In recent years, the way we consume products and services were fundamentally changed, and perhaps more importantly, they changed our expectations of what good service should feel like. The Corona crisis accelerated two major trends in our consumption patterns. On the one hand, there was a clear move toward local and smaller-scale commerce . Some of this shift emerged out of necessity: transport became more difficult, larger crowded places created uncertainty, and local alternatives simply became more practical. But increasingly it also became a conscious choice. People wanted to support local businesses and preserve the social fabric of their communities. Shopping locally was not only about purchasing products; it became a way of staying connected. Buying bread from the local bakery, visiting nearby shops, or choosing local suppliers created a stronger sense of community and human interaction. At the same time, another trend accelerated at an enormous pace: eCommerce and digita...
Belgium loves underestimating itself. Ask almost any Belgian entrepreneur about the country’s business climate and the reaction is often immediate: taxes are too high, regulation too complex, labour too expensive, venture capital too limited, the market too small… We compare ourselves to Silicon Valley and conclude we are hopelessly behind before the conversation has even properly started. In the United States, founders supposedly build billion-dollar companies in garages before breakfast. In Belgium, we are still scheduling a steering committee to determine whether the garage complies with zoning regulations. And yet, beneath all that national pessimism, Belgium has quietly built one of Europe’s more impressive technology ecosystems . Not loudly or theatrically. Belgium rarely dominates startup headlines or founder culture online. But while the country kept doubting itself, something significant happened in the background: Belgium started producing globally relevant tech co...