February 10 2026 marks a special day in Jürgen Ingels’ life — and in Belgian history. A special episode of The Oprah Podcast featuring Jürgen Ingels, Belgian entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and founder of Smartfin and SuperNova, is now available worldwide. With it, he becomes the first Belgian entrepreneur ever to appear on the internationally renowned podcast.

The story began last year at An Evening with Oprah Winfrey, SuperNova’s opening night, when Jürgen interviewed Oprah live on stage. What began as a one-way conversation quickly turned into a candid, two-way dialogue about leadership, purpose, and the realities of building a business. After that, Oprah invited Jürgen to California to continue the conversation — this time on her “home turf”.

With more than 62 episodes and an average reach of 2.5 million listeners per episode, The Oprah Podcast is one of the most influential podcasts in the world. Previous guests include global figures such as Serena Williams, Maria Shriver, and Scott Galloway.

During their first conversation back in March 2025, Oprah shared how strongly she connected with Ingels’ book “Start, grow, sell”. She recognised the way entrepreneurship and leadership are portrayed not as a straight line, but as a process of doubt, learning, and growth — a journey both of them experienced, having started from scratch. “I thought I was the only one,” she said.

“My book doesn’t start from success formulas, but from experience,” says Ingels. “Trial and error. The fact that someone like Oprah recognises herself in those stories shows how universal that journey really is.”

The book is available in Dutch ("50 Lessen voor ondernemers") and in English ("Start, Grow, Sell") via the website or Amazon.

Listen to the episode on YouTube and/ or Spotify and join the conversation.