Belgian startup accelerator imec.istart is expanding its operations into Spain, Germany, and Bulgaria, bringing its total footprint to six European countries. Building upon its existing presence in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy, the expansion is designed to ensure that founders have immediate access to capital, expertise, and networks when entering a new market, rather than having to build from scratch.
The organization's strategy relies on a growing network of independently managed regional investment funds, rather than exporting a single standardized template across borders. To achieve this, the program is built in collaboration with strong regional partners, including Novel-T in the Netherlands, Additio Capital, Eurecat, and Mobile World Capital in Spain, and Pariter Partners in Italy. This network of regional funds is currently worth more than €160 million, with plans set to exceed the €250 million mark by the year 2027.
Founded in 2011 specifically for digital and applied deep tech founders, imec.istart combines early-stage funding with hands-on coaching and direct investor access. The accelerator has been behind fast-growing scaleups like Octave, DataCamp, and Payflip. Since its inception, the organization has supported more than 380 startups, and its portfolio companies have successfully raised over €1.25 billion in follow-on funding from outside investors.