Thinking of starting a business as a student? Emilia De Graeve and Hannes Van Cauwenberghe would recommend it to anyone. Emilia, a psychology master’s student and co-founder of Blokmap, and Hannes, an alumnus of Ghent University and founder of several companies, take a moment to reflect on their lives as Gentrepreneurs. “Ghent University only makes your ideas more outlandish.”
The Belvedere on the top floor of the Book Tower offers an impressive panoramic view of the city. It’s the perfect location to take a helicopter view of student entrepreneurship, social impact and big dreams. For Emilia De Graeve, a psychology master’s student and co-founder of Blokmap, the Book Tower is familiar territory. Although studying here is not always straightforward.
Right among the stakeholders
“In the weeks leading up to the exams, there’s often a long queue here to get in and study,” Emilia says. “During my bachelor’s degree, my friends and I retreated to the recreation room of a local care home instead. We studied there at night, all together, and it was a really cosy affair. The nurses would sometimes even leave cake out for us. But this example mainly illustrates how difficult it was to find a place to study. Not because there weren’t any locations, but because no one knew where to find them.”
This experience laid the foundations for Blokmap, a digital platform that makes it easy for students to find and reserve study spaces across Ghent. This academic year marks a major step forward: a direct partnership with Ghent University to make study spaces available, not just during the exam period but year round. Hannes listens with a smile. “It’s great to see how you can turn a concrete problem into such a valuable solution. What makes Blokmap so strong is their position. Right at the intersection of the university, the city and the students. This enables them to always keep their finger on the pulse.”
“In the weeks leading up to the exams, there’s often a long queue here to get in and study”
Building bridges
At first sight, moving into entrepreneurship seemed an unusual step for Hannes. As a civil engineering graduate, he swapped the building site for setting up educational initiatives. LongDragon School introduces children to the Chinese language and culture in a playful way, while Kroots and Stories Across Borders use storytelling to spark a curiosity about the world among children and students.
“During my studies, I literally learned how to build bridges. Now I build figurative bridges between people, cultures and generations.”
“During my studies, I literally learned how to build bridges,” Hannes explains. “Now I build figurative bridges between people, cultures and generations.” An exchange in China in 2019 was a true eye-opener. “I saw how much technological innovation had already become part of everyday life there, while in Europe we often looked at it through the lens of prejudice. I wanted to tackle that lack of knowledge and stimulate curiosity about the world at large.”
His engineering background still comes in handy every day. “In civil engineering, the critical path determines which tasks absolutely have to be completed on time to prevent the completion date from being pushed back. I apply that same logic to tightly scheduling the launch of new audio stories.”
This scientific perspective is also an asset for Emilia: “In experimental psychology, you first carry out a pilot run to test your experimental setup on a small scale. We also did that with Blokmap: we first launched a pilot project with Ghent’s university of Applied Sciences and the city to gather feedback before the official rollout.“
A safe sandbox
They both received support from Gentrepreneur and The Company to develop their plans further. These networks support student entrepreneurs at Ghent University and other higher education institutions in Ghent. For Hannes, the word sandbox sums up the experience quite nicely. “It feels like a safe sandbox where you can experiment to your heart’s content. You can test and build without having to set up an expensive business straight away. That lowers the threshold tremendously.”
Emilia adds: “It caters to your entrepreneurial drive. You benefit from a financial and administrative safety net, an extensive network and peace of mind. You get a taste of entrepreneurship without the risk of bankruptcy. Ghent University doesn’t do it for you, but they do help you get started and make your ideas even more outlandish.”
That support was a game changer for Hannes. “Without that framework, I probably wouldn’t have started a business until I was around 35, after a career in the corporate world. Thanks to the guidance I received, I learned to pitch to an audience, network with other founders and negotiate with professional organisations while still in university.”
What is Gentrepreneur and The Company?
Gentrepreneur is Ghent’s expert centre for entrepreneurial students, researchers and young people aged 18 to 25. The centre offers a diverse and extensive range of events, coaching and programmes. Gentrepreneurs don’t need to set up a legal structure themselves: they can use The Company’s company number. This allows them to safely test their business model in the real world, with guidance.
Varying your pace
Hannes is only 28 but he has already been at the helm of several businesses for more than five years. That experience makes him a valuable sounding board for aspiring student entrepreneurs like Emilia. When Emilia asks him what he would do differently in hindsight, Hannes points to the pace of entrepreneurship.
“As a starter, you’re inclined to keep charging ahead at all times. Instead, you need to learn to vary your pace. Things not going so smoothly? Slow down, analyse the situation and don’t be afraid to get outside advice.” The same goes for celebrating progress. “Take a moment to appreciate your results, however small. Even an enthusiastic email from a customer or parent is worth celebrating. And surround yourself with the right people. Cliché, but true: if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”
Raring to go
In September, Emilia will embark on her second master’s degree. She is raring to see Blokmap operating at full capacity. “We worked hard over the summer on new features, such as a live occupancy indicator for study spaces. I can’t wait to see how students use the platform throughout the year. If we can make student life easier for them, I’ll consider the year a success. And obviously I’m looking forward to seeing my friends more often again.”
The new academic year also gets Hannes excited. “September feels like waiting impatiently in the starting blocks, legs trembling with energy,” he laughs. With Kroots, his team is preparing new audio stories for the autumn. “It’s the moment when all the ideas from the summer finally find their way to the public.”
What tip would you give students at Ghent University for the upcoming academic year?
Emilia: “Get involved. Join a society, get involved in a student council or start a business. You’ll develop skills you can’t learn in class and meet so many interesting people.”
Hannes: “Be ambitious! Think big, then break your dreams down into achievable steps. Shape your own journey and, above all, enjoy it. Being ambitious will automatically attract other passionate people who will help you move forward.”
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