The port city has a proven track record when it comes to successful startups: with €26M in venture capital (2015), and an internationalization rate of 11%, Antwerp has positioned itself as one of the hot hubs for entrepreneurship in Belgium.
(Author: Gabriela Fernández – Startups.be / Image Credit: iStock)
BEATSWITCH
Launched in 2013, Beatswitch is connecting festival organizers and booking agencies. In doing so, this startup empowers artists. The company has secured a total of roughly €1M in funding.
See more at beatswitch.com
CHESTNOTE
Launched in 2015, Chestnote belongs to a small group of startups that are ambitious enough to break time barriers. Chestnote does exactly that: the slow messaging app allows users to send photo, text and video messages that are only delivered when and where the sender decides.
See more at chestnote.com
FLAVR
Launched in 2015, Flavr empowers anyone with a passion and talent for cooking to start offering their delicious creations online. This means that people can order delicious and budget-friendly meals made with love by the best local chefs. Flavr was recently granted €450K to support its expansion, and earlier this year the company won the International FastPitch competition at SXSW.
See more at flavr.be
NEOSCORES
Launched in 2013, neoScores is a pioneer in offering digital music scores. The startup gives musicians the opportunity to simply and securely buy and use sheet music, as well as share notes with fellow musicians. The digital scores can be used via smartphone, tablet or computer, through any operating system. The “iTunes of sheet music” has secured €2M in funding and was awarded the Foxconn prize at Startup Nations Summit 2014.
See more at neoscores.com
PARCIFY
Launched in 2015, Parcify is a customer-driven solution aiming to transform the way people ship, deliver and pay for things. The startup connects local omnichannel retailers with crowdsourced on-demand logistics. By building up a strong community of Parcifiers, the startup has managed to bring together local stores and citizens. The company has secured $525K in seed funding.
See more at parcify.com
PLAYPASS
Launched in 2012, PlayPass, a company offering festivals worldwide software solutions for their platforms, has officially announced an agreement with Sandpiper Digital Payments AG. The startup,that is best known in Belgium for its intelligent RIFD bracelets at the Rock Werchter, got a capital injection of €2M. Thanks to its very international mindset, chances are the next time you go to a music festival PlayPass will be there too!
See more at playpass.be
ROMBIT
Launched in 2012, Rombit created the Romcore dashboard, an Industry 4.0 enabler quickly connecting with legacy software and tailor-made IoT devices. The startup got a good dose of fuel in March 2016 when they raised €10M from the Belgian investor Michel Akkermans.
See more at rombit.be
SENTIANCE
Launched in 2012, Sentiance is one of the most renowned startups in Belgium. It is a data science company that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to analyze IOT sensor data in order to create a deep understanding of human behavior and context. The company is now opening its 3rd office, which is in NY, after establishing in London earlier this year. Other offices are planned for Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore.
See more at sentiance.com
SLICKSS
Launched in 2013, Slickss is a real-time track and trace mobile app that helps companies take control of their mission critical shipments, limit freight spends, increase billing accuracy and on-time performance. In addition, it tackles the complexities of supply chain collaboration and provides users with modern API services so that they can integrate with business partners and digitize their logistics. The startup, which has DHL, Atlas Copco, CEVA Logistics and Fluor as customers, picked up €1.5M in funding in October 2016.
See more at slickss.com
TURBULENT
Launched in 2015, Turbulent developed a new and efficient hydropower technique to deliver affordable, renewable energy. It was elected as one of the best tech startups in the world by securing 1st place at The Pitch Competition, during Startup Nations Summit 2015. Since then, the startup has opened offices in South America and has been awarded on numerous occasions.
See more turbulent.be
This article was first published in the Autumn issue of SILICON magazine. Be the first to read SILICON articles on paper before they’re posted online, plus read exclusive features and interviews that only appear in the print edition, by subscribing online.
