Grégoire, Colja, Gaëtan, Rob and Sandro all share a strong interest in sustainability and have the common desire to accelerate the development of solutions to the climate emergency we are facing as society. Colja is highly invested in the world of sustainability, impact, and business. As Head of Sales for Kelp Blue, he promotes sustainable practices with an environmental service whose goal is to re-wild the oceans through offshore kelp farming and using biotechnology to convert the seaweed into carbon-neutral products for industrial use. Grégoire is driven by his desire to make the world more resilient and improve the environment. He co-founded Shayp, where he is serving as COO, to reduce water consumption in buildings and save water for future generations. Gaëtan’s interest lies in combining agriculture with sustainable practices. He co-founded and managed Froidefontaine – an organization offering innovative solutions to facilitate the launch and development of sustainable farming activities. He now works as Agriculture Advocacy Officer at Natagora, an initiative aiming to protect nature in Wallonia and Brussels. Sandro’s aim to have a positive impact on the environment translates through his founding of ThermoVault. As CEO, he supports the mission to operate the largest decentralized energy storage system in the world by retrofitting existing residential space and water heaters, transforming them into energy saving storage devices. Last but not least, Rob’s ambition is to continue exponentially scaling the circular economy to help solve some of the biggest challenges facing humanity, including climate change. As an Executive Lead at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a renowned international non-profit, he leads global initiatives on plastics, fashion, food, and finance.
The five Fellows were selected for Belgium’s 40 under 40 because of their wish to grow as leaders and to increase their impact on the environmental landscape. It was thanks to the program that they connected with each other and formed a Field Work group to tackle environmental issues. To start off their Field Work journey, the group explored the range of initiatives, companies and people engaged in effecting a purposeful change to create a climate neutral Belgium. They concluded that these entities often operate in silos and that there is a strong need for collaboration amongst actors in the field. At the same time, 40u40 Mentor Stanislas Van Wassenhove was exploring the idea to bring climate entrepreneurs together to foster collaboration. “The idea sprung from a discussion with Thomas Dermine, who created a center for climate actors within the public sector and universities. I wanted to create something similar for industries”, Stanislas explains. To set this mission in motion, Belgium’s 40 under 40 co-founder and CEO Laurent Coulie connected Stanislas with the group of Fellows to plug their ideas together and the concept of the BeClimate Hub was born: a meeting point to foster the acceleration of developing solutions to the climate emergency. With Stanislas, the group formed the goal to create a space and a community to enable pioneering innovations and bold alliances to reach a net positive Belgium by 2050.
After pinning down the key stakeholders, the group defined the guiding principles of the BeClimate Hub, being centered around four pillars: Collaboration, meaning breaking silos and cooperating across industries and sectors, Action, meaning building an action-based community, Innovation, and Information. Around those four pillars, different ideas for tangible initiatives emerged. “The first idea that emerged was the creation of a co-working space. The five Fellows put their energy into this idea, visited locations, and reflected on a business plan. But we noticed that there are reduced ambitions for such a co-working space and we thus modified our intentions,” Stanislas explains. Therefore, a new mission developed: connecting people and companies to accelerate transition and existing solutions. In the meantime, the team grew and apart from the 40u40 Field Work group and Stanislas Van Wassenhove, the BeClimate Hub was supported by Maxime de Cordes, Pierre-Louis Christiane, Aurélie Gillieaux and Sébastien Leempoel, with some of them having been a part of the initiative from its early stages on.
In the end, it was decided that the first step would be to host two events to launch the community. The BeClimate Hub kick off took place in October, with over 120 attendees, the team deemed the evening a success and was delighted with the outcome and positive feedback. The first event was themed “Upscaling Existing Solutions” and welcomed keynote speakers Thomas Dermine, Secretary of State for Recovery and Scientific Institutions, and Professor Eric Lambin, an acclaimed geographer and Chief scientific advisor to the European Commission. Following the enlightening keynote speeches, the participants divided into table networking sessions revolving around vital sub-themes, including carbon capture, sustainable construction, energy networks, and attracting “climate” talent. The discussions were led by experts from said industries, putting some compelling questions on the table. “The idea was to discuss challenges, to learn from each other and to connect”, Colja says. The Fellows were thrilled to see the enormous engagement of participants, their ease to connect and to learn through the evening. “There was a lot of desire to get involved and everyone learned a lot, either from the keynote speakers, or from the conversations they had. In that sense, we experienced a demand to continue the BeClimate Hub.”
The second event in December focused on “Unlocking Value Chain Potential in Climate Action” This time, the keynote speaker Ismaël Ben Al Lal, Alumnus of 40u40 Cohort 2021 Spring, was invited to share his experience in scaling up early climate solutions in Belgium. Sébastien was one of the key organizers of the gathering and shares that the second event also included “networking tables where people can discuss and connect around the following topics: food and agriculture, energy, circular economy, and sustainable construction. We ensured one corporate and one start-up representative at every table to share their vision. The feedback of the second event was positive, people were excited to come back.” Grégoire also deemed the events a success and values the new form of networking taking place in the BeClimate Hub: “the second meeting was a great success, we assembled a diverse group and especially the concept of connecting here was a switch up to what is usually done in terms of classic networking. Here, we first opened with a presentation and then split into these networking tables where we discussed different topics and had a chance to really get to know one another and share the challenges we are facing between entrepreneurs. This new networking structure brings a lot of value and creates real relationships.”
The BeClimate Hub experienced a great start, now steps must be taken to ensure the growth and continuation of the project. The BeClimate Hub group is thus currently looking for a CEO to take over the project full time and to take it to the next level. The group will temporarily step back from direct involvement; however, they hope that this is not the end of the adventure. It is now time to redefine the next steps and goals, a project also adaptable for a new 40u40 Field Work group. The 40u40 program was the combining factor for Colja, Grégoire, Gaëtan, Rob and Sandro to connect and develop the BeClimate Hub. “The program was fundamental for us to get in touch, and without it, the BeClimate Hub would not exist, at least not with us and in that shape and form it now has taken. We are grateful to have been able to connect with like-minded people, be it other Fellows or Mentors, and create something meaningful with Belgium’s 40 under 40”, Colja shares about his and his team’s experience. Stanislas van Wassenhove shares Colja’s enthusiasm, describing the initiative as “a great project where we see a new movement of new leadership innovation and an amazing network to connect. The Field Work group helped me to shape the idea and to come up with a clear project proposal. They designed the first program and it is thanks to their support that the project BeClimate Hub exists!”
