What stage does imec.istart invest at?

imec.istart invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.

Where is imec.istart located?

imec.istart is headquartered in Ghent, BE.

imec.istart

Accelerator

Ghent · Pre-Seed–Seed · 1 people tracked

★ Follow + Add to CRM ⤳ Find an introduction

✨ Fox Verdict

Investment thesis

imec.istart supports bold, early-stage tech startups from their earliest days, combining capital with hands-on coaching, deep entrepreneurial experience, and imec's world-leading technology insights. Its approach centers the startup in every decision, positioning itself as a long-term partner that opens doors through a wired global network. The firm emphasizes honest, actionable feedback and helping founders grow as leaders as their companies scale.

Invests inAgTech AI & Machine Learning Climate Tech Crypto & Web3 Deep Tech Energy Healthtech Semiconductors Asia-Pacific Belgium Europe Germany Italy Netherlands Spain United Kingdom United States

Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.

Stage

Pre-Seed–Seed

Ghent, BE

Instruments

Equity

Founded

1984

Portfolio companies

Team · 1 people

from public directories

Sven De Cleyn· Program Director imec.istart· Antwerp Metropolitan Areain

Sven De Cleyn is Program Director at imec.istart, Europe's leading university-business accelerator. With over a decade of experience in the program, he works to support the creation and growth of innovative technology startups and academic spin-offs. His background includes research into high-tech and deep-tech entrepreneurship at the PhD level, followed by involvement in founding an accelerator program.

What they invest in

from 1 of 3 portfolio companies

Crypto & Web3 ×1Cybersecurity ×1Hardware ×1

HQs:Belgium×1

Portfolio companies · 3 tracked

alumni founders can tell you what the program is really like

Aloxy

Epihunter

NGravengrave.io in 𝕏

NGRAVE makes hardware crypto products for self-custody, including the air-gapped ZERO cold wallet and the GRAPHENE stainless steel key backup, along with a companion mobile app for sending and receiving crypto.

Crypto & Web3CybersecurityHardware

Co-investorsWoodstock Fund

Frequently asked questions

What stage does imec.istart invest at?: imec.istart invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
What sectors does imec.istart focus on?: imec.istart focuses on AgTech, AI & Machine Learning, Climate Tech, Crypto & Web3, Deep Tech, Energy, Healthtech, Semiconductors.
Where is imec.istart located?: imec.istart is headquartered in Ghent, BE.

Media · Podcasts & interviews

featuring the team

SuperHero Conversations EP3 | Sven De Cleyn - imec.istart & Niels Van Damme - OTIV

SuperNova · Sven De Cleyn

Sven De Cleyn, Program Director of imec.istart welcomes everyone to WIS23 Part 1

UBI Global - Interactive Learning Community · Sven De Cleyn

Images

Similar investors

Khosla Ventures

Khosla Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage companies focused on technology, mobile, and clean energy sectors, including biotechnology applications. The firm provides capital and strategic support to entrepreneurs developing breakthrough technologies across multiple markets.

$5K – $50M

Everywhere Ventures

Everywhere Ventures is an early-stage venture firm that backs founders globally, supported by a community of founders and operators as LPs.

$250K

Asia2G Capital

Asia2G (A2G) Capital is a Silicon Valley venture capital firm that invests primarily in early-stage Korean and Asian technology startups seeking to expand globally.

Qbic Fund

Qbic is an inter-university venture capital fund that turns technological breakthroughs from its partner universities, research institutes and hospitals into sustainable businesses.

DCVC (Data Collective)

DCVC (Data Collective) is a deep tech venture capital firm that backs entrepreneurs using computational approaches to solve large-scale real-world problems across many industries.

$5M – $25M