Sofie Baeten, PhD, has an extensive track record in venture capital. She started her career at Mercedes and Bekaert before being active as managing partner at several investment funds such as Capital-E, an early stage investment fund in micro-electronics and advanced materials, Gimv and Baekeland Fonds II, a venture capital fund of the University of Ghent.

She was involved in start-up and development financing of a great number of innovating companies, and currently holds a Director position at Aloxy (Chair), Blue Foot Membranes (Chair), iFLUX, QustomDot (Chair) and Accelleran.

She obtained a MSc degree in Materials Science Engineering from the University of Ghent, a PhD from the University of Leuven and a Master in Entrepreneurship from Vlerick Business School.

Steven Leuridan, PhD, CFA, has a passion for all projects where engineering and finance meet, especially when focused on medical applications. Steven has a background in engineering and is a CFA Charterholder. During his period as a PhD researcher, Steven co-founded Equilli, a sleep products business. Steven has published extensively on his research, with over 50 international journal, book chapter or conference publications and is the holder of two patents. In parallel, Steven was active within a Belgian family office for which he served in several start-up or later stage boards as a Director or Observer. Steven’s first-hand experience with the valorization journey of academic research proved a natural fit for the portfolio companies Qbic is targeting.

Steven holds a MSc in Engineering Sciences and a PhD in Biomechanical Engineering, both from the University of Leuven. Steven is a CFA Charterholder.

Cédric Van Nevel has a strong interest in new and upcoming technologies and the impact they can generate on our society and daily life. He started his career as a strategic consultant at Boston Consulting Group, before building further experience in the energy sector through a number of management positions at Fluxys (ranging from M&A to construction). Prior to joining Qbic, Cédric was responsible for the venturing activities of Bekaert, actively scouting for relevant technologies, setting up collaborations and holding a number of advisory board positions in international funds.

He holds a MSc in Electronics from the University of Ghent.

Sara Vandenwijngaert, PhD, has a background in life sciences and a passion for the valorization of innovative science. She obtained a PhD in Cardiovascular Medicine and for many years conducted or led biomedical research, both at the University of Leuven and Harvard Medical School. Afterwards, she managed the clinical science at the One Brave Idea initiative in Boston, a research enterprise funded by Verily, AstraZeneca and the American heart Association. Upon her return to Belgium, Sara managed a group in charge of clinical trials prior to joining the Qbic team. Her goal remains to translate great science into application and she strongly believes that the eco-system that Qbic helps shape enables big strides forward.

Sara holds a MSc and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Leuven.

Stéphanie Put has over 10 years of experience in the biotechnology industry, with a background in both science and finance. Since 2019, she has been Head of Corporate Development at Precirix, a clinical-stage biotechnologycompany active in radiopharmaceuticals. Previously, Stéphanie was an Equity Analyst in Healthcare at Bank Degroof Petercam, covering the Belgian biotech/medtech landscape. From 2014 to 2016, she worked at Bone Therapeutics, where she managed communications and investor relations and played a crucial role in the 2015 IPO.

Stéphanie holds a Master and Bachelor in Biology and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from KU Leuven. Her academic background is complemented by an Executive Master Class in Corporate Finance from Vlerick Business School. In her free time, she enjoys family time, horse riding, and Pilates.

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Since 2012 Danny is investment manager at Qbic I, focusing on energy, materials and engineering projects.

He started technology innovation management for a Belgian multinational in 1999, where his passion for developing technology into products led to positions in market and business innovation. In 2010, Danny became responsible for managing Venture Capital investments in technology funds and start-ups in Europe, North America, and China. From 2018, Danny is responsible for the corporate governance, investor relations and operational management of Newton Biocapital, a life sciences fund investing in Europe and Japan.

Danny joined Qbic II & III as CFO as of 2024.

Tom has a background in life sciences and a keen interest in emerging technologies with a focus on biotechnology and IT.

Following his studies, he entered the Pharmaceutical Industry, working for companies such as Pfizer and J&J in Validation & Quality functions and actively contributing to or leading innovation projects.

Prior to joining the Qbic team, Tom led the Audit & Assessment team at Ordina, expanding his industry know-how. At Qbic, he aspires to use this know-how to aid in bridging the gap between academic research and the broader market.

Tom holds a Master of Science degree in Bioscience Engineering from the University of Ghent and has also completed a Postgraduate program in Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the same institution.

Vincent Lenders, PhD, is driven by the challenges and opportunities innovation entails. Prior to joining Qbic, he obtained a PhD focused on nanotechnology for biomedical applications and has performed research at imec, the University of Leuven and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Vincent holds a MSc in Bioscience Engineering and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Leuven.

Martin De Prycker had several positions at Alcatel-Lucent: from 1982 to 1996 he held a number of technology innovation management positions, from 1993 to 2000 he was founder and president of the Internet Access Division and between 1999 and 2002 he was CTO of Alcatel.

Between 2002 and 2009, he was CEO of Barco, a public company with world leading visualisation technology with over 1 B€ revenues worldwide.

Between 2009 and 2013 he was founder and CEO of Caliopa, a technology startup in silicon photonics He was involved in venture capital as an advisor to GIMV and Waterland between 2000 and 2012. He joined Qbic I as a managing partner in 2012.

Martin holds a Ph.D. in computer sciences and an M.Sc. in Electronics all from the university of Ghent as well as an MBA from the University of Antwerp.