Belgian accelerator imec.istart is expanding into Spain, Germany and Bulgaria, bringing its startup acceleration programmes and investment activities to six European countries, building on its existing presence in Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy.

The expansion runs on a growing network of independently managed regional investment funds, worth more than €160 million today and set to exceed €250 million by 2027. The goal: founders get capital, expertise and networks in every market they enter, without starting from scratch each time they cross a border.

Imec.istart is behind fast-growing scaleups such as Octave, DataCamp, and Payflip. Founded in 2011, it combines early-stage funding with hands-on coaching and direct access to investors and industry partners, built specifically for digital and applied deep tech founders.

Founders build for international markets earlier than ever, yet still hit different legal systems, capital markets and business cultures the moment they cross a border.

"It's not another fund Europe is missing. It's a way through the fragmented rules, capital and expertise that still separate every national market. The moment a founder sets foot in a new market, they should already have capital, expertise and networks waiting for them, not have to build it all over again from scratch," says Sven De Cleyn, Program Director at imec.istart.

One network, many roots

Each program is built together with strong regional partners, such as Novel-T in the Netherlands, Additio Capital, Eurecat and Mobile World Capital in Spain, or Pariter Partners in Italy, rather than exported as a single template stretched across borders, and every regional fund stays independently managed and tailored to its own market, while sharing imec.istart's methodology, coaching and international investor network.

That network of regional funds already represents more than €160 million in investment capacity, with the ambition to grow it beyond €250 million by 2027.

Since 2011, imec.istart has supported more than 380 startups and its portfolio companies have gone on to raise over €1.25 billion in follow-on funding from outside investors.

Lead image: Vincent Gorissen.

One network, many roots ​

One network, many roots