Lode Uytterschaut is founder and CEO of Start it @KBC, the largest startup accelerator in Belgium and one of the most influential people in the Belgian startup ecosystem. Under his leadership, Start it @KBC has played a crucial role in building the thriving Belgian startup ecosystem, supporting over 2,000 startups both nationally and internationally—an achievement that makes it the largest startup accelerator in Europe by number of coached startups. Since 2014, the accelerator rapidly expanded, opening hubs in 9 Belgian cities—Brussels, Ghent, Hasselt, Leuven, Liege, Charleroi, Louvain-la-Neuve and Kortrijk—as well as in Hungary (Budapest) and the Czech Republic (Prague). Start it @KBC’s unique model offers a year-long founder-centric approach, offering acceleration to startups without taking equity or charging fees, ensuring that the focus remains on maximized business impact. Start it @KBC and its founder are recognized for championing women in tech: 30% of startups feature a female co-founder. As a result, the impact is tangible: startups at Start it @KBC have raised over 1,25 billion euros in funding, contributed to the creation of over 12,500 jobs, and demonstrated survival rates well above the European average— almost 80% remain active five years after joining the program. Uytterschaut also initiated The Growth Collective, a collaboration between Belgian’s leading accelerators: Start it, imec.istart and NOA. Uytterschaut’s initiatives have received widespread acclaim, with Start it @KBC joining the prestigious Global Accelerator Network (GAN) in 2017 and earning recognition such as the Startup Accelerator Award (2018) and Innovation Challenger Award (2019) from the European Commission. He is the author of “F*cking start-ups,” a book distilling lessons on intrapreneurship.