26lights

Venture Capital (VC) can catapult startups to new heights, but it’s not a universal solution. Here’s a concise guide to understanding VC partnerships, shared by Koen De Waele from Volta Ventures during one of our #startupevents 👇 𝟭. 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝘀𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵: VCs seek accelerated growth, not maintenance of the status quo. Accepting VC funding means prioritizing scaling over profits, a strategy that can be risky if your vision isn’t aligned with rapid expansion. 𝟮. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲: VC funding equates to governance and added challenging.. Your actions and decisions will be monitored by stakeholders, balancing the autonomy you once had. If maintaining absolute and unchallenged control is crucial for you, reconsider VC funding. 𝟯. 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁: VCs are temporary collaborators aiming for a profitable exit, either through acquisition or an IPO. Before approaching a VC, define potential paths to exit, in which optionality is key. 𝟰. 𝗕𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: VC involves complex legal agreements designed to protect their interests, often at the founder's expense. Be prepared to navigate through legal complexities and potential sacrifices before approaching a VC. Get advice from people experienced in venture deals, not generalist lawyers or advisors. 𝟱. 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗱𝗲-𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: Securing VC funding doesn’t eliminate risks; it intensifies them. The capital influx comes with increased expectations and pressure, making it a catalyst for growth and innovation but also for heightened challenges. VC is a powerful tool for start-ups and scale-ups, but it requires alignment of vision, willingness to share control and being challenged, and acceptance of sustained or increased risks. Evaluate whether VC aligns with your aspirations and values before embarking on this path. And if you're looking to do so, we can help ✨

🇧🇪 Belgium's #LegalTech sector is rapidly gaining traction, ready to revolutionize the traditionally cautious legal industry with innovative solutions. Despite historical reluctance to adopt new technologies, momentum is shifting as new technologies become regulated and legal professionals recognize their potential to enhance efficiency. 💸 Our LegalTech #startups have attracted prominent investments lately, with LegalFly securing a remarkable €20 million in funding last year, and Henchman announcing their acquisition by LexisNexis, a US company. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of some of the top LegalTech players in the Belgian ecosystem. We may have missed some, so make sure to correct us in the comments section! ✨ KLEA | Afriwise | Nymus | lawbox.be | Ulegalize | ClauseBase | Lexigogo - Video Contracts & Video Proofs | Legacio | CuratedAI (Techstars '24)

Shaping products that make a difference is our passion. Shaping them right is what we live for 👇 Over the past 10 years, we've helped 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 understand the problems they were trying to solve, frame solutions, and deliver impactful experiences. When thinking about how to shape and build a great product, we operate according to 5 principles : → 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁: Set clear objectives and deliver quickly to seek early insight → 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺: You're here for a reason. What is the problem you want to solve? Why? → 𝗕𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿: Understand user needs by putting yourself in their shoes. → 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Adapt and iterate based on market dynamics and customer feedback. → 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀: Numbers don't lie. Make data-driven decisions and measure impact since day 1. Read our latest article about the common pitfalls of #productmanagement, and how to avoid them on our blog ⤵️

💡It’s crucial to understand all financing stages of a startup if you plan to fundraise yours. As this theory is easier than practice, here’s a little refresh ⤵️ 📖 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 to tailor your approach effectively. 🟰 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 with what investors are seeking. ⚠️ 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀 transparently. 🚪𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀. 🔒 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 to use funds wisely. 🗣️ 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 with investors for mutual growth and transparency 👩⚖️ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁 to avoid pitfalls. And most importantly: A round needs to be enough to put your company in the position to raise the next one the year after 🚀 ✨ 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽? ✨ We know how stressful it is. We’ve done it several times with our clients, and we would be more than happy to help you! Hit the Contact Us button on the 26lights, and let's make your funding journey a success 𝗣𝗦: Company valuations and allocated funds for each stage can differ from company to company, but these are the most common amounts.

Expanding at the speed of light ✨, Leexi was seeking a stronger identity to better represent their incredible AI-powered note-taking solution. 🎨 They chose us to design their new logo, and here's the result! A big thank you to Xavier LOMBARD, Matthieu Lombard, Baptiste Lombard and all the team at Leexi for their trust. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for you! 👨💻👩💻 And props to Laurent and Alicia for the incredible work 💥

After a week filled with brainstorming and tweaking our strategies, we’re super excited to share that something big is brewing at 26lights 🌍✨ Keep an eye on our LinkedIn— we'll be dropping some exciting details very soon 👀!

🤖 After a first ChatGPT workshop with folks from Phicap Group, Forster gave it another go — this time with the team at Unibra. Unibra is a Belgian company that undertakes private equity and real estate investment activities in belgium, while also operating in the African drinks market, primarily through its ownership of the Skol Cerveja beer brand and breweries. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮: teaming up with them to identify areas where #GenerativeAI could make a difference in their daily activities, to turn it into an insightful presentation! 🔄 Packed with practical workflows specifically tailored for Unibra’s needs, everyone discovered new ways to make their workday easier and more productive thanks to #AI. 💡 𝗜𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁: we're not here for the usual #GenAI introduction. You can find plenty of YouTube videos for that. Our mission is to show you how to leverage this technology to ease up your workflow — no fluff, j͟u͟s͟t͟ ͟t͟h͟e͟ ͟g͟o͟o͟d͟ ͟s͟t͟u͟f͟f͟ ͟y͟o͟u͟ ͟n͟e͟e͟d͟. 🙏 Big thanks to Renaud Blavier et 𝗟𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗮𝗵𝗷𝗮𝗿𝗶 for their trust ! So if you think your startup, scaleup, or SME could use a custom introduction like this (no strings attached), you know where to go ✨

🇧🇪 Belgium's #AgriTech sector has attracted significant attention and investment, recognizing its potential to transform agriculture into highly efficient, tech-driven operations. Even the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation believe in our AgriTech efforts, with a staggering 70m funding for Aphea.Bio (very well deserved!) back in October 2023 🤩 However, the sector faces challenges around an aging farmer population and the need for new entrants, which presents many opportunities for AgriTech innovations to offer new experiences, and change the way agriculture works. Here's a (non-exhaustive) spotlight on some of the most promising AgriTech startups in Belgium:

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗮 𝗕𝗮𝗱 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝟭𝟴 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆: 🔍 Are you a CEO juggling multiple responsibilities, including recruitment? If yes, you know that a bad hire can be costly. From misaligned job descriptions to the dilemma between hiring a generalist or a specialist, mistakes add up quickly. Discover how to optimize your recruitment process and turn every new hire into a major asset for your company in our latest article.

We helped Gabi SmartCare to build a beautiful new website! 🎨 After co-creating with them a newer, stronger #branding and #positioning, we helped them finalizing a new version of their website to better communicate their very innovative solution to their key stakeholders. And we find the result... magnificent 🤩 Many thanks to Edouard Carton, Jonathan Baut and Olivier Staquet for their continuous trust! And go check out www.gabismartcare.com to discover how they're revolutionizing pediatric care 😭