Our interview with Maarten De Ruyck, programme manager of StartLab Academics

After years in the lab, many researchers know everything about their technology, but very little about who might actually use it.

Last week, we introduced StartLab.brussels and its Entrepreneurship Programme. This week, as promised, we look at its second programme, StartLab Academics, aimed at researchers who want to discover entrepreneurship and explore whether their research could grow into a business.

We spoke with Maarten De Ruyck, Programme Manager of StartLab Academics. Maarten spent more than seven years at Enabel, the Belgian development agency, and IDH, the Sustainable Trade Initiative, before joining StartLab in 2024. Today, through his role at StartLab and VUB, he helps PhD students and postdoc researchers take their first steps towards entrepreneurship. This year’s cohort started their journey on 6 October.

A programme for VUB and ULB researchers

StartLab Academics is still a young programme. “We are now entering our third year of organising it”, Maarten notes.

While the academic programme is managed by VUB, ULB researchers have been able to join since last year. “ULB and VUB universities work closely together in several domains. StartLab is a great example of this collaboration between the two universities”, he says. “StartLab Academics has the same objective of expanding this collaboration in the near future. In the meantime, the programme is already open to ULB researchers, free of charge”.

Same content, different starting point

Like the rest of StartLab, the Academics programme supports participants in taking their first steps in entrepreneurship. “StartLab is an early-stage incubator”, Maarten says. “Participants are just starting to explore entrepreneurship, with or without a first idea, but they don’t have any market experience. It is really about testing the market and getting to a validated concept”.

The content is the same as in the Entrepreneurship programme (i.e., the programme for the general public we discussed in our article of last week). “There is no difference in content. We go through exactly the same steps. The difference is where participants start from”.

• First-time entrepreneurs usually start from a need. “They see that something is missing in society or in the market, and look for a solution or a product”, Maarten explains.
• Researchers often start from the opposite direction. “They work for many years in the lab on an innovation or a technology, with a primary focus on academic publications as part of their PhD or postdoc research”, he adds. “When they start wondering whether their work could be useful outside the lab, they suddenly have to find an application for a technology or product that already exists”.

That is why StartLab has a separate programme for researchers. “Researchers know everything about their technology”, Maarten says. “But they often lack knowledge about markets, customers and the possible applications of their innovation”. The programme therefore starts by helping them explore the market and understand how their technology could translate into a viable concept.

From researcher to entrepreneur

According to Maarten, the biggest challenge for most participants in the programme is not technical, but learning to approach things differently. In academia, researchers are trained to work carefully, validate their findings and avoid drawing conclusions before they have enough evidence. “Suddenly, they have to switch to an entrepreneurial mindset”.

“An entrepreneurial mindset means being willing to test things before you have all the answers”, he continues. “Researchers are used to building knowledge and validating their findings before moving forward. In entrepreneurship, you often have to take a first step, talk to people and learn from their feedback along the way. That can be quite a shift for researchers”.

The person comes before the idea

A good idea is not necessarily what makes a good entrepreneur. StartLab reports that 91% of the startups it supports are still in business after three years. Maarten points out that this figure concerns the programme for first-time entrepreneurs, and says the way StartLab selects participants plays an important role: “For us, the person is really at the centre of the selection process. Of course, the idea and the project are important, but what matters most is the person behind them. Are they open to coaching? Are they willing to develop an entrepreneurial mindset? And are they ready to learn?”

This matters because the idea people arrive with is rarely the idea they end up pursuing. “The assumptions people present on the first day will most likely not be the ones that lead to a startup. You learn as you go, and the idea changes along the way, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot, based on what you learn from talking to the market”.

In that sense, changing or even abandoning an idea is not necessarily a failure. It can actually be a sign that the process is working. “If your idea is not the right one, it is much better to find that out early by testing the market. You do not want to spend a year or two developing something, only to discover that it does not work. Often, you can find that out much earlier simply by talking to people”.

For StartLab, the ability to learn and adapt may therefore matter more than having the perfect idea from the start.

Success looks different for researchers

For the Academics programme, success looks different. “The metrics are completely different”, Maarten explains. “Creating a spin-off around a technology, with patents, IP rights and a team to build, often is a much more complex and much longer process than creating a small startup”.

That is why the success of the Academics programme is not only measured by the number of spin-offs created, but also by what researchers do next. Many go on to apply for new funding programmes, where the entrepreneurial perspective can make a difference.

“Researchers without an entrepreneurial background tend to be less successful when applying for these innovation mandates than researchers who have been through the StartLab programme”, Maarten says. “They have a better understanding of what the market is looking for and how to present the potential of their research”.

How the programme works

The programme is structured in two semesters, with a different purpose for each.

• First semester: discover. It is about discovering what entrepreneurship could mean in an academic context. It covers “more general topics around entrepreneurship, and the things you should already have on your radar as a researcher with entrepreneurial ambitions”. Sessions cover topics such as intellectual property and entrepreneurial mindset. “It is open to everybody, even researchers who don’t have a clear idea for a spin-off”.
• Second semester: pitch. It goes a step further, where researchers work towards a first business pitch. The focus shifts towards testing the market. But it is not only about the business knowledge: “We also work on human skills, like how to interview people, how to create a pitch deck and how to communicate about your project”. The programme ends with a pitch in front of an internal and external jury.

Along the way, a spin-off coach provides one-on-one support. “So it is really tailor-made, and we listen to the needs of each researcher”, Maarten says.

Maarten’s advice to students and researchers

For students with an idea, his message is to take the chance: “There are so many opportunities in a university context, and StartLab is one of them. Use them. Don’t be afraid to fail or make mistakes. Your idea doesn’t have to be perfect. A lot depends on your attitude and on being open to developing an entrepreneurial mindset”.

His advice to researchers is to start as early as you can in your research career. “During a PhD, you are already in a research environment, and you have the opportunity to explore what else you could do with your research. That can be a good time to start thinking about entrepreneurship”.

He sees this as an opportunity to explore the idea gradually, without having to make any immediate decisions. “You don’t have to know where it will lead. You can start exploring, talk to people and see what you learn from it. And the earlier you start, the more time you have to see where it could take you”.

Why this job matters to him

Both of Maarten’s previous employers had a strong social mission. Does his current job still have that kind of impact? “It’s a completely different context, but yes. Young entrepreneurs and researchers developing new technologies can play an important role in shaping the future of our society”.

Join the programme

Registrations for 2026-2027 officially closed on 2 October. However, if you would still like to join the sessions of StartLab Academics during the first semester, feel free to contact the programme through academics@startlab.brussels.

For next year’s call, keep an eye on the programme page and on StartLab’s LinkedIn, or get in touch with the team to talk about your options.

A big thank you to Maarten for his time and see you next week on the SEC blog!

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