Infographic: How To Start Your Startup In Brussels

Check out the full Brussels Startup City Guide!

Belgium is home to a vibrant, active and fast growing startup scene. It’s capital city Brussels houses not only the European Parliament, the European Commission and the NATO but it is also a buzzing hub of entrepreneurship, attracting founders more than ever.

Belgium has a rich ecosystem, which becomes clear once you see all the events going on. From Startup Weekends, HealthTech, FinTech, and IoT Hackathons to Summits and Conventions – this country has it all. With 33% of these events happening in Brussels alone, it is definitely considered the buzzing hub of Belgian entrepreneurship.

Brussels’ Pros & Cons

Because Brussels is the center of European decision-making, many startup resources are available, it’s easy to reach out to corporations or policy makers, especially if you plan to run a business with a European focus. The city is relatively small, meaning you can use the bicycle to get around thus avoiding public transportation costs and if you ever feel like Brussels become too small it’s easy to reach other entrepreneurial hubs like Germany, France, the UK, or the Netherlands within just two hours.

Like many cities on the forefront of entrepreneurship, Brussels is home to many highly educated people with one to three post-master degrees. The high level of education also shows in everyday life: it’s not uncommon for people to speak up to 5 languages with 3 being the average. Though this is an advantage, it could also backfire: because of people speaking so many different languages, it’s important to provide services / products in up to three languages, although Belgium is a rather small market.

You can run a startup in Brussels with reasonable costs, though you have to keep in mind that there’s a high tax rate on salaries. Despite this Belgium actually offers several very attractive tax incentives, including deductions for the cost of capital, on patent income and other research-related costs, and on capital gains. Due to the high rental and living cost (around 1500€) entrepreneurs often share houses, saving costs but increasing the exchange of ideas at the same time.

If Brussels sounds like a city you could handle, take a look at all its opportunities:

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