Women in tech: honest answers to their questions

Every year on March 8th, lists of inspiring women and panel discussions on glass ceilings reappear. All well-intentioned, no doubt, but all focused on the differences between men and women.

In this article, we move past that. We sought out women who are active in tech, in whatever capacity, and asked them one simple question: What questions do you think are important to ask today? The result? Honest, open conversations about questions we perhaps should have been asking in the first place. 

What do you see in a founder that isn't in a pitch deck?

The passion with which that person talks about their idea or product. That’s why you really need to let them tell their story. You see it in that spark in their eyes, you feel it in everything they do, and that's something you simply can't read in their presentation. That's why personal contact during that pitching moment, when they come to Capricorn Partners, is so important.

What have you learned in practice that none of your studies ever taught you?

The fact that luck plays a very significant role in the success of a company. Your idea can be absolutely brilliant, the company can be fantastic and backed by sufficient capital, and yet a good dose of luck still matters enormously. Why does one company succeed while another doesn't? After many years of experience, I still can't predict or say with any certainty. There are a few objective reasons, of course, but not all failures or successes can be directly linked to those.

What have you learned in practice that none of your studies ever taught you?

As a student, you learn to analyse, model and think critically. You learn how to validate a model and how to test hypotheses. But you don't learn what it means when a startup says: "Just develop this idea and see where it takes us." What I've learned in practice, then, is not only how to apply technology, but how trust works as a catalyst for growth. Especially in a technical environment, where young women sometimes have to prove themselves just a little bit more, that makes a real difference. Confidence grows when someone takes your ideas seriously, when you're given the space to voice them, and when you notice that they carry weight. Being able to discover this as a student already gives you an enormous head start when you enter your first job.

For me, that experience took shape at OnTracx, where, as a student, I was given the space not only to carry out analyses but also to bring forward and develop my own ideas. At the same time, through Everest Analytics, I see how powerful it is when students come into contact with startups and non-profits — when their work is actually put to use. At that point, a project transforms from an academic exercise into a contribution with real impact.

Perhaps that’s also, for me, the essence of International Women's Day within the tech world. Not just making visible that women are present, but actively creating environments in which they’re given responsibility and can develop their voice — ideally as early as possible. Because the sooner you learn that your ideas matter, the more naturally you'll claim your place later on.

At what moment did you think 'wow, this solution actually works'?

Last summer, my co-founder, Maaike Perneel, and I were driving back from a greenhouse trial where our product had delivered really promising results, in a real growing environment. In the car on the Brussels ring road, we looked at each other and said, "Wow, this actually works." After ten years of laboratory research, I finally saw with my own eyes what our solution can do in practice. That little moment genuinely meant a lot. Both for us and for B-COS. 

What have you learned in practice that none of your studies ever taught you?

What do you see in a founder that isn't in a pitch deck?

At Biotope, we place a lot of value on operational excellence; that drive to actually get things done. And in my experience, women are generally better at that. The positive side of imposter syndrome is that you tend to be very well prepared. We often see that such a person promises less, but then delivers above expectations.

We deliberately run stress tests to see how founders handle pressure and uncertainty. Can they take the right steps in the short term? That remains a difficult assessment for any investor. We also look for people who are willing to revise their vision. That's something we focus on right from the start, during our 'basecamp' phase. Openness to advice and coaching is essential in that regard.

Which company are you most proud of having believed in early?

Two in particular. Zymofix started in September 2022 with a single idea and now has a team of 22 people who’ve built a truly scalable and affordable biotech innovation in biological crop protection. And Amphistar was sitting on a goldmine of IP and technology, but just needed that one step to translate it into a product. They went from five founders in the spring of 2023 to a team of 22. With both, we were the first believers. That's a great feeling.

Are there also difficult sides to working with startups?

Absolutely. It's an environment that gives more energy than it takes, but it's not all sunshine and roses. We're there in the difficult moments too: when there are disappointments, when we have to accept that we can only offer support but don't hold the outcome in our own hands. And sometimes we have confronting conversations with founders we normally work very closely with. Precisely because we're usually pulling in the same direction, it's all the harder when we find ourselves standing directly opposed.

Who has fundamentally changed your view on entrepreneurship? And in what way?

The people who have truly changed my perspective on entrepreneurship are those with an unerring intuition. They’re the people who dare to follow their gut, even when that means stepping off the beaten path. They look beyond the practical organisation or the question of whether something's even feasible. It's precisely by letting go of those rational frameworks that real space for innovation opens up. And that's why they nail it every time.

But that vision is only half the story. The key to success then lies in the extreme flexibility of execution. You can have a team that is diverse in every way, but what connects them and makes them perform is the willingness to do whatever is needed at that moment. The energy that arises when you bring together people with the same vision is enormous. No matter how many different viewpoints there may be, everyone does what's necessary and moves forward. And moving forward is the only right step.

That combination of daring to look at things intuitively and daring to act flexibly — that, for me, is the essence of entrepreneurship.

I'm incredibly grateful to have experienced that in earlier chapters of my career, and to have worked so closely with people who had that kind of gut feeling and the boundless energy to do what needed to be done. It has not only inspired me but also formed the fixed mindset from which I work to this day at Dropsolid.

If you place people with that gut feeling in the crucial positions within an organisation, and support them with people who execute what's needed, you write a success story. And don't get me wrong: by executors who do what's needed, I don't mean working 80-hour weeks. I mean, having that operational sense to truly understand what it means to do what's necessary. And letting them be inspired by people with remarkable intuition who colour outside the lines. Together, they’re the fireworks of the organisation.

What have you learned in practice that none of your studies ever taught you?

My education taught me to think critically and not simply take everything at face value. Practice has shown me just how important that skill truly is. Working with critical, questioning people is worth its weight in gold. Never feeling like the smartest person in the room is genuinely invaluable.

When I started my career, I often saw others' feedback as unnecessary interference — a "does this really need to happen?" kind of reaction, which is hardly surprising for a young school leaver, of course. These days, at ML6, I consider feedback the most wonderful gift there is. How remarkable when someone takes the time to share something with you. To offer you a broader perspective or help you grow in a particular skill.

What misconception would you most like to set the world straight on?

I'm fairly allergic to hypes that spreads quickly without any scientific foundation. A few months ago, I wrote a blog post about bullshit bingo in HR. I tend to prefer depth and facts over that kind of snackable content.

Who has surprised you most as a source of inspiration or as an ally?

Where does the drive to turn your own research into a startup come from?

An enormous amount of valuable research is being done, but too little of it finds its way to concrete applications with tangible impact in society or industry. I think that’s such a shame. For me, it was clear that I had to take that step myself, to help change that.

With W'Ice, we’re developing a sustainable anti-frost product that prevents blossoms and vine shoots from being damaged by spring frost. We founded the company after market demand was clearly confirmed. That was an important turning point.

My personal drive to actually build a startup stems from a strong sense of curiosity and eagerness to learn. I draw a lot of energy from the idea that through my work, I can contribute to a more sustainable world. The fact that I can also help steer that change myself is absolutely a bonus. On top of that, we’re working towards a very concrete goal with a large, measurable impact. That combination of entrepreneurship and societal relevance gives me enormous motivation.

What’s the biggest lesson entrepreneurship has taught you?

The most important lesson, both personally and professionally, is that every closed door also opens a new one. A "no" rarely means the end — it’s often an invitation to reorient. Sometimes it only becomes clear in hindsight that a rejection sent you in a direction that suits you better than what you originally had in mind.

The start of an entrepreneurial journey is intense. A great deal comes at you all at once. You have little data, yet still need to convince investors — and that in a market where securing funding is far from straightforward. At the same time, you have to prove yourself, without a track record to fall back on. On top of that, I also had to find a new co-founder. It didn't always go smoothly. But it‘s precisely those challenges that have shaped W'Ice. Perseverance has proven essential throughout. Looking back, I can see that every bump along the way has made us stronger and sharper as a company — and for that, we’re truly grateful today.

At what moment did you think 'wow, this solution actually works' for the very first time?

Late last year, our platform Grimoire was ready for its first test — a baptism of fire. Together with VRT Sandbox, we decided that baptism of fire would be nothing less than the 'Like Me' game in Roblox. Not something small, but a game that would be played by enormous numbers of young children around me.

For me, it was wonderful to see how, for the first time, other content, other characters, missions and dialogues were being created on the platform that were not my dummy content for once. And what's more, the content was being created by someone at Ketnet who knows the world of 'Like Me' inside and out but has no knowledge of code or development whatsoever. She didn't need to worry about any of that — she could stay creative, while the game developers didn't have to copy-paste everything she wrote. This is exactly why we wanted to build the platform: to let creative people be creative!

What have you learned in practice that none of your studies ever taught you?

Uh, everything! (laughs) My career has been in constant flux since I graduated. Every new challenge was at least 20% different from the previous one. That means I carried everything I learned in the previous phase into the next, and on top of that, had to learn a great deal of new things. Add it all up — after 20 years of pivoting like this, I've learned an awful lot along the way, and very little remains of what I originally studied. A constant shedding of skin, in a way.

This is also something I try to pass on to my 16-year-old daughter. Choose deliberately now, but you don't have to choose for the rest of your life. You're allowed to keep reinventing yourself endlessly, if you want. This may not be what parents of teenagers who need a little motivation for school want to hear or read, but it’s how I experience it. (laughs)

The question we should be asking about AI

There's a lot of concern today about AI and the economy. Layoffs, hiring freezes, companies pushing AI, and increasing pressure to prove the ROI of AI. I understand that concern, but I think we need to look at it from a different perspective.

We’re trying to measure AI's potential through the lens of companies that exist today. But 95% of those companies were founded before AI existed. Their products, their services, their business model — everything was designed for a world without this technology. You cannot measure the value of something fundamentally new with old parameters. It simply doesn't add up.

So the question is not: how does AI make our current business cheaper or faster? The real question is: which new companies become possible thanks to AI that we couldn't have built before?

The way AI will disruptively transform the economy is by enabling an entirely new kind of company — companies we couldn't even imagine until now. And that is a far bigger shift than most people currently realise.

And then the question everyone asks me: what skill do we need in the age of AI? For me, that's creative agency. Not prompt engineering, not vibe coding, but the ability to create things rather than merely consume them. Many people are losing that control without even realising it. They scroll, watch, react — but no longer build anything themselves.

Conclusion

What these conversations make clear is that tech isn't just about what you build; it's about how you build it, and who you build it with. Ghent is home to a growing ecosystem of companies and founders who ask the right questions and create space for new voices.

If that's the kind of environment you want to be part of. And you’re in luck: the door is always open.