Belgian Tech Scale Stories!

Scale Stories

Three founders. Three scale-up journeys. Zero bullshit.

€15M+ raised. Built to 200+ employees. From zero to scale.

One evening to hear what actually happened — and what they wish someone had told them sooner.

This February, in an open panel discussion, three founders will sit down at WAT to share the real decisions behind their growth: the good ones, the painful ones, and the ones that kept them up at night. Three founders of the ecosystem at different phases of a startup journey: Scale, Pivot or Post-Exit.

Meet the founders

• Dominique Pellegrino — CEO, Vertuoza — "Scaling at Lightspeed: Belgium's Scale-up of the Year”
• Luc Machiels — CEO, Karomia — “Making a pivot and still becoming a fast-paced scale-up”
• Jean-Louis Van Houwe — CEO, Monizze — "Life After Exit: Post-Acquisition Scale-up Culture”

The hard stuff nobody talks about

Dilutive funding. Letting go of a co-founder. Pivoting when it hurts.

If you’ve ever faced — or will soon face — these calls, they’ve been there.

They’ll share what they got wrong, what worked, and what they’d do differently today.

Who you’ll meet
We curate the room.
Founders, operators, and investors who don’t just talk about startups — they build them or back the winners.

No consultants.
No random networking.
But the Belgian Tech community at its sharpest.

This is the kind of event where the conversations actually move what you’re building forward.

To help us curate the room, send us an email with ([email protected]):

• What you're building
• Your biggest scaling challenge right now
• One question you’re dying to ask other founders

The details

📅 Wednesday, February 19, 2026 · 18:30–22:00

📍 WAT, Brussels

👥 100 people. That’s it.

🍻 Good food & drinks (this is a BeTech event after all)

This is for

• Founders (from pre-seed to Series B)
• Operators at startups & scale-ups
• Investors backing European Tech
• Anyone genuinely interested in the Belgian Tech ecosystem

Why

Because Brussels needs more pay-it-forward moments — and fewer polished takes.
Because the best insights come from founders who’ve actually been there.
Because WAT is where honest conversations happen.

Six months from now, you’ll either wish you’d been there— or you’ll be glad you were.

Only 100 spots. You don’t want to miss this one.

This event is made possible by the sponsorship of Nightborn, with additional support of the BeTech network partners Accountable and Build More.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

WAT, Brussels, Rue Volta 6A, Watermael-Boitsfort, Belgium

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

Get App