Esther Celosse’s Post

Network Effect is what will drive growth in the Belgian Tech Ecosystem 🌐 That’s my key takeaway from the State of Belgian Tech Report that was published yesterday by Syndicate One, Sofina and Bain & Company. The report highlights that while our ecosystem is maturing, several key challenges are holding it back from fully taking off: 🧑🏼💻 Talent Acquisition: Attracting and retaining talents, especially those with scaling experience, remains the biggest challenge. We need former employees from Belgian success stories to step into early-stage companies, helping them grow by sharing their experience and knowledge. ( 👋🏼 check out our open positions at Chift - One API) 🇧🇪 Fragmentation between regions: Belgium’s tech ecosystem is still divided between French and Dutch-speaking regions. We need to break these silos and foster more cross-regional collaboration to unlock the ecosystem’s full potential. (shout out to Ghent Slush'D that is trying to close the gap) 👑 Lack of an entrepreneurial legacy: success breeds success. The #techmafia concept—where successful founders support and mentor the next generation—has been a catalyst for ecosystems like Silicon Valley 🇺🇲. In Belgium, we see this starting in Ghent but this can be further developed in the whole country. Implementing ESOPs in #startups can help foster this, giving employees a stake in success and encouraging reinvestment in the ecosystem. We need success that brings more success. ➡️ There’s a huge opportunity to drive growth by fostering collaboration, building stronger networks, and sharing best practices across the #ecosystem. This is why I’m excited to be part of the ecosystem with Chift - One API, which allows me to be an active member of a future Belgian success story that we hope will contribute to Belgian tech's success 🦄 But it is also why I’ve started building a community of early employees from Belgian startups alongside Constantin Claes 🐣 and other peers 🇧🇪 We are meeting for the first time this week, and we’re planning exciting events to boost the network effect and help the ecosystem thrive. If you’re an early startup employee in Belgium and want to get involved, feel free to reach out !

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 3.0, 𝐃𝐚𝐲 2/3, 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞. (𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘋𝘢𝘺 1 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥). 🎉 The second day of IOH, full of 1-2-1 online meetings between international founders and investors, is done. Previous IOH editions were run in online-only mode, and while this time we have an offline component, we decided to keep the online part, which has been super useful for founders who are still on their way to the UK. 🔢  𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲'𝐬 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬: 🤝 67 matches were made by our team and meetings scheduled for today's 1-2-1s between founders and investors. 📈 Today, we had a 90% 'show up rate,' which is higher than yesterday, mainly due to Akhil Menon 🌍, who sent an impressive number of reminders to everyone involved. 💌 We started receiving feedback from founders. Here is just one recent example: "[𝘔𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴] 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘹𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩. [𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳] 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥, 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘧𝘶𝘭." But my today's post is about the Team. None of this would be possible without the amazing team behind the scenes, who barely slept and ate during the past few months, and the past two days were extremely stressful. With David Gilgur traveling to solve family matters this week, and myself speaking at another startup event today, it was reassuring to know that everything was sorted thanks to the incredible efforts of Akhil, Winnie, and our fantastic volunteers. We are lucky to have people who are so passionate about the mission and the IOH's goal. They have been handling such high levels of stress and uncertainty as well. I am proud to work with them side by side on delivering IOH, which I believe is significantly contributing to making the UK tech ecosystem a more open and friendly space. While we have one day tomorrow to catch our breaths before the big day on Thursday (our BIG Offline Office Hours event), I want to thank our team once again for making all of this happen. Your dedication and commitment mean the world. 𝐏.𝐒. The only photo I have from today is actually not from our Office Hours - it's from the incredible event that Christian and their Team put together - iiF by i³. It was a pleasure to run a roundtable discussion about immigrant founders, the challenges, and solutions. Thanks, Christian, for inviting me, and well done on such a great event, which I am sure will become an integral part of the UK ecosystem🦄. It was also great to catch up with my dear friends (and Blue Lake Syndicate members 😉 ) Fiona Dent and Galina Markova! X Justina Povilonyte, Akua Owusu-Ansah, Michele Davidson-Jones Gabrielle Baldauf-Good Blue Lake VC , Tech Nation , Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Fragomen Mishcon de Reya LLP, Kreston Reeves

“Amid economic challenges and the rapid pace of technological advancements, companies must adopt a structured and focused approach to stay competitive”. In a recent interview with Startbase, TechFounders' Managing Partner Moritz Foerster delved into the do’s and don’ts of fostering meaningful, scalable collaborations between established companies and start-ups, emphasizing that venture clienting isn’t just about quickly introducing a cool new solution - it’s about embedding an innovation mindset directly into corporate operations. Key Takeaways: 🔑 There is no one-size-fits-all approach to business collaborations. The right format depends on the unique goals and resources of each partnership 🔑 Clear problem identification, agility, and top management support are crucial for effective venture clienting. 🔑 Bridging Cultures: Open communication and external mediation help bridge cultural differences between start-ups and larger businesses. 🌟 Facilitating Real Impact: We’ve facilitated over 200 collaboration projects between start-ups and our corporate partners across the globe and industries, showcasing the diverse innovation themes our model supports. These collaborations are not just about innovation for innovation’s sake; they play a crucial role in addressing global challenges such as climate change, technological advancements, and labor shortages, making a tangible impact on the world. Check out the full interview in the comments to dive deeper into our journey. 👇 ✉ Stay at the Forefront: Contact us to discuss how to elevate your business’s innovation strategy with start-ups #CorporateStartupCollaboration #VentureClienting #InnovationStrategy

Talentware Secures an €800k Pre-Seed Round!🚀 Careers, over time, break more easily, and work relationships are interrupted more readily than they did years ago. Talentware, a new-born startup, embarks on its journey for this exact reason with a pre-seed fundraising round of €800k, led by 360 Capital. Their mission is to empower businesses through data-driven workforce planning and strategic talent development.✍🏻 Founded in July 2023 in Milan by Giacomo Marchiori, Ismet Balihodzic, and Andrea Raimondo, Talentware is a platform capable of analyzing employees’ skills and work preferences within a company. It automatically generates potential upskilling and reskilling paths for human resources, helping companies retain and develop their human capital.💡 The mapping of employees’ competencies and characteristics relies on artificial intelligence algorithms, serving as a valuable tool to support human resource management within organizations. In a context where medium and large companies are transforming their internal human capital management, Talentware steps in to address these needs head-on.📈 Stay tuned with Arcadia to follow the evolution of the Italian venture capital scene!  

As part of our commitment to fostering innovation within the realm of Deep Tech and supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs, we are thrilled to announce the launch of our European Deep Tech Compensation Benchmark, presented by XAnge in collaboration with Coulter Partners. Compensation requests for key executives make up over 20% of our annual portfolio inquiries, emphasizing the importance of attracting top talent. Yet, talent acquisition and retention remain daunting challenges across sectors. In the field of deep tech, these challenges are compounded by unique nuances Explore this groundbreaking benchmark, where you'll uncover a wealth of invaluable insights, including: - Understanding the spectrum of Technology Readiness Levels - Leadership roles within Deep Tech - Funding distribution across stages (Bootstrap, early, and late stage) - Leadership experience alongside team size dynamics - Key differentiators between Deep Tech and “Tech” startups - Bonus structures and equity distribution 📰 Sifted is talking about it https://lnkd.in/ed-Zk5ix 👉 Full benchmark access here https://lnkd.in/ed4-QyYM

At Job&Talent, our evolution from a small startup in Spain to a global leader in staffing has been a journey of transformation, continuous learning, and fast growth. 💫 As we’ve expanded across new countries and continents, strategic M&A has played a key role in our growth journey. In a new feature by SoftBank Investment Advisers, our founders Juan Urdiales and Felipe Navío look back on Job&Talent's evolution, including the experience of acquiring over 20 companies across six new countries. ⛰️ This path hasn’t been without challenges. We’ve navigated complex market dynamics, integrated diverse teams into our mission-driven culture, and learned valuable lessons about scaling globally. 💡 Our story is one of continuous learning, agility, and an unwavering commitment to creating value for both workers and employers. Discover insights from our leaders across the organization Ana Sastre, Diego de Haro Ruiz, and Christof Schminke as they reflect on Job&Talent’s unique growth journey and the lessons we've learned along the way. As we continue to evolve and grow, we remain dedicated to refining our strategy, in order to ensure the highest standard for essential workers and companies. 🤝 🔗 Find the full story in the comments! #JobAndTalent #GlobalExpansion #GrowthJourney #InnovationInStaffing

🚀 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐢 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 — 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲! 𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞. This is your chance to grab your ticket at a special rate before they’re all gone. 🎟️ 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲: https://lnkd.in/g36GK2uY Join us on 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟏𝐭𝐡, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒, at the 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 & 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐇𝐮𝐛 for a day packed with insights and innovation. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝? The future of work is being shaped by startups, corporations, and governments alike, but the long-term vision often feels abstract and elusive. In a world where agility and technology reign supreme, it’s essential to understand how the fast-approaching future is transforming the workplace. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭: • 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬: Hear from industry leaders who are at the forefront of innovation. • 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐬: Dive deep into the trends and challenges shaping the future of work. • 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐬: Get hands-on experience and practical insights. • 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: Connect with like-minded professionals and expand your network. We look forward to seeing you there and shaping the future together! Find out all the information about the event on our website : https://lnkd.in/gW5tq9sN

🚀 Exciting news from La French Tech Indonesia! Our much-anticipated summit is coming up this October, and the theme couldn’t be more relevant— The Future of Work! Since COVID and the rapid development of AI, our ways of working have transformed dramatically. This summit will dive into how AI will continue to influence our productivity, the rise of digital nomads, and the expectations of the next generation. Key highlights: Panel 1: Adapting to New Ways of Working Panel 2: Building a Future-Ready Workforce Additional topics: Sustainability at work, workshops, and an exclusive networking dinner—all included in the ticket! Don’t miss out on this chance to be part of critical discussions that are shaping our future! 🎙️ #FutureOfWork #LaFrenchTechIndonesia #AI #DigitalNomads #Networking #Summit2024

🔍 A New Chapter Unfolding for ThirtyOne-Twelve as Operations Wind Down in 6 Months 🌐 Dear LinkedIn Community, It is with a mix of emotions that we share a pivotal juncture in the journey of Thirtyone-Twelve. As we approach the closure of our operations in the next six months, we wanted you, our esteemed LinkedIn community, to be among the first to be informed of this significant development. 🌟 Legacy in Transition: Shaping a Future Beyond With an impactful 8-year legacy in reshaping valuation and growth strategies, we are announcing the acquisition of our operations-focused business model, including our cutting-edge AI algorithms, by a prominent Asian private equity firm. This marks the end of an era for Thirtyone-Twelve as we bid farewell to our existing business model. Yet, even as we navigate this transition, our dedication to excellence remains steadfast. 💡 AI Precision Lives On: Continuity Amidst Change As our algorithms find new ownership, the legacy of our AI-powered solutions endures, promising continued precision and strategic insights. The global database, encompassing over 21 000 startup investment transactions and a curated list of over 7000 venture capital firms, will persist as a valuable source of real-time, comprehensive data. 🌐 Seamless Transition: Adapting to Regional Dynamics This strategic move aligns with the changing landscape, catering to the dynamic needs of venture capital, private equity, investment banks, and corporate development departments in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Our solutions, now enriched with a unique blend of regional expertise and AI capabilities, are tailored to resonate with local dynamics, providing a strategic advantage that transcends borders. 🚀 Charting a New Course: Navigating Change Together We invite you to join us on this transformative journey. Explore the evolving future with Thirtyone-Twelve, where our legacy meets unprecedented insights. This is not merely a transition; it's an evolution towards a future where new possibilities await. #NewBeginnings #StrategicShift #AIContinuity #ThirtyOneTwelveJourney Anticipating the journey ahead, Thirtyone-Twelve Team🚀