February 2026 update

The rollercoaster is on, we are entrepreneurs!

The company

• Finding a home: We’ve visited a lot of co-working spaces in Brussels. We feel it is important to have a place where we can exchange ideas and also avoid staying alone at home for our own sanity.
• I say wat?: We got into wat.bxl, a new incubator in Brussels. It’s exactly like what you would imagine for an incubator; an old factory building converted into a workspace with “quick-and-dirty” desks and a crowd of people grinding on their own projects. We felt the energy of the place and the people. You exchange ideas, you receive feedback, you get to know people, you realize you’re not alone doing this crazy journey. After visiting, we both said it was the place to be for startups in Brussels.
• The red tape: The admin parts take longer than expected. There are a lot of things to be aware of when starting a company in Belgium.

The environment

• The local scene: The startup scene in Belgium is growing. There are more and more events, more and more people are interested in startups. Yet, the french speaking part of the country is still lagging behind (like, a lot). I believe it’s up to us to change that.
• The Belgian melting pot: I kind of enjoy the vibe in Brussels. The city is not too big, not too small, and the people are friendly. I like the mix of people from different backgrounds, the different cultures, the different languages. I can talk to people working in the music industry, in cinema, in science, in startups, in big corps, in government, in academia in just one day–I feel like I’m lucky and learning a lot.

The product

• The AI shifts: These are wild times to build a software product. Companies have woken up to the power of AI for coding and are using it to build their own internal tools. The market sentiment has shifted: instead of looking for new SaaS subscriptions, many are looking for ways to cancel them. Startups have already made the leap, SMEs are testing the waters, and big corps are considering but it’s going to take some time. It feels like the cards are being reshuffled, and we’re right in the middle of it (and quite well positioned to benefit from it).
• The marathon strategy: We’re going to take on some consulting and service work. The goal is three-fold: keep the lights on, gain market insights, and get some initial logos on our website. Plus, we’ve had some very cool projects proposed to us lately. More on that once things are official.
• The iterative approach: We do niche by niche, doing interviews, doing proof of concepts, testing our hypotheses, checking if there is traction. The speed at which we currently iterate is quite high. Honestly, I’m sometimes reluctant to say exactly what we’re building because I know it’ll probably be different by next week. It will just take time until we find the right idea–hence the consulting part.

The mood

I’m not going to lie: this is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. You are constantly surrounded by doubt. People tell you you’re crazy, or that you should just settle down and chill.

Personally, I’m back to learning a lot of things (sometimes even the basics) and I feel like a junior again. It’s a humbling experience, but I actually enjoy that part. I like the “burn” of learning something new, whether it’s about myself or the world. The funny thing is, whenever I feel too insecure, I just start coding. I know I’m good at it; it soothes me and brings me back to center (autism confirmed 😆).

The journey is tough when you don’t have many positive signals. It feels like walking through a dark tunnel. Every now and then, you find a window with a bit of light and fresh air; you take a deep breath and realize you can keep going. It’s all about resilience. Having friends and family around is a huge help. I’m eager to see what’s next.