We are impact-driven in our mission. We equip our tech entrepreneurs with access to cutting-edge expertise and first-hand industrial knowledge, which are the cornerstones of a strong and sustainable business foundation. In turn, our startups bring about lasting impact in the world with their innovative solutions to complex challenges.
Meet the team
Sven de Cleyn - Program Director
Sven De Cleyn leads imec.istart in Belgium. He has been in the incubation and tech startup world for over 15 years, accumulating academic know-how through his PhD degree on the success of academic spin-offs, and hands-on experience through the coaching and support of some of Belgium’s leading tech ventures.
Martijn Sijbers - Program Manager & Fund Manager
Martijn Sijbers is has a background in technology, health, consultancy, interim management and investment. Martijn also lectures at the Radboud UMC about Financing Healthcare in the Netherlands. He strongly believes that people make the difference. The people which, I think, can build a business have ideas, dare to focus, are open minded and are eager to start the journey from start up to scale up.
Mike Verkouter - Manager Startup Acceleration Novel-T
As the founder and manager of Incubase, the student incubator at the University of Twente, Mike Verkouter brings extensive experience and connections that support students and founders alike through their entrepreneurial journey. He holds international experience in various domains including higher education, startup, corporate, industries, and government.
Erik Vervloet - Business Development Manager
Erik Vervloet has an extensive background in general management, corporate development, business development, business operations, strategy, and team coaching. He has worked in a variety of markets including in the music, telecom and startup accelerator industries with highly recognized brands like imec, BASE, Telenet, EMI, and PolyGram. Since 2018, Erik has been in charge of business development for imec.istart in Belgium and more recently in the Netherlands
Peter Langela - Venture Acceleration Manager
Peter Langela is an active startup coach with over 30 years of experiences in entrepreneurship, management, sales, and business development in the Netherlands, Germany, and Turkey. He is also a serial entrepreneur and has founded companies in a plethora of industries including blockchain technology, Big Data, and Internet of Things for Housing cooperatives.
Tim de Kraker - Venture Acceleration Manager
Tim de Kraker is an active startup coach with an extensive background as a serial startup entrepreneur. He has founded several companies ranging from the printing management software Market and Digital Asset Management to the hospitality industry. Tim is a team player, with a people-oriented leadership style, and an innate talent in fostering collaboration and growth. On a strategic level, Tim brings to the imec.istart.nl team - and in his role as a startup coach- his expertise in talent development, organizational scalability, and long-term vision and strategy.
Bart Nelissen - Venture Acceleration Manager
Bart is an experienced business developer/venture builder that over the years has supported and coached many academics at the universities of Eindhoven and Antwerp in becoming more entrepreneurial and starting their own business all the way from exploring the initial ideas to founding the company and raising the first funding. He loves working at the interface of science, technology and business and tackling the complexity of building and growing a successful tech startup. His main field of expertise is in Health and MedTech but any technology based startup will trigger his curiosity.
Andreas Huvenaars - Venture Acceleration Manager
Andreas is a seasoned entrepreneur, with over 15 years of experience working in the high-tech industry. He has a remarkable skill for translating complex problems into easy-to-grasp concepts, making them accessible to a wide audience. Andreas excels at creating connections between people, industries and stakeholders. He always strives for personal growth and through his supportive nature is a people-oriented catalyst for improvement.
Muriel Jolivert - Operations Coordinator
Muriel Jolivert brings with her an extensive background in project management within established international organizations including the International Monetary Fund and the Embassy of the Netherlands. Versatile in her skills, she plays a vital role in bolstering the operational machinery of imec.istart.nl, orchestrating events and program offerings, and contributing to the program's marketing endeavors
Cindy Marsman - Marketing Officer
Cindy Marsman leads the imec.istart.nl and Novel-T marketing team and has many experience in the fields of branding, marketing and communication on a strategic level. Together with the marketeers in the team, she coordinates the imec.istart.nl campaigns, content and events. She loves to put her energy and creativity in building up brands and is always up for a good marketing challenge.
Frank Huizing - Marketing
Frank is working on the the marketing and communication for imec.istart.nl, keeping you informed and up-to-date with the latest developments. His broad multimedia background allows him to quickly produce engaging content. He is passioned about conveying engaging startup succes stories.
Daniël van Dort - Venture Acceleration Manager
Daniel van Dort, founder and former Chief Scientific Officer of CardiacBooster, as one of the latest innovators in the imec.istart community. Daniel brings a wealth of expertise in medical technology and a deep personal commitment to making a positive impact for current and future generations. Guided by the belief that technology holds the key to solving many of the challenges we face, Daniel led CardiacBooster to develop groundbreaking, minimally invasive solutions for heart failure treatment. Now at imec.istart, he is eager to leverage his scientific insights and passion for innovation to drive forward impactful ventures.
