New management team at The Beacon with Inés Sylverans and Robin Pauwels

A new management team for The Beacon, what exactly do you do?

Inés Sylverans (IS): “The Beacon was founded in 2018 as an initiative of the city of Antwerp, Port of Antwerp-Bruges, the University of Antwerp and IMEC. Originally, the idea was to put digital innovation more on the map for the core sectors in Antwerp and explore what it can do for the various sectors. We also wanted to further expand the ecosystem around digital innovation based on the ‘triple helix’ idea, the collaboration between companies, research & development and the government.”

IS: “I myself was part of the foundation of The Beacon when it was founded, albeit from my position for the city of Antwerp. So it is not unknown territory for me, but I do note that in five years’ time, The Beacon has evolved enormously, becoming much bigger and broader.”

Is there still room for additional companies or partners?

IS: “Yes, there is definitely still room, but not as much anymore. The building is already well full, including other companies such as Lantis, which by the way has also become one of our partners. Meanwhile, with The Beacon, we already count 100 members. We are also much more than a coworking space. We want to facilitate and help both start-ups and scale-ups grow here. There are also larger companies like Orange with a ‘5G fab-lab’ or Fujitsu, one of Japan’s largest tech companies. These are companies that seek a connection with the wider port industry and also want to work with startups to roll out the new technologies.”

IS: “The focus is on the large port complex, the port with the large industrial and chemical cluster around it, and transport and mobility. Technological innovation relevant to the port and industry is our core business. Port of Antwerp-Bruges is one of our founding members, they are also represented on our board of directors. In terms of innovation, there is a very strong exchange.”

Do you also work with the government?

IS: “Yes, we work closely with the city and with VLAIO. We also have a very nice cooperation with FIT, for example around hosting international delegations. Last year, we welcomed some 41 of them. That way we are linked to the government and already form a nice start-up ecosystem. We also did 78 events last year: from a very low-threshold winter barbecue to real inspiration sessions like ‘how can cloud technology mean something for your business’.”

Robin Pauwels (RP): “That’s the beauty of hosting delegations. Here we can explain and also showcase that ecosystem. We have six floors where you can discover the companies and really feel the diversity and dynamics in the building. That way, visitors can experience for themselves what is possible here. In the meantime, we are also looking more closely at cooperation between the major ports of Rotterdam and Hamburg. We are of course doing that together with Port of Antwerp-Bruges, which already has very good connections there.”

What do you have to offer companies through a collaboration with The Beacon?

RP: “It is mainly the cross-pollination between the different companies that gives a huge dynamic. The team at The Beacon tries to get to know everyone as well as possible and tries to understand what everyone does. That way, we can make the right connections very quickly and link parties together so that new collaborations effectively result. We really try to actively facilitate that with all the initiatives we take. A good example is BASF’s ‘Samplifly drone case’. That is a project in which several of our members are involved. SGS for testing and control, ADLC for the drone operations, Port of Antwerp-Bruges for authorisation and Orange for the 5G connectivity. This is the kind of innovative synergy we like to see emerge within our ecosystem.”

IS: “That is one of the main objectives for the coming year. We have managed to build out a broad community of start-ups and scale-ups and here and there large companies. These are mainly technology providers, we also need to make sure they have an outlet.”

This is a call to maritime and industrial companies: come and have a look and experience what opportunities there are

IS: “The idea, then, is to make even more inroads with the more traditional sectors within the port and at least start the conversation with them. Do you want to be inspired by new technology? Then you are welcome at The Beacon and we also have a lot to offer. Of course, our members have to do their business development themselves, but we want to be a platform that facilitates it.”

RP: “We want to continue to deliver quality and build and maintain our community. Our building is full of people who are eager to do business and create impact. We want to connect them with the more traditional companies to see where innovation is possible. Bringing those two worlds together, that’s our main focus.”

IS: “If there are companies who are open to that, they can always contact us, and this is perhaps a call to maritime and industrial companies: come and have a look and experience what possibilities there are. Chances are you will walk out of the building full of inspiration and new ideas!”