Belgium’s startup scene has grown quickly in recent years, but many early-stage founders still struggle to secure their first major investment.
This funding gap often slows down promising companies before they can scale. To fix this, KBC Group is investing €100 million through Start it @KBC, its long-running accelerator, to strengthen the national startup ecosystem.
A major part of this investment is the creation of a new Start it Fund, designed to give top-performing startups from the accelerator access to early capital and hands-on support. The new fund answers a long-standing request from founders wanting access to early-stage financing from partners who know them well.
Now, selected startups will receive tailored capital, deeper coaching, and for the strongest-performing teams, the option of follow-up financing later on.
The story of Start it @KBC and KBC Securities
Together, Start it @KBC and KBC Securities are building a pathway that can take founders from first idea all the way to a potential IPO.
KBC Securities is a Belgian investment bank and part of KBC Group. It provides financial services to a variety of professional clients, including corporate and institutional clients, each with specific needs.
Start it @KBC was founded in 2014 and supports more than 150 young companies each year. So far, it has coached over 1,900 startups across Belgium and Europe.
“Start it @KBC emerged eleven years ago from within KBC itself from the same entrepreneurial DNA that underpins our organisation,” says Johan Thijs, CEO of KBC Group.
“What began as a small initiative grew into the largest startup ecosystem in Belgium. Entrepreneurship is in our genes: KBC was co-founded by entrepreneurs and continues to stimulate innovation both outside and within the organisation. Today, we are among the most innovative and digitally driven banks in the world, and the close collaboration with Start it @KBC fuels that ambition every day.
With the new fund, we can now truly guide founders from idea to IPO: we support them not only with knowledge and networks, but also with capital tailored to their growth ambitions. In this way, we are building an ecosystem together where innovation, entrepreneurship, and international ambition are central. Our mission? To give entrepreneurs every opportunity to grow into the global players of tomorrow .”
How does the new Start it Fund work?
Unlike many accelerators, Start it @KBC will continue its “no equity” approach during the program. The decision to invest comes only after the one-year journey, and only for the best-performing companies.
On average, the Start it Fund will invest around €300,000, though some startups may receive more depending on their progress and needs. Startups remain free to accept or decline the funding.
Founders who receive investment will also get an additional year of support and access to a strong alumni network of entrepreneurs who have already scaled or exited their companies.
“In addition to the capital, we offer an additional year of support within Start it @KBC. This allows us to connect founders for an additional year with our extensive national network of alumni who have followed the same path or successfully completed an exit,” continues Lode Uytterschaut.
Follow-up capital for fast-growing teams
The highest-performing startups selected from the early-stage fund may also receive up to €5 million in follow-up investment through KBC Securities.
“After the early-stage investment phase, the number of funds in Belgium for those who want to grow is limited. With this new capital, we want to create a platform to help these top-tier startups grow into stable scale-ups,” says Tim Derycke, Head of Investment Services & KBC Focus Fund at KBC Securities. ”
Derycke elaborates, “At KBC Securities, we offer not only follow-on financing but also access to our investment team’s venture capital experience and technological expertise. Moreover, KBC Securities provides added value by helping companies grow, from M&A advice and financing solutions to IPO guidance. With this integrated approach, we offer founders a unique ecosystem of support and financing – a range of services that is unparalleled in Belgium.”
How does Start it @KBC? It chooses who to invest in.
For Start it @KBC, choosing the right startups and early investments depends on closely following the founders and analysing data from over 1,900 mentored startups.
“The best investment decisions aren’t born from pitch decks or superficial signals, but from proximity. Traditional investors miss opportunities because they’re too swayed by superficial metrics and have relatively short interactions with founders. We closely monitor them for a year and see that it’s often teams with an atypical profile that build strong and successful companies,” says Andy Gijbels, CTO at Start it @KBC.
He adds, “We see who’s truly making progress, learning quickly, and persevering through setbacks. These are the best predictors of future success, and thanks to this close collaboration, we can invest in what truly matters, not labels. This also gives founders who are underestimated elsewhere a fair chance to prove their worth.”
Proven track record in Belgium
Since 2014, startups from Start it @KBC have raised more than €1.1 billion and created over 12,000 jobs, making the accelerator one of Belgium’s largest startup employers.
More than 220 startups have raised over €1 million, and many have grown into well-known European scale-ups such as Aikido Security, Bolt, Loop Earplugs, Segments.ai, Conveo, Crazy Games, and Ritchie.
The program also boasts a 73% survival rate after five years, far above international averages.
With the €100 million fund now launched, KBC aims to give founders a clearer and more powerful growth path, from first idea to international expansion.
