Pierre-Edouard Stérin

Let's go. Following up on the #ridiculous cost to start as self-employed in Belgium (🥉 in the cost to register, woop woop), we got to discuss what should happen to enable more citizens to #start as self-employed with Robin Gille at La Libre 🎙️. The article here (in French) ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eVvZjcsp #Keytakeaways - The cost to register is indeed only the 1st barrier: next up are social contributions (min. nearly 900€ in 2024, before you earned your first €) - Private companies and local communities can help but, in the end, it's up to policymakers to set the frame & lower those costs. - It's up to us to push those regulators to up their game. This question isn’t just a business issue, it’s a societal one: by imposing high set-up costs, we discourage our brightest minds from pursuing their passion & entrepreneurial dreams 💭. We all lose out on potential advancements, job creation, and economic dynamism. Being self-employed already comes with many hurdles, and extra financial stress simply makes it harder. Let’s continue this conversation and build a future where everyone has the opportunity to succeed without unnecessary financial barriers ✨. Thank you Robin Gille for the nice conversation 💜

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HOW WE CLOSED DEALS WITH 3 BIG BELGIAN COMPANIES IN WEEKS. 🔥 (Names will be disclosed next week in our monthly update mail, send me your email adres if you want to be in that list) Tips to the founders out there thinking things aren't working. It can take some time to build trust, relations and business. (I've been there) 1. Sales cycles can be long in B2B SaaS. (with us, it's between 2-6 months) So really start selling before the product is finished. 2. All our sales came via small referrals or had seen us around with people they trust. You have to build that trust ASAP. 3. *Godfather voice* We made an offer they can't refuse. (Jolt effect) If there isn't an offer.. What can they agree to? 4. Our pricing isn't perfect, but just start selling and improve it along the way. 5. Be genuinely interested in your champion within the company and in helping him/her. 6. Be open and transparent. If you want to get a honest reaction, say something honest. "Look I am going to be totally transparent, *insert our intention* and then ask for their intentions. Being honest builds trust. Linking this experience to my vacation to Iceland, The trips are long and cold in Iceland, but they get you to the nicest places in the world. 🇮🇸 Keep on moving and enjoy the struggle. Book tips: Fast forward B2B sales (process) & Jolt effect Podcast tip for sales conversation: April Dunford content #sales #founder #startup

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𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐂 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 €𝟒𝟎 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲-𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬 Pitchdrive, a European early-stage venture capital firm, has announced the successful raise of its third fund, amounting to €40 million, which will be dedicated to investing in promising startups across the continent. Read More: https://bityl.co/PsWz #startup #belgian #VCCOMPANY #venturecapital #VentureCapitalists #funding #fundingnews #news #investment #investingnews #startupnews #InsightsSuccess

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For the past few months, I've been talking a lot about investing. So you might be surprised to find that I actually started my career in entrepreneurship and B2B marketing... The parallel between the latter two might seem obvious :  ➜ Entrepreneurship is about building a company first ➜ Then scaling it (for which you need marketing and sales) ➜ with the ultimate goal to make a profit. 𝗦𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: "𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲?" Well, it turns out, that investing and B2B marketing are more similar than you'd think. (𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘯.) 𝟭. 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼 & 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀:  Understanding the big picture is crucial in both fields. Be it the geopolitical forces affecting your portfolio or shifts in consumer behavior impacting your marketing strategy, you're always considering the broader landscape while honing in on the specifics. 𝟮. 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻 : Both fields require a blend of fundamental and technical analysis. As a marketing leader, understanding the holistic approach of branding (akin to perceiving a stock's value) and the technical analysis of channel performance is key - so are the same skills in Investing. 𝟯. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 & 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱:  Whether managing a portfolio or a marketing budget, your goal is to optimize for the highest return. You're constantly tweaking and refining strategies based on performance, always in pursuit of that high-stakes reward. In other words, both offer a blend of risk, strategy, and reward. (𝘴𝘰 𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦) 𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝘀? While they originally seemed like two disconnected interests... I found that understanding marketing helps me be a better investor and understanding investing makes me a better marketer. Both make me a better entrepreneur and business owner. And hadn't I followed my interest, I might have never found out. But I'm sure it can't just be me... 🤔 What about you? Have you ever found unrelated interests to be mutually beneficial in business? Share your experience in the comments 👇 #business101 #entrepreneurship #fianance #marketing #investing #portfoliomanagement #marketingperformance #budgetallocation #dataanalytics #businessintelligence #foodforthought

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One of my portfolio companies achieved remarkable growth, scaling from 0 to over €500K ARR in just six months. A significant factor in their success was their dedication to truly understanding their clients' needs. They took the unique approach of working directly from their clients' offices. This immersion allowed them to closely observe and understand the specific challenges their clients faced, leading to more effective problem-solving. This strategy highlights the value of quality over quantity in the early stages of a startup. Instead of rushing to scale, they concentrated on providing high-quality, customized solutions. By prioritizing depth and precision in problem-solving, they were able to build strong, trustful relationships with their clients, which was instrumental in their swift and substantial growth.

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Our initial investments via the #MBSpeedup vehicle, a joint venture with Founders Factory, demonstrate the Group's commitment to digital innovation by engaging with the most disruptive startups.   We are therefore proud to announce our partnership with DataSpark and Connexa InsTech.   #Dataspark has developed a Gen AI platform that enhances the deployment of cutting-edge technology, providing various AI agent modules that can be utilized across all the Group's divisions.   #Connexa is transforming car insurance with IoT and telematics solutions, offering personalized services based on driving habits. These solutions will soon enhance our Consumer Finance offerings.   This marks the beginning of a long journey, leading us to further investments in the early-stage market, as we firmly believe that innovation is driven by the most ambitious entrepreneurs. #MBSpeedup #Startup #Innovation #DigitalTransformation Jessica Spina | Gianluca Morello | Marco Jwad | Stefano Casè | Nicola Gatti | Damian Routley | henry lane fox | Nick le Fevre | Elena Vittone | Olly Betts

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Today, we are thrilled to announce that Felix Capital led the $42.75 million #SeriesB funding round for TechWolf. Based in Belgium, TechWolf is at the forefront of innovation in #AI and #HRtech, a space that we have been following for some time as a team. We started Felix in 2015 as a thematic investment firm, following trends impacting consumer lives, whether at home or at work. We explored the evolution of the “modern workplace” ever since, leading us to enterprise #SaaS investments from our early days, including TravelPerk and Mirakl. It has been exciting to see the tremendous impact of #AI across the vertical markets we focus on. As we delved deeper on the impact of AI on HR in particular, we found TechWolf - an AI-powered skills platform to help enterprises establish an automatic, instant, and always up-to-date view of skills and skill gaps across their teams. As a venture firm for the Creative Class, we felt aligned with this mission: enabling individuals and organisations to unlock their skills, competencies and passions in the workplace, and subsequently their lives, in a transformative way. Even better, this company has been born in our own home in #Europe, joining the ranks of other #AI pioneers. We are joined in this round by a great set of co-investors including 20VC, Workday Ventures, ServiceNow Ventures, SAP, Notion Capital, and existing investors Acadian Ventures, Fortino Capital, and Stride.VC. Many congratulations to TechWolf founders Andreas De Neve 🐺, Jeroen Van Hautte 🐺, Mikaël Wornoo🐺 and welcome to the Felix family! 🙌 https://lnkd.in/g4uFgbgm

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📣 UNVEILING FYG ADVISORY'S NEW BRAND IDENTITY: NEW LOOK, SAME MISSION ! When we started FYG Advisory we were just a couple of young, ambitious entrepreneurs with limited resources but unlimited hopes and dreams. We knew how to excel in our work—raising funds for builders and developers—but building a brand was a journey we had yet to embark on. Initially, investing in professional branding, such as a logo and other brand collaterals, was not our priority. Providing the best quality services and proving our decision to start FYG correct, first to ourselves and then to our family and friends, was of greater importance. Yet, we both are meticulous professionals and wanted FYG to reflect that commitment to excellence. It all began with us drawing our vision on paper, and then going to the local Xerox shop to get the logo made. Since then, we have been dedicated to providing our fundraising services to developers through FYG Advisory. Our empathic approach to problem-solving has always been appreciated by our clients. Despite our success, the itch of not being able to let a professional handle our brand communication was always there. Today, we are excited to take that step and announce our rebranding. Hand-holding our clients from selecting the most appropriate lender to loan closure is our USP, and we wanted our brand communication to reflect that. The team at The Nvable Design Co., led by Namrata Vijayakar - Brand Design Specialist, has ensured our vision comes to life in the most beautiful way. We highly recommend her services to anyone who shares our passion for upgrading their brand. We proudly unveil the new logo of FYG Advisory with the same enthusiasm we had on day one. #FYGAdvisory #Rebranding #NewLook #BusinessGrowth #FundraisingExperts #ClientFocused #EntrepreneurJourney #BusinessMilestone #BrandTransformation #BuildingDreams #ConstructionFinance #RealEstateFinance #ConstructionFunding #RealEstateDevelopment #BuilderLoans #DeveloperFinancing #RealEstateFunding #ProjectFinance #CommercialRealEstateFinance

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Startups don't fail because they lack a product; they fail because they lack customers and a profitable business model...as Steve Blank well said 💡 This is even more relevant for green and social entrepreneurs, so these weeks Vincent Magri & Kristijan Mileski are further guiding the participants in our 🇪🇺 #Erasmusplus #GreenSkills #ImpactBusiness #AccelerationProgram through all elements of the Business Model Canvas. Because products or services don't get created, sold and delivered by themselves, nor do they appeal to everyone. The How, by Who, to Whom, Where, at what Cost and Price are crucial and interlinked variables to be defined and refined! Keep developing a full business model around your core concept Daniel Vella Shawn Incorvaja Lawrence Saliba Zen D'Amato Gautam Goran Sachevski isaac bezzina Maria Stivala Rozela Franco Ballon Chua Kami Clifton Sara Vukelikj Marina Tosheska Mirjana J. Angelina Serafimovska & all others to take your ventures to the next level! 🚀📊 #Entrepreneurship #BusinessInnovation #BusinessModelCanvas

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📊​ Last month, Bpifrance released an encouraging report highlighting the significant growth of green #technologies in France in 2023. New entrepreneurs are actively contributing to the country's reindustrialization by establishing modern, less carbon-intensive companies and promoting scientific research to address the challenges of global warming. ​ 🌿​ This wave of #green entrepreneurship is accompanied by a substantial increase in #deeptech investment, paving the way for cleaner #energy solutions and sustainable industrial breakthroughs. Additionally, it is driving the creation of numerous new jobs and fostering a more eco-friendly European economy. 🌱​ The Greentech sector, at the forefront of this transformation, is tackling major challenges such as the preservation of water and biodiversity and the development of new environmentally friendly materials. 💪​ With an ambitious vision, we can revolutionize the #IT sector through disruptive innovation—an approach we have already adopted at Exaion. We've initiated this transformation with projects such as waste heat recovery and the reuse of end-of-life materials. 🇨🇦 We are leveraging research breakthroughs, particularly in Canada, in core areas such as #quantum technology, #AI integration, #blockchain, and #cybersecurity. These advancements enable us to directly support industrial projects, catalyzing innovation and sustainability across Europe and North America. 👀​ I invite you to consult the #Bpifrance report for more insights (article in French) 👉​ https://lnkd.in/eR5Wjmn4 Cc Simon Napierala - Julien Villeret - Louise Vilain - Catherine Jouny - Mathieu Bertrane - Tiphaine David (Croville) - Anthony Mariaud - Jeanne Colombet - Laurent BERNOU-MAZARS - Christophe Rodrigues - Simon Thomas - Sébastien Pussiau - Adrien Fournillon - Emerson BAGUET - Gilles Deleuze - Joachim Simon-  Alice CHAVIGNY

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[ 💎 Support Women in Entrepreneurship ] At Newfund, gender diversity is a priority. We track our data to eliminate bias in our investments. Women founders are underrepresented and receive less funding than men. To address this, we developed a 2023 action plan to promote female entrepreneurship, aiming for 25% of initial appointments with startups co-founded by women. Here's our progress: 📌 17% of opportunities were from startups co-founded by women, up from 11% in 2022. 🤝 21% of first meetings were with female founders, up from 13% in 2022. We're committed to reaching 25% in 2024 and welcome your support in recommending Newfund to female founders. 🌟 Let's drive diversity and innovation together ! hashtag#GenderDiversity hashtag#WomenInTech hashtag#VentureCapital hashtag#DiversityAndInclusion hashtag#Startups hashtag#Newfund

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🎉 News for Fintech Belgium! 🎉 We are thrilled to welcome a new partner to our vibrant fintech family! WMH Project Brussels has joined us, bringing a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the world of fintech. To truly engage with your audience and achieve business success, communication must be effective. Our role is to help you tell your story in a way that not only captures attention but also builds trust. As a client-centric communication agency, our priority is to understand your vision and objectives. Whether you aim to enhance your brand’s visibility, build strong relationships with your audience, or create impactful events, we are dedicated to helping you succeed. WMH Project specializes in media relations, digital communications, and event management, ensuring comprehensive coverage for every element of your communication strategy. Whether through press relations—crafting and distributing impactful press releases to a tailored journalist database, organizing exclusive interviews and press conferences, reaching your audience via print, TV, radio, and online publications—or through digital campaigns featuring engaging content across social media, blogs, and websites, as well as influencer campaigns, we manage your online presence to bring you closer to your audience. Our clients are essential members of our team. By aligning our objectives with yours, we function as genuine partners, sharing common goals and ensuring that your communication strategy makes a tangible impact. We adopt a results-oriented approach, embodied in our “No Cure, No Pay” philosophy, meaning you pay only for actual results rather than mere promises. Joining the Fintech Belgium community was a natural step for us, given our extensive experience with Fintech clients. We recognize the vital role that effective communication plays in this industry and are committed to supporting and advancing the community through our expertise. Our aim is to foster connections, share knowledge, and contribute to the growth and success of the Fintech sector. Let's extend a warm welcome and connect with WMH Project Brussels as we continue to build a strong and supportive network of fintech enthusiasts in Belgium. 🤝 Connect with WMH Project Brussels: https://wmhproject.be/ Become Fintech Belgium’s Partner 👉https://lnkd.in/dR4CuBY  #fintechbe #FintechCommunity #WelcomeNewPartner #Innovation #Collaboration

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After all, businesses are because of its employees. If they are happy, then the business runs! A recent study by Harvard Business Review confirms that companies with happy employees outperform their competitors by 20%. At WeClinic, we firmly believe in this principle and are taking concrete steps to ensure our employees' satisfaction and well-being. It makes me extremely happy to announce that WeClinic is making space for a much bigger and better space with a capacity to accommodate 100-150 additional new hire employees. This office will be equipped with cutting-edge air conditioning, ensuring a comfortable and productive work environment. But that's not all! We are also introducing recreational activities like pool and snooker tables to encourage a healthy work-life balance. Now, I know what you're thinking – "But Alok, these kinds of perks are usually reserved for big corporate offices in the big cities." Well, not anymore! WeClinic is leading the charge in redefining the homeopathy industry, right here in Kanpur. We believe that happy employees lead to happy patients and a thriving business. Let's show the world that a happy workforce is the foundation of a successful business! #WeClinicExpansion #NewOfficeAlert #EmployeeHappiness #InvestingInPeople #HomeopathyInnovation #FunAtWork #IndiaHomeopathy

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From missing payroll 27 times to making over 500 investments! Meet Fabrice Grinda, named No. 1 Angel Investor by Forbes, who has made over $300 million in exits from over 700 investments! Fabrice began his entrepreneurial journey in 1998 by co-founding Aucland in France. In 1999, he raised $18M from Bernard Arnault, a venture fund luxury-goods magnate in exchange for 51% of the company. Later in 2000, Fabrice sold the rest to his fund. Fabrice founded Zingy in 2001, a mobile media startup. Despite facing early struggles and missing payroll 27 times, he finally succeeded when the company’s revenue scaled to $200M in 2004. Later, he sold Zingy for $80M to a Japanese media conglomerate ForSide. In 2006, Fabrice co-founded OLX with Alec Oxenford, which became one of the largest classified sites in the world with over 200 million monthly unique visitors. In 2010, the South African group Naspers Limited acquired it. Soon, Fabrice found a yearning for angel investing and building startups. He partnered with Jose Marin to jointly evaluate angel investment opportunities, and launched FJ Labs, a VC firm, to further pool the startup investment activities. Earlier, when they made around 178 investments, they received a 5.5x average return on 31 profitable exits. Among his angel investments are: Airbnb Alibaba Group Dropbox Palantir Technologies viagogo Wikimarket Uber Parking Panda To date, Fabrice, through FJ Labs, has made over 1000 startup investments and over 300 exits with an impressive realized 39-40% IRR. Fabrice’s portfolio allocation is 20% cash, 70% early-stage tech startups, and 10% real estate. As a serial angel investor, Fabrice and his team analyze over 100 companies weekly and make new investments every 15 days. His investment ticket size remains around $10k to $300k. He decides whether to invest or not based on four criteria: -The team -The pitch (market size & business model) -The product -The commercials Would you allocate 70% of your assets to startups? TDV Partners #angelinvesting #finance #investing #wealthcreation #ujwalsutaria #tdvpartners

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📣 UNVEILING FYG ADVISORY'S NEW BRAND IDENTITY: NEW LOOK, SAME MISSION ! When we started FYG Advisory, we were just a couple of young, ambitious entrepreneurs with limited resources but unlimited hopes and dreams. We knew how to excel in our work—raising funds for builders and developers—but building a brand was a journey we had yet to embark on. Initially, investing in professional branding, such as a logo and other brand collaterals, was not our priority. Providing the best quality services and proving our decision to start FYG correct, first to ourselves and then to our family and friends, was of greater importance. Yet, we both are meticulous professionals and wanted FYG to reflect that commitment to excellence. It all began with us drawing our vision on paper, and then going to the local Xerox shop to get the logo made. Since then, we have been dedicated to providing our fundraising services to developers through FYG Advisory. Our empathic approach to problem-solving has always been appreciated by our clients. Despite our success, the itch of not being able to let a professional handle our brand communication was always there. Today, we are excited to take that step and announce our rebranding. Hand-holding our clients from selecting the most appropriate lender to loan closure is our USP, and we wanted our brand communication to reflect that. The team at The Nvable Design Co., led by Namrata Vijayakar - Brand Design Specialist, has ensured our vision comes to life in the most beautiful way. We highly recommend her services to anyone who shares our passion for upgrading their brand. We proudly unveil the new logo of FYG Advisory with the same enthusiasm we had on day one. #FYGAdvisory #Rebranding #NewLook #BusinessGrowth #FundraisingExperts #ClientFocused #EntrepreneurJourney #BusinessMilestone #BrandTransformation #BuildingDreams #ConstructionFinance #RealEstateFinance #ConstructionFunding #RealEstateDevelopment #BuilderLoans #DeveloperFinancing #RealEstateFunding #ProjectFinance #CommercialRealEstateFinance

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Making expensive foreign technology available and relevant for local advertisers. 🚀 We help advertisers improve marketing intelligence and performance by giving them access to local data networks for targeting and generating insights. Our vision is to democratize data clean room technology to help the Benelux and, later on, the European market move forward. Read our story below! :) Thanks to Patrick Steinfort and Griet Byl from Media Marketing for the article! It was a pleasure. #datacleanroom #data #marketing

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