• Are you curious if your expertise might be valuable in a startup?
• Entrepreneurial and driven to join a startup?
• Ready to turn your startup idea into reality but still looking for the right partner?

This is a matchmaking event for enthousiastic, entrepreneurial people, people with interesting expertise to build a tech start-up on or to assist in a start-up business, people who want to create an impact in other people’s lives. Join, find the right teammates and see if you can start a business together.

On November 23, imec.istart, UGent TechTransfer and Jenny Bjorklof organise an online matchmaking event for tech startups.

We are matching these profiles:

• Leader: You are an entrepreneur or researcher with a business idea or already an existing venture and are looking for passionate partners with complementary skills
• Seeker: You are looking to join a startup as a (co)-founder or as part of the management board.
• Mixed profile: You are entrepreneurial and have an idea yourself but are also willing to join another founding team or an existing venture

With the following skills:

• IT: you have skills in IT, software, hardware, systems and networks
• Technology expert: Expertise in Energy, Materials, Health Tech, Pharma, Electronics, Photonics and Digital, Agro, Vet & Food, Agrobiotech, Sustainability & Cleantech...
• Business: Commercial (sales, marketing, business development) and/or financial skills

Program:

• 17:00 - 17:10 Welcome; practical information about the event.
• 17:10 - 17:30 Presentations: Startup Talent; Learn about the imec.istart acceleration program and UGent TechTransfer and university talent pools
• 17:30 - 19:30 Connect via 12-min. 1-on-1 video calls on the Conversation Starter platform (see how it works below).

80+ co-founders participated in the last Startup Matchmaking event we organised.

Refunds

To guarantee high-quality matchmaking we screen every ticket holder. This event is specifically for people who are seriously exploring starting or running a technology company together in a team.

We do not accept recruiters, agencies, consultants, brokers and similar profiles to join. In case of doubt, you will be contacted for a check.

If your profile is not a fit your attendance will be cancelled and the ticket fee will be refunded.

Please note we do our best to match you with your ideal partner, but can not guarantee that you will find the exact profile you are looking for. We will check the participant list and contact you if we clearly see there is no fit. If your profile is not a fit, your attendance will be cancelled and the ticket fee will be refunded. So please state clearly what you are looking for in the registration.

If you get access to the participant list and attend the event there is no refund option available for your tickets.

If you cancel your attendance at least a week before the event you get a full refund. The ticket management fee by Eventbrite is non-refundable.

Please note it's impossible to change VAT details afterwards so add the correct ones during registration.

If any questions, please don't hesitate to contact jenny.bjorklof@gmail.com

Registration

1. Register via the green ticket button. Please make sure you add the correct details as the invoice pdf generated can not be edited afterwards.

2. Select your ticket.

There are three types of tickets:

Leader: You are an entrepreneur or researcher with a business idea or already an existing venture and are looking for passionate partners with complementary skills

Seeker: You are looking to join a startup as a (co)-founder or as part of the management board.

Mixed profile: You are entrepreneurial and have an idea yourself but are also willing to join another founding team or an existing venture

Depending on your profile and the date on which you register, you pay an entrance ticket of €19 to €39 VAT excl.

3. Complete your profile on Conversation Starter (see link in your mail after registration) so that we can provide you with the best matches, and you're done! A few days before the event you will get access to the participants and be able to set meetings with matches.

When registering the organisers will receive your details and can contact you. Please find the privacy policy by Eventbrite here.

You will also get the option to be added to the database of UGent spin-off teams so that you can be contacted if there is a new team arising that you would be able to join. Please find the UGent Venture Track privacy statement here.

How the online event works

A few days before the event, you get an invitation via email to fill in your networking profile where you share who you would like to meet (requests) and the expertise you can share (offers).

• A day or two before the event there will be another email inviting you to browse the requests and offers and send meeting requests. Please mind that you have a limited amount of time slots so research the participants thoroughly beforehand. Consider the limitation when you send and accept requests.

• When an invitation to meet is accepted, Conversation Starter finds the ideal time slot to meet.

• During the event, Conversation Starter provides built-in 12-minute video calls through their intuitive platform. There will be a short break between each call. You will have access to the participants and their contact details through the web app after the event. You can also take notes and save them by your connection profile in Conversation Starter.