Regional Development Fund via the Brussels-Capital Region), corporate partnerships (BNP Paribas Fortis, Pulse Foundation, Daoust), and solidarity contributions. The merged entity is structurally anchored to ULB and VUB, giving it a privileged pipeline into the two main Brussels university ecosystems while depending on a concentrated set of public and corporate funders for operating continuity.

Name

Startlab.brussels

Legal name

StartLab.Brussels

Website

https://startlab.brussels

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

StartLab.Brussels is a non-profit, trilingual Brussels incubator created in 2022 by merging ULB's Start.LAB and VUB's Start.VUB, supporting first-time entrepreneurs and academics through cohort programs, mentorship, and a 170+ alumni network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Incubation

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Universities with Entrepreneurship & Incubation Focus (EDAHAEAH), Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

Keywords

• Startup incubation
• Entrepreneurship programs
• Academic spin-offs
• Business coaching
• Coworking space

Headquarters

HQ city

Etterbeek

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Solidarity contribution (pay-it-forward): StartLab.Brussels charges no fees, equity, or subscription during incubation. Startups created during the program that reach revenue milestones within five years after leaving pay a one-time solidarity contribution: 2% of full annual turnover applied above the threshold, capped per track (€4,000 for Build Track above €100k turnover; €12,000 for Grow Track above €300k turnover), with a combined ceiling of €15,000 per project. Contributions are cumulative if a startup participated in both tracks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

StartLab.Brussels provides free, structured incubation programs for first-time entrepreneurs and academic researchers, organized into Build and Grow tracks. Entrepreneurs receive coaching, masterclasses, expert consultations (Expert Squad), coworking space, and access to a 186+ member expert and mentor network to achieve product-market fit and scale. Academics receive semester-based support to validate research ideas and develop viable spin-offs. Programs are free during incubation; successful alumni pay a one-time solidarity contribution (2% of turnover above thresholds) if they reach revenue milestones within five years.

Product overview

StartLab.Brussels is a trilingual (French/Dutch/English) early-stage incubator offering two main programs: an Entrepreneurship Program for first-time entrepreneurs and an Academics Program for researchers. Each program is divided into Build and Grow tracks to fit different stages. The Entrepreneurship Build Track helps entrepreneurs with a clear idea achieve product-market fit through structured modules covering customer discovery, prototyping, business modeling, and pitching. The Grow Track supports early-stage startups with VAT numbers to scale. The Academics Build Track guides researchers through two semesters of entrepreneurship exploration and idea validation. The Academics Grow Track offers personalized spin-off development support. All participants receive supplementary services including coaching sessions, masterclasses, expert consultations, coworking space, and networking events. Programs are free with a solidarity contribution model for successful startups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Entrepreneurship Program – Build Track A hands-on, structured track for first-time entrepreneurs designed to achieve product-market fit and define a viable business model. It covers customer discovery, prototyping, business modeling, pitching, and entrepreneurial mindset development. Intakes occur twice a year (October and February), with workshops delivered in French or English. Open to individuals with a clear idea or problem to solve, regardless of academic background.
• Entrepreneurship Program – Grow Track A structured track for entrepreneurs with an existing early-stage startup (VAT number registered less than 3 years ago, paying customers, or at least €10k in funding) seeking to scale. Covers sustainability, infrastructure, marketing, sales, CRM, data, impact measurement, and internationalization, with access to advisory boards and expert coaching.
• Academics Program – Build Track A hands-on track for university researchers and academics with peer interaction and real-world validation, spanning two semesters. The first semester explores entrepreneurship in an academic context (4 sessions); the second semester validates the problem behind the idea through user engagement (9 sessions), culminating in a final pitch.
• Academics Program – Grow Track Personalized support to move from a validated academic idea toward a viable spin-off. Researchers work one-on-one with mentors and advisory boards to develop business models and explore funding or sales strategies. Flexible, à la carte modules with monthly advisory boards.
• Coaching Sessions One-on-one guidance from experienced coaches who mentor entrepreneurs, helping them navigate obstacles, learn, and challenge their ideas. Coaches provide personalized guidance to 1-2 projects over a minimum of 6 months.
• Masterclasses Customizable workshops covering topics such as digital marketing, sales techniques, pitching, business modeling, finance, and funding. Offered by partners and tailored to entrepreneurs' specific needs.
• Expert Squad

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of startups supported by StartLab.Brussels survive for at least 3 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and secondary.

• Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022ULB is one of two co-founding universities of StartLab.Brussels. Prof. Olivier Witmeur (ULB) serves as Academic Director. ULB contributes academic expertise, student referrals, and research-to-market pipelines. The merger of ULB's Start.LAB with VUB's Start.VUB in 2022 created StartLab.Brussels.
• Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022VUB is the second co-founding university of StartLab.Brussels. Prof. Thomas Crispeels (VUB) serves as Academic Director. VUB contributes academic expertise, student referrals, and research-to-market pipelines. The merger of VUB's Start.VUB with ULB's Start.LAB in 2022 created StartLab.Brussels.
• Solvay Brussels School of Economics and ManagementmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolvay is an academic partner providing educational expertise and student referrals. Several notable alumni (Emna Everard of Kazidomi) graduated from Solvay before joining StartLab, and Solvay Entrepreneurs programs contribute to the incubator's ecosystem.
• Erasmus Hogeschool BrusselsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus Hogeschool Brussel is an academic partner contributing student referrals and potential research collaboration to StartLab.Brussels.
• Universitaire Associatie Brussel (UAB)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUAB is an academic partner representing the Brussels university association, contributing student referrals and collaborative academic initiatives to StartLab.Brussels.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Station F: Station F is the world's largest startup campus, based in Paris, offering a broad portfolio of acceleration programs through partnerships with many accelerators. It is a broad European incumbent that overlaps with StartLab.Brussels' mission of supporting first-time entrepreneurs but at vastly greater scale and with a multi-program, multi-partner model.
• Antler: Antler is a global early-stage venture firm running cohort-based founder programs across multiple continents, with active programs in Europe (including Belgium and the Netherlands). It is a broad incumbent that competes for the same first-time founder population as StartLab.Brussels, but operates a global, equity-taking model versus StartLab's free, contribution-based approach.

Direct peers

• SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator: SpinLab is a university-backed accelerator in Leipzig, Germany, founded by HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management. It is a directly comparable European university-tied accelerator offering cohort programs, coaching, and access to a corporate mentor network, targeting early-stage founders from academic and student communities.
• YES!Delft: YES!Delft is a leading university-linked tech incubator in Delft, Netherlands, co-founded by TU Delft. Comparable to StartLab.Brussels as a European university-tied early-stage incubator offering cohort programs, coaching, and coworking, with similar sector-agnostic intake and academic pipeline from a major technical university.
• imec.istart: imec.istart is Belgium's leading deep-tech accelerator based in Leuven, providing pre-seed funding and coaching to hardware- and semiconductor-leaning startups. It is the most direct Belgian comparator to StartLab.Brussels, both being publicly-backed Belgian incubators offering cohort-based programs, though imec.istart focuses on tech/IP-heavy ventures versus StartLab's sector-agnostic approach.
• Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain) - incubator programs: UCLouvain, the French-speaking counterpart to ULB/VUB, runs its own entrepreneurship and spin-off support programs through Louvain Technology Transfer Office and associated initiatives. It is a directly comparable Belgian university ecosystem serving the same founder population from an academic angle, though it does not directly compete in Brussels proper.
• Beta-i: Beta-i is a Lisbon-based non-profit innovation hub that has run accelerator programs, bootcamps, and corporate innovation programs for over a decade. It is directly comparable as a non-profit, publicly-co-funded European incubator serving early-stage founders with structured cohort programs and corporate partnerships.

Others

• InnovationLab Brussels / hub.brussels programs: hub.brussels operates the YET (Young Entrepreneurship in Tech) and broader innovation programs that overlap with StartLab.Brussels' mission to support Brussels-based entrepreneurs. It is an adjacent ecosystem partner and partial funder of StartLab, sharing the same public mandate to support Brussels entrepreneurship but offering broader regional programming rather than cohort incubation.

Regional players

• Leuven.Inc: Leuven.Inc is a Belgian innovation platform connecting startups, scale-ups, corporates, and academic institutions, particularly around KU Leuven. It is a regional Belgian innovation intermediary comparable to StartLab.Brussels' role as a university-business connector, though its focus is more on corporate collaboration than early-stage incubation.
• The Faktory: The Faktory is a Walloon incubator/accelerator based in Namur, Belgium, supporting early-stage startups with cohort programs and mentoring. It is a regional Belgian peer serving a different linguistic community (French-speaking Wallonia) with comparable mission and structure, though it does not directly compete for Brussels-based founders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/startlab.brussels
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/start-lab
• Instagraminstagram.com/startlab.brussels

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Startlab.brussels