Arne Sas is a musician and creator of Reset Sessions, where live ambient music, live looping, and advanced sound design are used to help people slow down, reset their nervous system, and regain focus in high-pressure environments. His work sits at the intersection of sound, technology, attention and mental space. Exploring how intentional pauses can improve both well-being and performance.

Britt Van Mieghem is Career Services Manager at Antwerp Management School, where she builds the bridge between international talent and organisations. Beyond designing and moderating high-impact career events, sector nights, and employer engagements, she also develops and delivers hands-on career workshops and skills labs focused on employability, recruitment processes, and career strategy. With a strong focus on inclusion and meaningful matchmaking, Britt supports students throughout their career journey—from self-awareness and preparation to real-world opportunities. She is passionate about creating spaces where students and companies genuinely connect, and where conversations go beyond job titles to real career journeys.

Christophe Van Bortel, diensthoofd van de Regional Computer Crime Unit (RCCU) van de Federale Gerechtelijke Politie Antwerpen.

My name is Des De Borger, I am 19 years old, and I study physics at the University of Antwerp. Together with my parents and younger brother, I live on Antwerp's Left Bank. During the COVID period, like many, I sometimes didn't know what to do to keep myself active. I decided to immerse myself in 3D computer graphics and design using Blender and was immediately hooked. I really enjoyed recreating everyday objects or simply using my imagination to create unique scenes. However, I was disappointed that my creations only existed on my computer screen. For my fifteenth birthday, my parents got me an Ender 3 3D printer, and thanks to this new challenge, everything changed. Since then, I have not only been able to see my designs but also hold them in my hands and share them with others. In the following years I created personalized gifts for friends and family and even designed measuring instruments for school projects. When I turned 18, I wondered if it could be possible to do more with my hobby, so I started my own business, DESign3D. I enjoy designing and selling my own designs, but also make all kinds of things on request. My favorite part of my permanent collection are the locally insipred prints, such as the Antwerp skyline and miniature versions of Antwerp's most iconic buildings and statues. For me, 3D printing is the perfect way of bringing together creativity, technology, and my love for the city.

Evert Bulcke is a technology executive and current CEO of Tresco Group, the global leader in inland navigation technology.
He previously served as CEO of Rombit, where he led the creation and international growth of industrial IoT and safety solutions. A city employee for three years, he managed the launch of Antwerp Startup City (Startit@KBC '14, StartupVillage '15, The Beacon '18), awarded with the Global Entrepreneurship Award for Local Policy Leadership. Evert Bulcke holds board positions at several tech and healthcare companies, is active in cultural governance, cofounded De Studio (’12), coaches student entrepreneurs at KdG University College and is guest author for the MIT Innovations Journal.

Jan Mertens is Scientific Director at ENGIE R&I, where he leads the company’s long-term vision on emerging energy technologies through strategic foresight, research management, and international collaboration. He specializes in technology scouting across the full energy value chain and builds partnerships with leading global research institutions, while also managing ENGIE’s Scientific Council. His background includes extensive research in energy and environmental impact assessment, over 50 peer-reviewed publications, board memberships, and teaching Sustainable Energy at Ghent University. In 2025, he joined the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Human Science of Environment Action.

From first sketches to the roar of launch, at Be-Rocket students join forces from universities across Belgium to turn ambition into altitude. Every challenge fuels our growth and every launch takes us closer to the stars. Our mission extends beyond building rockets: we provide students with hands-on experience, the chance to collaborate across universities, and the skills to turn ideas into reality.

Martijn Rymen is Product Owner Virtual Production at VRT, shaping the broadcaster’s real time production workflows across LED walls, Unreal Engine, and next gen studio pipelines. His team turns complex virtual production technology into stable, creative tools used daily in VRT’s studios. They develop innovative workflows that strengthen VRT’s broadcast capabilities. At Antwerp Tech Night, Martijn shares how VRT is building its virtual production ecosystem to power the future of broadcast.

Dockflow is the world's first logistics enablement platform

Tech Entrepreneur | Helping businesses save time and money with custom apps

Peter Van Aelst is a professor in political communication at the university of Antwerp; His research deals with the mediatization and digitalization of politics. recently he focuses on politicians on social media and the problem of (online) disinformation.

Svetlana Samsonova is an innovation leader at Antwerp Design Factory, working at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and research to turn early-stage ideas into real-world impact. She supports multidisciplinary teams, nurtures young talent, and helps transform research into scalable ventures. With a strong focus on collaboration and knowledge-sharing, she actively mentors students and researchers, guiding them from concept to execution. Svetlana is also a co-founder of Sveric Docking Technology, a spin-off of the University of Antwerp.

Toon joined the UAntwerp Solar Boat Team in 2024 as a third-year bachelor’s student, where he focused on optimizing the steering system for his bachelor’s thesis. In the following academic year, he became Team Manager and led the project to make the team’s boat fully autonomous—an new milestone for the UAntwerp Solar Boat. This effort resulted in a first-place finish in the AI Class at the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge. He is currently continuing as Team Manager while completing his master’s thesis, which focuses on developing a custom autonomous navigation stack for the upcoming competition.

Valentin Carlan is a guest-professor of innovation and processmanagement at the University of Antwerp (Faculty of Business and Economics, Department of Transport and Regional Economics). His work focuses on the economic evaluation and practical implementation of emerging technologies such as AI, digital twins, data platforms, and 5G in maritime, port, and logistics environments. He is actively involved in research on how these innovations can improve operational efficiency, sustainability, and decision-making across global supply chains. In addition to his academic role, Valentin is linked to DigiTrans, a university spin-off developing AI-driven solutions for logistics operations, including intelligent data entry and decision-support tools. He collaborates closely with industry partners, ports, and technology providers to translate research into real-world applications. Through his teaching, research, and entrepreneurial activities, he aims to bridge the gap between technological innovation and its economic and operational impact in the transport and logistics sector.

Yorrick is a podcaster and AI enthusiast fascinated by how technology can amplify creativity. While producing his own podcasts, he taught himself to use AI tools like Cursor and n8n to streamline and automate his workflows. This led to building an autonomous AI newsroom and social media content creator for his film podcast Cinematen, opening professional doors he never imagined possible. He is passionate about bridging the gap between storytelling & content creation and code & technology, showing that you don't need a degree in Computer Science to engineer your own digital AI solutions.