What I've done / 'm doing ...

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Studied Applied Economics at the KU Leuven with a master paper on venture capital for starters.The paper turned into a book 'Verdien Venture Capital / Earn venture capital', a complementary study on SME management and a first job as investment manager at an early stage venture capital fund of the former Dexia Bank (now Belfius) and the start-up of an early stage venture capital formula at LRM (government investment company).

Later I got to run the financial side of a company as support for the CFO of large insurance brokers Vanbreda and Vanbreda International. 

From 2003 to 2010 I was the lead in a diverse set of public private partnership, project development, office building and financing, incubator and other projets at Participatie Maatschappij Vlaanderen (PMV).
From 2009-2014 I headed the Flemish governmental services on real estate, personnel, ICT and regulation as deputy chief of cabinet of minister Geert Bourgeois.
As freelance consultant out of my management company Priper Mgmt BV, I worked as a consultant at REBELGROUP BELGIUM and contributed to ZIN IN NOORD (BRUSSEL) EN ZORGBEDRIJF ANTWERPEN 2.0.

What started as a freelance project in 2017 at CMB.TECH, turned into MCA, Maritime Campus Antwerp, a full concept for bringing innovation to the maritime industry by building coalitions of the willing and creating the missing instruments: campus, community and capital (the physical, content and financial layers for innovation). This resulted in a co-working of +2.500m² MCA LABS, MCA Community not-for-profit, PlugAndPlay Maritime in Antwerp, AntwerpMaritimeWeek in Antwerp and connecting many other dots in the ecosystem.

Building a new investment platform - the MCA 'capital' part - is my next challenge, for me personnaly closing the circle and linking back to venture capital!

 

Since April I joined the entrepreneurial and somewhat contrarian venture capital team of Ninepointfive, pioneering in corporate backed venture capital. Together with other venture capital seniors joining the team, the Ninepointfive Tidal fund is becomming the game changer in the maritime industry. 9.5 Tidal is corporate backed, maritime venture capital fund, targeting €100M focussing on (tech transfer) ventures that bring industrial, digital and energy transition solutions to the maritime/ports/offshore ecosystem.

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More details on my LinkedIn page

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Current positions

• General Partner at Ninepointfive Tidal (2024 -...)

• Co-founder of MCA Community not-for-profit (2022-...)

• Co-founder of Team Pro Care (2020-...): development of elderly dwelings

• Member of the Board of Directors of Autonoom Gemeentebedrijf Herent (PPP for local government building) (2011-...)​

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Some inspiring quotes that drive me ...

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Movie "The Beach"
"I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it's not some place you can look for. Because it's not where you go. It's how you feel for a moment in your life when you're a part of something. And if you find that moment... It lasts forever."

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dEUS - The Architect
"I won't throw myself from the pier
I'm gonna go home and shut up for a year
And when the year is over I'll reappear
And have a solution"

Now if these aspirations bother you
Well you are just you, you don't have a clue
I'm sticking to the plan, I will see it through
Let there be no confusion"

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C. JoyBell
“Choose your battles wisely.”

 

Albert Einstein
"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning." 

 

Winston Churchill
"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."

 

Faith No More - We Care A Lot
"Well its a dirty job but someones gotta do it."

 

Admiral Freebee - einstein brain

"But you can't milk a cow with your hands in your pants."