Sven De Cleyn is a leading force in European tech entrepreneurship, blending academic insight with hands-on experience in scaling startups and accelerating innovation. Holding a PhD in Entrepreneurship & Innovation Management from the University of Antwerp, he has spent over 20 years driving technology transfer and venture growth.

As co-founder and Program Director of imec.istart, one of Europe’s top-ranked startup accelerators, Sven has supported more than 380 tech startups and spin-offs across software and applied deeptech domains. Under his leadership, imec.istart has expanded its footprint from Belgium to the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain, with further European growth underway.

In his role as Managing Director of the imec.istart funds, Sven is one of Europe’s most active pre-seed investors, helping startups in AI, SaaS, IoT, healthtech, robotics, and more raise over €1.2 billion in funding. Beyond investing, he mentors entrepreneurs, speaks at innovation forums, and champions a distinctly European accelerator model — one that leverages the continent’s diversity to fuel scalable, transformative innovation.