Artevelde University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) has been at the forefront of cultivating entrepreneurial spirit among students for over 15 years by integrating entrepreneurship into the curriculum and intensively working together on regional collaboration for student entrepreneurs. We offer programs that enable student entrepreneurs to transition from studies to launching their businesses full-time upon graduation, while we also nurture an entrepreneurial culture among our staff and teachers. We position ourselves as an innovative university where entrepreneurship is embedded in our DNA over all programs and courses. Initiatives like building fab labs, offering grants for our entrepreneurship postgraduate or creating new entrepreneurial courses often emerge from our entrepreneurial staff in a bottom-up process. We also have been one of the driving forces behind the student entrepreneur ecosystem in Ghent because building partnerships is one of our core values. AUAS is a support system for all aspiring entrepreneurs: social entrepreneurs seeking more in-depth business knowledge, students aiming to become freelancers or self-employed caregivers, researchers looking to commercialize their findings, and programmers wanting to develop innovative SaaS software. AUAS is the place for students and lifelong learners to combine entrepreneurship with academic and professional growth, both regionally and internationally, for students, researchers and staff. This is a driver among many to choose for our university.
CATEGORY WINNER
Young Entrepreneurial University of the Year Award
Artevelde University of Applied Sciences
CATEGORY WINNER Young Entrepreneurial University of the Year Award
Artevelde University of Applied Sciences - Belgium
"Innovating together: pioneering in entrepreneurship with strategic partnerships."
Engage on social media
@ArteveldehsGent(Official AHS Twitter account)
https://be.linkedin.com/school/arteveldehogeschool(Official AHS LinkedIn account)
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ideafactoryahs(Idea Factory AHS account)
https://www.instagram.com/arteveldehogeschool(Official AHS Instagram account)
https://www.instagram.com/ideafactoryahs/(Idea Factory AHS Instagram account)
https://www.facebook.com/arteveldehogeschool(Official AHS Facebook account)
https://www.facebook.com/IdeaFactoryAHS(Idea Factory AHS Facebook account)
(Official AHS YouTube account)
Summary
Key People
Tomas Legrand
Dean
Artevelde University of Applied Sciences
Hilde Van Puyenbroeck
Director of Education & Research
Artevelde University of Applied Sciences
Elke Decrock
Head of Research and Development
Artevelde University of Applied Sciences
Dries Vanacker
Head of Educational Policy
Artevelde University of Applied Sciences
Margot Vanden Bossche
Coordinator & Business Coach Idea Factory/Start-up School
Artevelde University of Applied Sciences
Evelyne Verhovert
Project coordinator of Gentrepreneur
Artevelde University of Applied Sciences
Hilde Gekiere
Coordinator The Company and Business Coach Idea Factory
Artevelde University of Applied Sciences
Julie van der Hooft
Business Coach Idea Factory
Artevelde University of Applied Sciences
Kris Thienpont
Policy Advisor and Member Executive Board Gentrepreneur
Artevelde University of Applied Sciences
Kathy Dewitte
Former Director Expertise Network Business & Management and Member Executive Board Gentrepreneur
Artevelde University of Applied Sciences
Marie Gildemyn
Research Programme Manager Entrepreneurial Empowerment
Artevelde University of Applied Sciences
Karijn Bonne
Senior Researcher on Entrepreneurship
Artevelde University of Applied Sciences
Acknowledgements
Artevelde University of Applied Sciences has strong partnerships with
- VLAIO (Vlaams Agentschap voor Ondernemen en Innoveren): the Flemish government has been supporting our ecosystem Gentrepreneur for the past 13 years.
- ETION: they offer a fund for our postgraduate entrepreneurship with impact, which gives young people with a dream a chance to start their company.
- VBO FEB (Verbond van Belgische Ondernemingen): we are often being consulted for questions on student entrepreneur legislation.
- UNIZO: we integrate their ‘step up’ program into courses so students can start their own real company within their university studies.
A few of our realizations we are proud of:
- AUAS was one of the drivers behind the new website especially for student entrepreneurs, together with VLAIO, which is called studentzelfstandige.be.
- AUAS is the only university in Flanders that has the NVAO certificate for Entrepreneurship.
- AUAS partners with VLAIO on student entrepreneurship legislation. We co-introduced the 'student entrepreneurship' tax status in 2017, which tripled student entrepreneur numbers. Now we are leading the change to remove age restrictions in legislation, our collaboration reflects our commitment to empowering young entrepreneurs and shaping future policies.
- The Company by Gentrepreneur won the esteemed European Enterprise Promotion Awards in 2021, affirming our leadership in entrepreneurial education and support.
A few successful stories from AUAS students:
- Matthias Browaeys started WinWinner, a growing crowdlending platform, as his bachelor thesis. It is now a successful crowdlending platform with over 30 employees. He also co-founded The Harbour, a financial advisory board for scale-ups.
- Jeroen De Wit became the first student entrepreneur of the year with his CRM software Teamleader for SMEs, which now has over 200 employees worldwide.
- Louise Roels did an internship in her own company, the social media agency C’est Tout. Now, at 24, she has 2 full-time employees as her brand continues to grow.
- and so on.
Images
Our yearly award show 'Gentrepreneur student entrepreneur of the year' with an attendance of 550 people
Our team of business coaches at Artevelde University of Applied Sciences
Student entrepreneurs with their company 'Koffiets' serving coffee on a bike on all University campuses in Ghent
Students building prototypes in our Fablab
Our coworking space for student entrepreneurs
Networking moments: Lukas Devoogt (LU-AS) designs tapestry pants and pretty famous because of it.
Students that are part of the Company, our student cooperative
A documentary about Gentrepreneur on Kanaal Z, the national financial channel
One of our events called Q&A Soirée where students speeddate with experts
Celebration Night: the graduation for our student entrepreneurs
IMPACT STORY
Impacting lifes
On a Friday evening, Ruslan Podgaetskiy and Maybritt Devriese - both students of International Business Management, started making vegan dumplings in their kitchen to look for a student snack as an alternative for fries or pizza. That night 'Davai Dumplings' was born. They joined The Company, which provided essential support and minimized risks as they launched their business. Their first catering gigs were at AUAS, and soon they found themselves with a food truck at Belgium's largest festivals.
As they did an internship at their own company, they also crafted an export plan as a bachelor thesis to expand into the Netherlands. This led to a greater focus on retail, making their products available in both online and offline supermarkets in Belgium and the Netherlands. In 2022, they secured half a million euros from investor Ter Beke.
Ruslan and Maybritt now mentor the next generation of student entrepreneurs, collaborating with Pureto, a new dining concept centered on grandmother's mashed potatoes. Together, they are developing a food hub called 'Proef' in Schellebelle, synchronizing logistics and production.
Through this journey, they have closed the loop, passing on their mentorship within a strong alumni community. Davai's presence at every event and their dedication to seize every opportunity offered by Artevelde University of Applied Sciences has made them true ambassadors of our program. Their story continues to inspire, demonstrating the powerful impact connecting students with mentors.
LEARNINGS
Lessons learned
Over the past 15 years, since the start of our entrepreneurial center at AUAS, we've evolved from ACCIO, focusing primarily on entrepreneurial education, to a comprehensive institution-wide initiative called Idea Factory. Every student engages with entrepreneurship through their studies, thanks to the institution-wide learning outcome of fostering an ‘entrepreneurial spirit’ that we advocated for.
Our key insight is that we had to pivot our offerings constantly, just like a start-up. Initially, each university program had an entrepreneurial coach, and we hosted numerous events. However, through several evaluations, we recognized the need for change. We streamlined our coaching from 18 general coaches to 9 specialized coaches covering marketing, legal, and financial expertise, and shifted our focus entirely to coaching and offering opportunities and flexibility for student entrepreneurs within our curriculum. This complements our regional ecosystem, Gentrepreneur.
Over the years, we tested new projects such as granting intellectual property rights to students for their bachelor’s thesis, allowing internships within their own companies, and setting up a lifelong learning program for student-entrepreneurs called Start-up School. These initiatives significantly increased engagement and success, empowering students to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.
Furthermore, we have expanded our reach and knowledge internationally by joining the EIT consortium Start for Future, providing for example our students with opportunities to pitch to international investors.
For those struggling to attract engagement, our advice is clear: think, evaluate, and act like a start-up. Establish a constant feedback loop with alumni, students, and an advisory board on entrepreneurship to ensure you can pivot when necessary, just as a start-up would to find the right product-market fit.
By practicing what we preach and adapting when necessary, we foster a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.
FUTURE PLANS
What's coming?
AUAS has played a crucial role in promoting entrepreneurship for over 13 years, especially through the Gentrepreneur initiative established in 2012. This collaboration between AUAS, HOGENT, and UGent aimed to inspire and guide entrepreneurial students by providing a network, platform and resources. Simultaneously, each institution developed its own entrepreneurial center.
In 2017, the first steps towards a more solid partnership were taken as Artepreneur, a student cooperation founded at AUAS, evolved into 'The Company,' with the three institutions as shareholders.
Recognizing the need for stronger collaboration, an intensified ecosystem for entrepreneurial students and researchers, named Gentrepreneur, will launch in October 2024 at the Wintercircus, set to be the city's premier tech hub. Gentrepreneur will offer coaching, events, and programs, including a pre-incubator, cooperative company, network club, and research-to-market track, available to every student and researcher in Ghent. Our team includes 13 employees specializing in coaching, communication, and events, along with expert partners and university ambassadors.
Within our university, we invest in a specialized team focused on entrepreneurial education, ensuring every student discovers entrepreneurship through coursework. We organize internships in student’s own companies and entrepreneurial bachelor theses with received IP, among other initiatives. This team also supports faculty in developing courses on entrepreneurship as a career path, aiming for all graduates to consider this option.
AUAS continues to build partnerships to best serve and support its students while expanding its internal capabilities in the coming years.
