In this interview at the EIC Scaling Club’s Ignition Forum, we meet Jo De Boeck, Chief Strategy Officer and EVP at imec. 

Imec is a research institute dedicated to developing cutting-edge technologies, from chip manufacturing to AI software. Its core function is to bridge the gap between laboratory research and market-ready products. Imec offers support to startups and academic projects by providing resources and expertise to validate technology, develop prototypes, and build a value chain.

In this video interview, De Boeck emphasizes the importance of collaboration within the technology ecosystem, bringing together various players—such as material suppliers, hardware manufacturers, and software developers—as early on as possible.

De Boeck underscores the institute's unwavering commitment to supporting companies in their journey from early-stage innovation to mass production. Through initiatives like the EIC Scaling Club, imec is dedicated to helping companies grow and scale, enabling them to access both European and global markets.

“The EIC Scaling Club plays a crucial role in advancing companies to the next phase and growing innovation. EIC can also bring “a European view” –  often companies start in a certain memberstate but they need to look broader from the start. It helps them to scale in Europe, but it also makes them stronger in the transatlantic market, which is important for companies aspiring to become unicorns.” 

Overall, imec positions itself as a crucial catalyst for driving technological advancements and ensuring Europe's competitiveness in the global digital landscape. Watch the full video interview here or check other valuable insights on the EIC Scaling Club’s YouTube channel.

About the EIC Scaling Club

The EIC Scaling Club is a curated community where 120+ European deep tech scale-ups with the potential to build world-class businesses and solve major global challenges come together with investors, corporate innovators and other industry stakeholders to spur growth.

The top 120+ European deep tech companies will be carefully selected from a pool of high-growth scale-ups that have benefitted from EIC financial schemes, other European and national innovation programmes, and beyond.

The EIC Scaling Club is an EIC-funded initiative run in partnership by Tech Tour, Bpifrance (EuroQuity), Hello Tomorrow, Tech.eu (Webrazzi), EurA and IESE Business School.

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