Ghent, the Belgian Silicon Valley

You may have noticed that Ghent has some great tech startups. Why Ghent? Because it is cheaper (than Brussels), it is of course the most beautiful and historical city of Belgium and it is a big university city. So there is a lot of potential young talent.

The number of startups has increased dramatically over the past few years and I’m very optimistic about it! I believe in a continued growth, cause the early results are very positive.

What is a start-up?

According to Forbes, it is very difficult to give it one correct definition. There are no rules on defining it. But the key attribute of a startup is its ability to grow. As Paul Graham explains, a startup is a company designed to scale very quickly. It is this focus on growth unconstrained by geography which differentiates startups from small businesses.

Some great startups, based in Ghent

1. Showpad 
   Of course Showpad! Showpad is a Mobile Sales Enablement platform/app aimed at drastically improving Sales Effectiveness of any enterprise with a sales team and it provides marketing with actionable insights. It lets you upload and manage all your sales material in one central and secure place. This means that it turns each iPad into a powerful sales & presentation tool. Showpad has now opened an office in San Francisco!
   
   
2. Zentrick
   With Zentrick, you can easily build interactive videos with their pre-built applications, intuitive drag & drop editor and custom app developer. Just publish your experience to any device, network or site with a single click and let your audience engage whenever, wherever and however they want. They have a second office in NY.
   
   
3. In the pocket
   In the Pocket is a full-service mobile agency, helping brands, media companies and enterprises embrace the digital age of smartphones tablets and other connected devices. They show enterprises that smartphones and tablets can be used in an effective and creative way.  In the Pocket won the IAB MIXX award for ‘Most promising agency of the year’ in 2013.
   
   
4. Engagor
   It is one powerful all-in-one social media management tool to manage all your social media activity. From monitoring & analytics to engagement, perfect for marketing and customer service. Engagor helps companies to efficiently engage with all their customers in an easy way. They are also based in San Fransicso.
   
   
5. Cheqroom
   Cheqroom is intuitive software that helps you easily register, monitor and manage your inventory, online from your desktop or mobile device. It’s an easy system to track an estate of equipment, like computers, bikes, ski material, books and much more. By labeling your equipment with QR codes and registering your items in the web app, you can manage your inventory online.

Ghent is known for its elderflower-flavoured drink Roomer, Tierenteyn mustard and Cuberdons (or ‘little noses’). But soon Ghent will be known as the Belgian Silicon Valley, according to me... 

Author 
Brett Dufort - Application Inspiration
Student Digital Marketing at Ehsal Management school - ehsaldmc

• be.linkedin.com/in/brettdufort/