00:01So Luke, you're definitely waiting for us on the Belgium booth and you are craving for some Belgian innovation.
00:10You have not one, but three guests for us.
00:15Yep, you're quite right. Here in Belgium, here at Vivotech, the different ecosystems are of course key
00:21and bridging the gaps between those different ecosystems is one of the key themes.
00:24And here we are with the Belgian stand. We're with Robert Berry, who represents a high-tech incubator in Belgium.
00:33Robert, tell us a bit more about what exactly it is Belgium and all of the people that you've brought
00:37with you contributing to Vivotech this year.
00:40All right. So we have been here. We are, well, first of all, welcome on the Belgian booth.
00:46Our presidency has been organized by two regions, Wallonia and Brussels, through their development economic agencies, AWACS and Brussels.
00:57In partnership with the digital ecosystem actors of our regions, Digital Wallonia and Software Brussels.
01:05So we brought here 33 startups, active in deep tech domains, varying from artificial intelligence to IoT, electronics, medtech, fintech.
01:19And OK, Belgium is a very dense, multicultural territory.
01:24And therefore, we are naturally inclined to establish links with the outside world.
01:33I used to say that Belgium is Europe in the box.
01:37So if you're in Belgium, you can basically experiment business with quite a number of different culture, economic behavior and
01:48so on.
01:48We host the European Union, we host the NATO, we host a number of important international institutions.
01:55So our presence here has to be seen in that global internationalization context.
02:00OK. And you mentioned there you've brought 33 different startups.
02:03Can we have, can we meet some of the first ones?
02:06This is Lawrence from Selinko.
02:08Lawrence, can you tell us a bit more about what Selinko contributes?
02:12What's the product that you're presenting this year?
02:13Sure. So we protect luxury goods such as high-end wines or fashion goods by embedding in them an NFC
02:20or QR code.
02:22And basically, we link that to a digital certificate.
02:24And it will allow brands to basically create a very secure communication channel with their consumer throughout the lifecycle of
02:32the product.
02:33And today in luxury, as you know, online sales are rising.
02:36You know, secondhand market is really of importance.
02:39So it's essential that the brands can connect with the consumer and, you know, delight them through the project, essentially.
02:46What are you hoping to gain here in Vivotech? What's the role this week?
02:50So, as I just mentioned, you know, the luxury French ecosystem is key for us.
02:54We're part of the LV Manage incubator program called La Maison des Startups.
02:58And what we expect to gain is, you know, more engagement with the brands.
03:02Thanks so much, Lawrence.
03:04We're going to turn back to speaking with you, Rob, if you will, because we're going to have a quick
03:09look at some of the other brands, the other startups here.
03:13Tell us a bit more about the value for you and for Vivotech to really work on those ecosystems that
03:24we were talking about.
03:24What do you contribute?
03:26So we contribute, of course, in bringing the valorization of some of the expertise that we have in our land.
03:35We have a very, very dense network of universities developing, as I mentioned already, diversity of technology expertise,
03:46but also being confronted with a quite varied economical environment.
03:51So we bring them here so that they can basically network with other companies in other countries.
03:59And we're also here because we have launched, together with AWEX, a soft landing program, which basically helps startups from
04:10elsewhere to establish a foothold in Belgium.
04:14And being in Belgium, as I mentioned, is a very good place to actually irradiate to the rest of Europe.
04:21So it is a first territory, a good territory to start activities that will basically grow outside of Belgium very
04:35rapidly.
04:36And you mentioned that the soft landing program. What are the goals here this week at Vivotech for that soft
04:45landing program and your objectives this week in Belgium?
04:47So we are going here. We have a meeting organized with quite a number of different ecosystems from other countries
04:54that will basically visit us also to see the complementarity with some of our startups
05:01and to envisage the possibility to establish a startup of themselves in the Belgian soil.
05:08Robert Berry, thanks so much. You've brought us all the way along the stand. You've shown us a whole host
05:12of different products.
05:14There are two other sites.
05:16We've got time for one more product, I believe. We've got Penbox here with Emil.
05:20Hello.
05:21Very much taller than me, which is quite rare. Emil, tell us more about your products.
05:24It's about streamlining administrative tasks, correct?
05:28Yes, indeed.
05:30And what we are actually doing is
05:40We still have a lot of processes where there is a lot of paperwork involved.
05:44And it means that it creates a lot of ping pong and emails between employees and customers.
05:49And what kind of success are you here having at Vivotech promoting your product to the other participants?
05:56Yes. So, what we are doing actually, yeah, yeah, sorry.
06:04No, my apologies.
06:05I didn't explain all, but everything we were doing.
06:07Okay, continue. Tell me a bit more about the product.
06:09Yes. So, and what we are doing, we are replacing this ping pong of emails by giving a personalized link
06:15to the customer
06:17so that it's guided in the process to give all the information, documents, and maybe even sign some documents.
06:23Then it's sent back to the system. So, the process is really streamlined.
06:28Okay. Emil, thank you so much. And that's really an interesting look at all the variety of different products
06:33and work that's being done in Belgium with the various startups and the various high-tech incubators.
06:40So, back over to you in the studio, Marjorie.
06:42Well, I now do understand your passion for Belgian innovation, Luke. Thank you so much.
06:47Now, mobility is still a strong sector to drive innovation, of course.
06:51Catherine Nicholson puts her hand on Software's Republic brand-new concept car.
Commentaires