After graduating as a civil engineer at Ghent University, Olivier Degroote continued with a Vlerick Masters in Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Inspired by his knowledge of innovation and entrepreneurship and backed by his technical studies, the ambition grew to start and manage his own company. And so, he developed his own technique for prefab steel frame construction and he founded IBS (Innovative Building Systems).

Founded in 2019 by alumna Claire Tobback, Collectique brings online and physical clothing shops together. When a physical store partners with Collectique, an online shopper can try on their purchase in the physical shop and receive style advice as well.
Claire talks about her company and how Vlerick has helped her to discover her passion for entrepreneurship and has encouraged her to dream big.

‘Vlerick Change Makers’ is an original Vlerick Business School podcast series, in which we learn from Vlerick alumni on how they live, learn and leap in these turbulent times. In this seventh episode, Elias Maalouli, CEO of the Lebanese company FoundersBei, talks openly about entrepreneurship and the challenges he faced in the trying year of 2020. He takes us into the world of start-ups, networking and investors in Beirut where his aim is to change the start-up scene in The Middle East.

“Flexibility” and “The role of hydrogen, green gas and other molecules in Belgium”: these were the topics of the two round tables organised this year as part of the Prime Foundation Partnership with KPMG. To conclude the three-year partnership, and in anticipation of a further collaboration, Professor Leonardo Meeus and Jorn De Neve, Partner, Head of Advisory and Head of the Energy Sector at KPMG, look back on their work.

In a fast-changing market, traditional and hierarchical structures are making way for more agile teams that are able to respond quickly to challenges, come up with solutions and strive for innovation. Self-managing teams are in charge of a meaningful share of the work, with the role of the leader taking on a completely different function. Professor Karlien Vanderheyden explains how to lead self-managing teams and talks about the advantages and potential pitfalls.

The founders of Edgard & Cooper – Louis Chalabi, Koen Bostoen, and full-time MBA alumnus Jürgen Degrande – have raised an impressive €18.5 million in investment capital to accelerate their company’s growth. Founded in 2016, Edgard & Cooper develops dog food that contains fresh meat, vegetables, fruits and herbs – tastier, more digestible and more nutritious than many other brands on the market. Today, the company employs 100 people and sells its products in 13 countries.

How can we manage our physical assets sustainably? How can we tap into the circular economy? How can we link the distribution of electricity and gas to that of other utilities like drinking water? And how can we introduce new technologies such as blockchain? Together with Vlerick, Chair Partner Fluvius is embarking on an ambitious research project with one goal in mind: mastering the supply chain game to guarantee utility traffic that is sustainable, affordable and also future-proof.

‘Vlerick Change Makers’ is an original Vlerick Business School podcast series, in which we learn from Vlerick alumni on how they live, learn and leap in these turbulent times. In this sixth episode, Dieter Aelvoet talks about how his investment company AIM Group is still flourishing in these extraordinary times and he shares the opportunities that lie ahead.

‘Vlerick Change Makers’ is an original Vlerick Business School podcast series, in which we learn from Vlerick alumni on how they live, learn and leap in these turbulent times. In this fifth episode, we listen to Maarten Michielssens, who is the founder and CEO of EnergyVision. He talks about the importance of people, luck and talent and the opportunities he sees for his innovative energy saving company.

Distribution system operator Fluvius will be continuing the DSO Chair at the Energy Centre with Vlerick for another five years. “Vlerick makes us take a critical look at ourselves, and that makes sense. After all, no single energy player has all the answers to the question of how we can keep energy distribution manageable for consumers and the environment.” Professor Leonardo Meeus and Donald Vanbeveren (Corporate Affairs Director at Fluvius) talk about this renewed commitment.