Hub.brussels will start an active cooperation with BLOXHUB, a Danish ecosystem dedicated to sustainable urban development, by opening an office in the building of BLOXHUB in the heart of Copenhagen. Brussels State Secretary for Urbanism, International Relations and Foreign Trade, Pascal Smet, concluded a cooperation agreement between hub.brussels and BLOXHUB, a large Danish ecosystem of companies, research institutions and organisations working on sustainable urban development from different perspectives.
Hub.brussels, the Brussels Agency for Business Support, will also open its own office at the headquarters of BLOXHUB, with a permanent representative to better guide Brussels companies in the Danish market and show Danish investors the way to our capital city. Currently, several Brussels companies are taking part in an economic mission in Copenhagen. The mission, organised by technology federation Agoria, hub.brussels and Sirris, is led by Brussels State Secretary for Urbanism, International Relations and Foreign Trade, Pascal Smet.
“The know-how of our companies is Brussels’ most important economic capital. Our city is the ideal platform for start-ups from the technology sector and around sustainable urban development. We actively support these companies in their growth process, within Brussels and abroad. The opening of a Brussels office in the heart of Copenhagen, one of the most progressive cities in the world in terms of sustainable urban development and technology, and the cooperation we are establishing is extremely important for the international development of our companies and Brussels.”
pascal smet, Brussels State Secretary for Urbanism, International Relations and Foreign Trade
Brussels has the largest number of start-ups in our country. More than one-third of tech start-ups are founded in the Brussels Region. In recent years, one barrier for the ecosystem has been that these companies had difficulties to grow.
Data from Agoria and Sirris, for example, show that barely 18% of Brussels technology start-ups open an office abroad. The companies themselves indicate that it is not easy to establish the right relationships abroad and that there is often a lack of knowledge about the international market within young companies.
Brussels State Secretary Pascal Smet, together with hub.brussels, developed an international strategy specifically targeting growth markets. Applying this strategy, locations where Brussels wants to strengthen its presence were mapped. In this way, the Brussels Region can also support very important sectors within the region, using a specific international focus. This mainly involves the technological and creative sector and companies active in sustainable urban development.
“A successful introduction on the international stage is the key to evolving from start-up to scale-up.”
René Konings, manager of Agoria Brussels.
In this context, Hub.brussels is also actively working with technology federation Agoria to support digital start-ups in their internationalisation strategy through the scale.brussels project.
BLOXHUB
It is no coincidence that the Brussels Region has chosen to cooperate with BLOXHUB. The vision of its ecosystem shows great parallels with the one of the Brussels Region in recent years in terms of urban planning and international relations. The baseline of BLOXHUB is “Making our cities sustainable is a complex challenge. We need partnerships to solve it.” State Secretary Smet shares the belief that the metropolitan and climate challenges require new ways of cooperation.
By cooperating with BLOXHUB, the Brussels Region is doing more than only opening a physical office in the Danish capital. Hub.brussels, the Brussels Agency for Business Support, will become part of an ecosystem of companies, research institutions and organisations working on sustainable urban development from different perspectives. It will be able to support Brussels companies even better in the Danish landscape and show Danish initiatives the way to our capital.
“In addition to supporting Brussels exporters, this new office will help to identify local companies relevant to Brussels’ economic transition and to promote partnerships between innovative start-ups. BLOXHUB is an excellent partner to help us move towards a more sustainable city and economy,” said Isabelle Grippa, CEO of hub.brussels.
