Do you have a startup idea in the back of your mind but don’t know where to start to turn it into reality? Or have you already launched your business and want to take it to the next level?

At university, you learn how to read a balance sheet, build a business plan and analyse a market. But once you decide to launch or scale your own project, you will suddenly start venturing into uncharted territory. You will need to test your ideas, find customers and, most importantly, keep going when things don’t go according to plan. No course can really teach you that. In entrepreneurship, you mostly learn in the field.

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             What is StartLab.brussels?

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StartLab.brussels (henceforth, StartLab) is an incubator co-led by ULB and VUB, with roots going back to 2002. It gives young entrepreneurs hands-on support at every stage of creating and growing their business. It reports having supported more than 950 entrepreneurs and 185 startups since 2016, with an impressive three-year survival rate of 91%.

The programmes on offer

StartLab runs two types of programmes. The first, the Entrepreneurship Program, is targeted at anyone who wants to start or grow a business. The second, the Academics Program, is aimed exclusively at PhD students, postdocs and researchers from VUB and ULB who want to explore how to turn their research into a viable business.

This article focuses on the Entrepreneurship Program. But stay tuned, as next week, we will publish our interview with Maarten De Ruyck, programme manager of StartLab Academics, who will tell us all about it.

Are you a PhD student or researcher at ULB or VUB? Don’t wait for next week’s article! Applications for the 2026-2027 Academics Program close on Friday October 2nd. You don’t need a fully developed idea to sign up, as the registration form mainly asks about your motivation. You’ll find all the details on the programme page.

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Build or Grow ?

Within its Entrepreneurship Program, StartLab currently offers two tracks.

•    The Build track is for you if you have a clear idea or a problem you want to solve, and if this is your first business. Spanning six months to a year and a half, a structured programme helps you find product-market fit and build a viable business model. The track consists of one workshop a week in the evening (and, occasionally, at weekends), held in person in French or English.

•    The Grow track is for people who have already launched their business. You need a VAT number less than three years old, an activity located in Brussels, and either paying customers or at least €10,000 raised. Over a year and a half, the track helps you scale up your business, with one daytime workshop per week held in English, as well as plenty of optional modules.

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What you get

Besides the workshops, StartLab gives its participants access to:

•    coaching (in French, Dutch or English) from experienced professionals who push you and help you get past obstacles;

•    masterclasses in digital marketing, sales, pitching, business modelling and finance, as well as the targeted support of experts ready to answer your more specific questions;

•    a coworking space in the centre of Brussels (Boulevard Saint-Michel, Etterbeek), open every day from 7 AM to 10 PM; and

•    a community built around networking events, mentors and, above all, other entrepreneurs going through the same experience as you, which helps make the whole endeavour feel less lonely.

How much does it cost?

StartLab’s support is free. There are no registration fees and nothing to pay during the incubation. StartLab only asks for a one-off solidarity contribution of 2% if your startup’s turnover goes above a set threshold within five years of leaving the programme (€100,000 for Build, €300,000 for Grow). The contribution is capped at €4,000 for Build and €12,000 for Grow.

How to apply

You can apply directly on StartLab’s website, startlab.brussels/apply. For the Entrepreneurship Program, the Build track works in cohorts. For 2026-2027, applications were open from June 1st to September 13th, with in-person pitches at the end of September and a start in October. Applications for the Grow track reopen in December.

To make sure you don’t miss the next call, follow StartLab on LinkedIn or Instagram and check its events calendar for upcoming information sessions. One thing to keep in mind is that you need to be physically in Belgium during the incubation.

TL;DR

Starting a business is a real challenge. But the good news is that you don’t have to figure everything out on your own! Organisations like StartLab exist to help you turn an idea into a concrete project, with a clear method and experienced experts to support you every step of the way. If you have a project in mind, this might be a good time to go for it!

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