Great workplaces for start-ups

Incubators generally offer a wide range of services to make your life at work easier: accommodation, a reception area, Internet access, network operations, business model analyses, financial planning, various types of audits, and so on.

In an incubator, you can focus on your own start-up to further develop it, as if you were sitting on an egg that is ready to be hatched. In this article, we highlight four incubator sites in Brussels.

First of all, it is important not to confuse incubators with accelerators. Companies usually join an incubator for an indefinite period; they are free to join or leave at any time. The threshold for joining an incubator is also lower than an accelerator program. An incubator is a good place to start networking, while an acceleration program is a little more intensive and demanding. Incubators are an important stepping stone to success, while accelerators are meant for starters who are ready to take the next step.

Today, we recommend four Brussels incubators where you get the space to fully develop your business: ICAB, BLSI, Greenbizz and EEBIC.

ICAB: business and technology incubator

At Evoke, we work from ICAB in Etterbeek It is the largest incubator in Brussels, where start-ups from the ICT and engineering sectors are mainly located. ICAB offers private offices, co-working spaces, meeting and seminar rooms, and a cafeteria to ensure a productive work environment.

In addition to a fully equipped workplace at a central location in Brussels, ICAB also offers networking opportunities, personally consulting, access to university cooperation with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and expertise for each start-up. For example, they help you with a assay from your business model or market analysis, financial planning, etc. A great place to work and grow!

BLSI: Brussels Life Science Incubator

BLIP offers a workplace for up to 180 people working in the life sciences sector. It is located in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, near the campus of the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL). The incubator welcomes start-up companies that are active in e-health, medical devices, biotechnology or other technology sectors. These companies benefit from BLSI's infrastructure, the customized support and the integration into the ecosystem of the UCL research units.

Currently, 29 companies have settled in BLSI and use offices, laboratories, meeting rooms, rest rooms and technical equipment.

Greenbiz

At the incubator Greenbiz Laeken is all about sustainability. They are the first ecologically responsible incubator in Belgium and offer young companies and start-ups a place to create and develop their project in the sustainable and circular economy. You can work there in production workshops, modular offices or co-working spaces. Until the infrastructure also include a reception, telephony, internet, furniture, meeting rooms, relaxation areas, etc.

However, Greenbizz not only offers infrastructure, but also valuable services. You can support and coaching get it from experts in the field, tailored to your start-up, all for free. The incubator offers a ecosystem and one network where you share with many others the drive to innovate for a sustainable economy.

EEBIC

In 2015, moved EEBIC to a new building in Anderlecht that houses private offices, flexible co-working spaces and meeting rooms for around 350 entrepreneurs. Of course, it wouldn't be an incubator if it only provided a workplace. As a starting center, EEBIC has two complementary goals. First, they rent accommodation and secondly, they are a investment fund manager that can help tech start-ups realize their potential. They create an environment where companies are encouraged to grow, thanks to B2B advice and advisory services on a daily basis.

The incubator is easily accessible by car and metro. Facilities such as fitness, a relaxation area and a restaurant make the incubator even more attractive.