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 · 2 people tracked

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Find your way into imec.istart

2,072 people in our graph share verified history with the imec.istart team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Yibo Nianunlockedknows Sven De Cleyn · together at University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business (overlapped)

×7knows the team · via INSEAD

×4knows the team · via University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business

✨ 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 · 2 people

from curated & public directories

Nikos Deligiannis· Principal Investigator in AI & Algorithms· Brussels Metropolitan Areain

Nikos Deligiannis is a Professor of Machine Learning and Signal Processing at Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Principal Investigator at imec, where he leads research teams in explainable and trustworthy AI, computer vision, and federated learning. He holds an ERC Consolidator Grant and has managed over 30 European and national R&D projects with multi-million euro budgets. His research contributions include over 200 publications in venues including ICCV, CVPR, NeurIPS, and ICLR, along with 5 patent applications, and he was named the 2024–25 Francqui Research Professor in Trustworthy AI.

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 5 of 7 portfolio companies

AI & Machine Learning ×3SaaS ×3Crypto & Web3 ×2Enterprise Software ×2Fintech ×2Cloud Computing ×1Cybersecurity ×1Developer Tools ×1

HQs:Belgium×3United States×1

Portfolio companies · 7 tracked

alumni founders can tell you what the program is really like

Yieldsyields.io in 𝕏✓ verified

Yields provides software for managing risks and compliance in traditional and AI models across their entire lifecycle, serving regulated organizations like financial institutions and companies preparing for AI regulation.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSFlanders, BE

Jos Gheerardyn(CEO and Co-founder)inSébastien Viguié(Head of Regulatory Affairs & Co-founder)in

Co-investorsPamica NV Volta Ventures

Aloxy

Epihunter

NGravengrave.io in 𝕏

NGRAVE builds self-custody security products for cryptocurrency holders to protect and control their digital assets.

Crypto & Web3CybersecurityHardwareZonhoven, BE

Ruben Merre(Co-founder)in

Co-investorsWoodstock Fund

Nuclivisionnuclivision.com in

Nuclivision develops AI software to enhance nuclear medicine imaging, enabling PET centers to increase capacity and reduce costs without replacing equipment.

AI & Machine LearningHealthtechMedical DevicesGhent, BE

Maarten Larmuseau(Cofounder & CEO)inTomas Brants(Cofounder & COO)inSimon DeKeyser(Cofounder & CTO)in

Co-investorsHeran Partners

Venlyvenly.com in 𝕏Apr 2022

Venly develops large-scale enterprise systems, building on the team's background from Benchmarking Partners, which created Walmart's first internet-based supplier collaboration system and an early business-to-business internet commerce standard.

AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkImpact & Social GoodSaaSCambridge, US

Alissa Onigman(Venly CFO)inPaul Horn(Venly Executive Chair)inTed Rybeck(Venly CEO)David Sandberg(Venly General Counsel)Tom Fellows(Venly General Manager)Dee Mewbourne(Venly Institute Executive Director)

Co-investorsCourtside Ventures Alpaca VC Coinbase Ventures HTGF LeadBlock Partners Powerhouse

Venlyvenly.io in 𝕏Apr 2022

Venly provides blockchain developer tools including a Token API for creating, minting, burning, and managing ERC20 tokens without deep blockchain expertise.

Crypto & Web3Developer ToolsFintechSaaS

Tim Dierckxsens(CEO)inGerbert Vandenberghe(COO)inKarel Striegel(CPO)inDavy Van Roy(CTO)

Co-investorsTioga Capital Partners TRANSCEND Alpaca VC Coinbase Ventures Courtside Ventures HTGF +2 more

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

Ghent start-up Nuclivision uses AI-driven imaging to make PET scans safer

Nuclivision · belganewsagency.eu · Jul 16, 2025

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

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