When start-ups start to do good: 3 pitches from the heart of the Wintercircus
Wim Audenaert (CEO & co-founder AM Team),Jens Verhiest (co-founder Karomia) & Tom Defruyt (Head of Innovation Eneco)
Is technology the new superpower of the Chief Sustainability Officer?
Michael Wagemans (Partner & Head of Sustainability and ESG, KPMG), Vanessa De Waele (Group General Counsel & Sustainability Director, team.blue) and Laurens Van Reijen (ManagingDirector, LCL Datacenters)
How Go Vocal helps take community engagement to the next level
Ellen Batens, COO Go Vocal
Closing the knowledge gap: the new AI of ESG District
Katrien De Hauwere, Account ManagerESG, Trustmedia
12:00 – 13:00 Networking lunch
AI in big corps: how to leave no one
behind
Head of AI
Anthony Belpaire
AI @BNPPF TODAYAND TOMORROW
Create value through innovation
Supporting our economy through major transformations over the centuries
The banking sector is the second largest beneficiary of AI productivity gains
Our AI Approach
Our AI strategy A centralised approach based on 3 pillars
Central Tribe acting as a ‘scale up’
• Oversight by the AI Board
• Accountable for annual recurrent value
•105 FTEs Business analysts, data scientists, data engineers, and more
Where are we today?
For each pillar, we have flagship projects to drive value
New customer experiences Process automation
Samy 2.0 Your virtual assistant
Automated KYC* files
Starting with related persons and transactional profile
* Identity verification and recordkeeping procedures under AML Regulation and applicable securities laws
How to build a society where tech can thrive
CEO
Dorien Van Steenberge
WINTERCIRCUS A PLACE FOR
WONDER
A PLACE OF WONDER.
A BUILDING THAT BREATHS ENERGY.
OUR MISSION?
TO TRANSFORM WINTERCIRCUS INTO A PLACE OF WONDER THAT BRINGS TOGETHER ENTREPRENEURS AND CHANGEMAKERS TO IMAGINE AND BUILD A BETTER FUTURE.
A WORLD CLASS ECOSYSTEM
A WORLD CLASS ECOSYSTEM 2026 NUMBERS
FOUNDED BY FOUNDERS
Founded by a consortium of 60 proven tech entrepreneurs & investors, Belgium’s leading knowledge institutions and Flanders largest employer’s organization, to transform Wintercircus into a world renowned tech hub
After an intense renovation, Wintercircus opened its doors september ‘24
Alain De Taeye - Tele Atlas
Wim Vernaeve - Greenpark
Lorenz Bogaert - Netlog
Edgard Vermeersch - Itineris
Pieterjan Bouten - Showpad
Frederik Taeleman - HiveCPQ
Louis Jonckheere - Showpad
Jonas Deprez - Daltix
Jan Hollez - Deliverect
Conny Van Den Driessche - House of HR
Jonas Dhaenens - Team Blue
Wouter Fransoo - Delaware
Joris Van Der Gucht - Silverfin
Sebastien De Halleux - Matchday / Playfish
Matthias Geeroms - OTA Insight
Peter Minne - Showpad
Ewout Meyns - PieSync
Toon Coppens - Netlog
Jeroen Lemaire - In the Pocket
Tim Vandecasteele - Silverfin
Hilde Cloostermans - Cloostermans
Philip Corens - Cloostermans
Andreas De Neve - Techwolf
Peter Hinssen - Nexxworks
Nicolas Van Eename - Realo / Starapps
Jeroen De Wit - Teamleader
Wim Dewaele - Milesahead.ai
Nele Van Damme - Upgrade Estate
Jurgen Degrande - Edgar Cooper
Koenraad Belsack - Upgrade Estate
Wim Wuyts - WTS Global
Piet Maes - Sofico
Nele Van Ginneken - Miles Ahead
Griet Nuytinck - Anacura
Wouter Van Respaille - Henchman
Koen De Clercq - Objective
Tim Clauwaert - Intuo
Thierry Geerts - BECI
Willem Delbaere - Aikido
Ingeborg Willaert & Bruno Lowagie
Wim Van Criekinge - Novalis
JM De Buck - CEO Square Group
Jeroen Van Hautte - Techwolf
Sofie Baeten - Qubic
Jorn Vanysacker - Henchman
Michiel Bearelle - Vendorvue
Hendrik Isebaert - Showpad
Adriaan Coppens - Qargo
Frederik Vandemarliere - Cortez
Mario Vandevoorde - IT1
Victor Motreu - Just Russel
Louis Motreu - Just Russel
Renaat Waeles - Just Russel
Cyriel Van Steen - Just Russel
Jan Froyman - Greenpark
Thiaud Elziere - Hexa, Wat
Filip van Innis - Fortino
Renaat Berckmoes - Fortino
Gino Engels - Lighthouse
Steven Leuridan - Qbic
Roeland Delrue - Aikido
Paul Thiers Jr. - Maxus capital
Frederik Poelman - Team Blue
Roeland Vertriest - Catalan tech
Nicolas Christiaens - Donna
CAMPUS AT THE CORE OF WHAT WE DO
A workspace & community for 40 selected teams, building the next generation of solutions in the Wintercircus supported by elite practitioners.
COLLECTIVE
A community of 1700+ entrepreneurs & changemakers: young potentials, scale-ups, investors, service providers & anybody who adds value.
Networking, learning, playing and paying it forward in the Wintercircus
ARENA
A pioneering environment where technology meets, interacts and builds with society. Bringing together ecosystems that strengthen each other to build a better planet and human experience.
STARTUP CAMPUS
+450 startups applying to work at Wintercircus. Attracted by the network & pay it forward mindset.
52 startups working or worked at Wintercircus. All startups have been selected by a professional jury of shareholders
61M
Euro in capital raised by our Wintercircus startups in only 18 months. +-15% of total national early stage funding.
415 people employed through Wintercircus campus residents and alumni.
STARTUP CAMPUS
ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE LIFESCIENCES ENERGy & CLEANTECH
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
WINTERCIRCUS COLLECTIVE IS YOUR GATEWAY TO BELGIUM’S THRIVING TECH AND ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM.. AND FAR BEYOND.
COLLECTIVE
Collective is the leading learning and networking platform for the tech ecosystem in belgium.
Uniting tech founders & their employees, investors, corporates, universities, & public institutions to accelerate growth & innovation.
Creating fertile ground for new ventures and shared success. People come to be inspired, but stay for the impact.
Active Collective members, counting for individual, corporate, partner and inhouse members (campus, shareholders, etc.).
MISSION:
TO EQUIP (TECH) COMPANIES WITH KNOWLEDGE AND KNOW-HOW SO THEY CAN THRIVE AND MANAGE THE COMPLEXITY THAT COMES WITH SCALING. AND AI DISRUPTION.
VLERICK + WINTERCIRCUS:
COMBINING HANDS-ON CASES, PRACTICE AND SPEAKERS FROM THE WINTERCIRCUS NETWORK WITH THE ACADEMIC EXPERTISE, PEDAGOGY AND INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION OF VLERICK BUSINESS SCHOOL, BUILDING A LONGTERM PORTFOLIO OF PROGRAMS.
CELLO OCTET
CELLO OCTET
LIE DOWN CONCERTS
KSAWERY KOMPUTERY
KSAWERY KOMPUTERY
“ENTANGLED” ROBOTICS INSTALLATION
LUMEN PRIZE FINALIST
PUBLIC &
SOCIETAL
DEBATES
1. BUILD TO LAST BECAUSE WE’RE HERE TO STAY SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES TO SCALE OUR HUSTLE
2. WE LEAD THE W-AI COMMUNITY INTELLIGENCE AND THE WINTERCIRCUS MOTHERBRAIN
3. GO BIG DON’T STAY HOME LEADING TECH HUB OF EUROPE. THE EUROPEAN Y-COMBINATOR 4. “WIJ ZIJN DE BEWEGING”
STELLAR TEAM OF LEGACY BUILDERS
Thanks!
When start -ups start to do good
CEO & Co-founder
Wim Audenaert
The story of AM -Team
Wim Audenaert
Co-founder and CEO at AM-Team
Ghent
June 19th, 2026 Power of ESG
Short intro AM -Team
We build models that predict how water treatment plants can work significantly better
Modeling services & digital twin solutions to tackle water industry’s biggest challenges
▪ We help water utilities maximising today and anticipating tomorrow
Restoration of oyster reefs at offshore wind farms
Luchterduinen & Borssele III/IV.
Ecowende Wind Farm
The wind farm will be built in harmony with nature, with minimal impact on birds, bats and marine mammals, and with a thriving underwater world.
Ecocertified Solar Parks
Partner in the Ecocertified Solar Parks project aimed at promoting local biodiversity.
Circularity
Circularity: Current projects
Repowering wind farms
Repowering of
farm
Extending lifespan Recycling pilots
Research into extending the lifespan of
Pilot projects focused on recycling pipes (district heating), operational waste, and wind turbine blades.
ZE-BRA onshore wind
Prinses Amaliawindpark
Climate Change
Eneco's emission path: Towards climate neutrality by 2035
Why 2035?
● Eneco wants to take responsibility for limiting global warming to 1.5ºC.
● That is a race against time. Electricity sector in developed economies must achieve 'net zero' emissions by 2035 (IEA, May 2021).
Eneco's emission path to 2035
● 9,7 Mton -eq in 2023:
● 1.2 Mton scope 1 & 2 (own operating activities)
● 8.5 Mton scope 3 (energy we supply to our customers)
● 60% reduction in 2030 compared to base year 2019.
● 0.9 Mton of CO2 residual emissions will be neutralized by CO2 removal in 2035 (6%).
Climate Actions
We want to achieve our climate ambition through three climate actions:
Decarbonise our customers
100% green electricity, alternatives for heating with natural gas like (hybrid) heat pumps and green gases like green hydrogen (for industry) and decarbonising mobility with electric charging.
Generate more sustainable energy
More green electricity for feeding heat pumps and electric vehicles, green heat pumps for our heat networks
Balance and optimise the energy system
Develop or contract CO2-free flexible assets, like utility scale batteries, and unlock flexibility in assets, such as heat pumps, electric vehicles and solar and wind farms by bundling them in Virtual Power Plants.
Innovation Roadmap
Focus on the evolution of an energy supplier to an energy manager
Energy Insights
Energy Advisor
Data Collection & Visualisation
Detailed consumption insights via the Eneco App
Data Monitoring & Coaching
Live insights via the Eneco Dongle, to actively manage your consumption (i.f.o. PV-Selfusage, CapTar, Dyn Pricing)
Energy Manager
Optimisation & Steering
Save time, money & CO2 via smart steering of your EV, Heatpump & Homebattery
The Eneco app puts our customers back in control of their energy
Bekijk
Climate Actions
Eneco's emission path: Towards climate neutrality by 2035
Why 2035?
● Eneco wants to take responsibility for limiting global warming to 1.5ºC.
● That is a race against time. Electricity sector in developed economies must achieve 'net zero' emissions by 2035 (IEA, May 2021).
Eneco's emission path to 2035
● 9,7 Mton -eq in 2023:
● 1.2 Mton scope 1 & 2 (own operating activities)
● 8.5 Mton scope 3 (energy we supply to our customers)
● 60% reduction in 2030 compared to base year 2019.
● 0.9 Mton of CO2 residual emissions will be neutralized by CO2 removal in 2035 (6%).
Climate Actions
However, the transition to sustainable heat needs to accelerate (fast!)
Both the carrot (tax shift) and the stick (ban on fossil heating) are still missing in Belgium…
The Carrot: Tax Shift
Do you have a business case to switch away from gas?
Source: Jan Rosenow
The Stick: Ban Fossil Fuel Heating
Stimulate 1-on-1 swaps (boiler to heat pump) when replacing an old boiler
Tech for good: Smart meters & Flexibility will be key drivers to switch away from fossil fuels Way
LEAK: The European Commission's grand plan to bring down Europe's electricity bills
Source: Jan Rosenow
Flexibility
The draft pushes regulators to make better use of the grid we already have, putting non-wire and digital solutions alongside conventional reinforcement rather than after it.
Taxation:
The draft says electricity must be taxed no higher than gas. In several countries today it is the reverse.
Smart Meters
A new EU-wide floor of 50% of customers by 2030, rising to 65% by 2033. Most member states have passed this already, but some are well behind, with Germany still below 5%.
Is technology the new superpower of the Chief Sustainability Officer?
Michael Wagemans
Partner, Head of Sustainability and ESG
Laurens Van Reijen
Managing Director
Vanessa De Waele
Group General Counsel & Sustainability Director
How Go Vocal helps take community engagement to the next level
Ellen Batens
Hi, I’m Ellen.
Msc Mechanical Engineering
Social Entrepreneurship Advocate
Ex-Saas Founder
COO at Go Vocal
Mother of two
80,000 hours* to work on a
Every public decision is a chance to earn your community's trust.
And increase democratic stability.
People trust their government when they feel their voice is heard.
OECD, 2024
TRUST WHEN PEOPLE DON'T HAVE A SAY
TRUST WHEN PEOPLE HAVE A SAY
Build trust with Go Vocal
From input to impact with one engagement hub
Turn community voices into trusted action
Engage Analyze Act
Go Vocal is the engagement hub building trust worldwide
Top-rated by public practitioners (People Powered) 100/100
Customer satisfaction 4.7/5
The world's largest community of local practitioners 3,000+
Increase in total participation within the first year
Collaborated with governments globally
NHS reform
Conversation on the future of the NHS
● 100,000 participants
● 90,000 votes
● 10,000 ideas
● 5,000 comments
Engage California
A 39-million-person conversation on AI at work to inform State Policy.
Texel CultuurPrijs, NL
% of residents engaged in
ideation & voting.
Online and in person engagement turned into revised priorities for the next policy period.
What’s Next?
AI becomes the operational backbone –and expands to the front end
AI expands from back-office tasks to directly shaping the participation experience, raising the bar on explainability and auditability.
Trend 2
Participation becomes infrastructure, not a one-off project
Participation transitions from isolated projects to an ongoing, cross-government capability, with continuous engagement across policy cycles.
Thank you!
What would you tell your younger self to do with
80,000 career hours?
Closing the knowledge gap: the new AI of ESG District
Account Manager ESG
Katrien De Hauwere
Research
At De Tijd and L'Echo, our core business is to inspire and inform our readers. This month, we also received the silver AMMA ‘Media Brand of the year’ with De Tijd and L'Echo.
Research about ESG clearly showed that:
75% of the entrepreneurial Belgians are interested in the sustainability strategies and initiatives of Belgian companies.
But at the same time, almost 3 out of 4 say that sustainability reports are too long.
86% prefer to read a concise summary instead.
Beyond
CSRD & Omnibus
ESG is a driver of greater visibility, credibility and competitive advantage.
Entrepreneurs are looking for concise sustainability information in a trusted environment.
ESG District Demo
ESG District Demo
ESG District Demo
ESG District Demo
ESG Campaign
Storytelling is at the heart of our approach. We have a new campaign to strengthen the visibility of ESG District.
The campaign connects iconic masterpieces from art history with today’s Environmental, Social and Governance challenges. By using works of the old masters, it makes complex sustainability topics more tangible, visual and accessible for businesses. We also regularly publish teaser campaigns inviting companies to upload their sustainability reports free of charge.
Awards
ESG District has gained recognition both nationally and internationally:
In 2025, we won Gold for “Best Sustainability Program” at the Global Native Advertising Awards.
In 2024, we received Bronze in the same competition for “Best Use of AI.”
Closer to home, we also earned Bronze in the Media Sustainability Award, recognizing the best Belgian sustainability campaigns and concepts.
As mentioned earlier, this month De Tijd and L’Echo were awarded the Silver AMMA Award for “Media Brand of the Year.”
Wrap up
With ESG District, we aim to continue building bridge between ambition and action, between data and dialogue.
Sustainability deserves a platform. One that is clear, accessible, and impactful.
Thank you
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