Develop a SaaS application / project

Are you planning to launch a business in the digital world, with its infinite potential, but don't know where to start? Would you like to develop a SaaS (Software as a Service) application but find coding a bit complicated? Or are you a whiz at technology but not at sales or marketing? Don't panic, you're not alone. Several organisations are available to help you set up your project.

In the beginning, there is... the business plan. Before rushing headlong into developing your digital platform or application, save time and money by first validating your product or service's market potential and your company's profitability. That is the purpose of the Minimum Viable Product, a prototype that is enough to gauge your customers' interest. There is no better way to validate and take action than with support.

Let's start with a brief overview.

General support for becoming an entrepreneur

General support structures

You can also use a general support structure in Brussels, either to meet an advisor or to take workshop-based training. Make sure you specify that it is a digital project so that you can meet the most expert advisor in the field.

Some structures offer free support: the five Local Economy Offices, Iles and Microstart And just for women: Credal.

Idea accelerator /startup creation programme

• We are founders is an intensive nine-month programme for launching your own start-up. It provides access to tailor-made support with a wide range of workshops and personal coaching sessions led by local experts and international mentors. It is free and open to everyone.
• Start It @KBC is a start-up acceleration programme. The programme is aimed at innovative companies in all sectors and at all levels of maturity (from start-up to growth).
• MedTech accelerator (hub.brussels) helps you turn your idea into a real business. The six-month programme is specifically aimed at entrepreneurs, researchers and professionals in the healthcare sector who create innovations in the medical and e-health industry that are useful for society.

Agencies, consultants and start-up studios

You can also use an agency or consultant (and don't forget that grants are available) or go through a start-up studio such as:

• Startup Factory: a studio focused on operational, service-oriented solutions that can be validated on the market within three months.
• eFounders: a studio that brings entrepreneurs together to build product-oriented SaaS software.
• Lab Box: a studio focusing on technological solutions for improving mobility.   
• Make It (multi-sector tech): Make It is a combination of a service provider and a startup studio, focusing on the IoT (Internet of Things) sector.
• Beefounders: a studio dedicated to solutions for accelerating the transition to a circular economy.

There are also a number of start-up studios in Flanders and Wallonia. They include Biotope (biotech), ØPP Startup studio (mobile app or web platform based on gamification), and The Maul (provides developers to help you with your project).

Start-up accelerators

• BEyond supports Belgian technology scale-ups in their international development. During a 12-month programme, scale-ups are supported by a dedicated mentor, industry experts (e.g. in venture capital, HR, marketing, sales and law) and former members of the BEyond network. 
• OrangeFab offers a six-month acceleration programme for tech start-ups.
• MedTech accelerator (hub.brussels) is aimed at start-ups that have developed an innovative solution in the medical and e-health sector. The programme lasts six months.

Where to learn to code?

If you're not afraid of binary and dream of becoming a real geek, there are various schools where you can learn to code. Here are a few options:

1. Be Code: free one-year daytime training to become a web & mobile developer. Your selection will depend on your motivation and interest in web technologies.
2. Le Wagon: a nine-week intensive bootcamp to learn to code. In Brussels, courses are given in English and cost €6,000 (August 2019 prices).
3. MolenGeek coding school: the Molenbeek-based start-up incubator offers training in digital professions for young people aged 18 to 25.
4. L'école 19: this innovative coding school is free and open to all. Its teaching method is peer-to-peer learning: there are no courses, no teachers, no classes; you have to work in groups and call on the community to help you excel, then share your learning with your peers. 
5. The Coding Academy at Epitech: the Dev&Go course lasts 10 or 13 intensive weeks and gives learners all the tools they need to master the basics of web development. After this initial training, students can specialise in full-stack development (Code&Go), front-end development (Web&Go), or DATA/A.I. (Data&Go). A one- to-three month internship concludes the course and represents the first step into the professional world of IT.
6. Also check out the digitalcity.brussels website: on this platform, you will find all the private and public IT training courses available in the Brussels-Capital Region.
7. Coder Dojo: free programming lessons for young people aged 7 to 18. Just goes to show that there's no age limit for learning to code :-)
8. CiberWayFinder: offers a range of training programmes (for a fee) related to cyber security.
9. Interface 3: offers initial training in programming for female jobseekers (12 weeks). The programme is free of charge.

Don't forget that there is also a premium for starting companies to reduce training costs.

Digital ecosystem and networking

It is not easy to find your way alone in the digital jungle. Would you like a tip? Get the right people around you and benefit from their shared experience, new knowledge and, who knows, productive partnerships. This is all valuable help to make your project a reality!

Here is a selection of tech entrepreneurial communities:

1. BeTech: a philanthropic movement that brings the Belgian tech entrepreneur community together around events to exchange and share knowledge and experience.
2. Fédération des Métiers du Web: Feweb
3. Agoria, the federation of nearly 2,000 technology companies in the manufacturing, digital and telecoms sectors, has a large network of experts from the Belgian digital industry. 
4. Software.brussels: a growing cluster of software companies. Members can benefit from individual support programmes (particularly for international export), networking and visibility. The cluster is open to Brussels-based SMEs with high growth potential, in the software industry, that want to develop on a global scale and are ready to contribute to the cluster's dynamic actively.
5. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) network brings together several players at https://www.ai4belgium.be/en

And why not choose a professional, dynamic and connected environment such as an incubator or business centre?

1. Icab: an incubator for entrepreneurs wanting to set up a company in the information technology and engineering sector.
2. Coworking spaces for digital-age businesses such as Be Central and MolenGeek (free).

Finally, keep an eye out for networking events and meetings throughout the year:

1. SustAIn.brussels: supports VSEs and SMEs in sustainable and digital innovation, with a focus on artificial intelligence. A range of free events take place throughout the year.
2. Digital First: one of the biggest gatherings in the digital era in Belgium (150 conferences, over 64,000 visitors).
3. Meetups: Virtual Reality in Belgium, Artificial Intelligence Brussels, the Belgian Internet of Things community.
4. Café Numérique: an international organisation of tech entrepreneurs that organises events "between bar and conference".
5. Hack Belgium Labs: hackathon events with the aim of providing answers to the most important social problems.
6. The Thrive Project (KBC) is a six-day programme that supports female founders on their path to innovative entrepreneurship.
7. The Future of Tech is Female (FoTiF) is a dynamic club and an annual week of events dedicated to bringing women from all sectors together to explore the world of technology and entrepreneurship.
8. Furt'Her is Brussels' leading network for women interested in Web3 and emerging technologies.