Nominees 'Startup of the Year 2023'

Loop Earplugs

In 2016, two childhood friends, who both have tinnitus, founded Loop Earplugs because they were dissatisfied with existing ranges of hearing protection. They developed stylish, high-quality and, thanks to included ear tips available in 4 sizes, always-fitting earplugs. 

The Experience collection for concerts and festivals was followed by the Quiet collection for sound sensitivity, focus and sleep. Their latest innovation, Engage, was specifically designed to facilitate social interactions in noisy environments.

 Loop Earplugs reshaped its industry and made earplugs a sought-after fashion accessory worldwide. They are also creating awareness around the major impact of sound on mental health and well-being. The fast-growing team achieves 98% of its sales internationally, in some 150 countries.

Sensolus

Ghent based Sensolus is introducing the Internet of Things (IoT) to the industrial manufacturing, transport & logistics, and waste management industries. Their IoT solution includes rugged trackers, edge intelligence and a cloud platform, which creates a digital twin of transport carriers such as boxes, containers, and pallets.

This visibility solution helps businesses track and optimize their entire supply chain. With a culture of expanding the application of its solution, this ‘air tag of the industry’ continues to invest heavily on innovation, with over 60% dedicated to R&D since its inception.  

Today, Sensolus derives 90% of its turnover from exports. More than 200 industrial customers – including Airbus, Atlas Copco, Suez and Volvo Cars – are working with the innovative and comprehensive solution. On the American market, the Ghent-based company is currently rolling out its proven success recipe of setting up local partnerships for service and sales.

TechWolf

TechWolf helps companies map the skills of their employees through artificial intelligence (AI). Using the platform, HR departments can make data-driven decisions about hiring, training, succession planning, talent management and so on. 

The fast-growing Ghent-based business was launched in 2018 by 3 computer science students, who were added to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2022.

After two successful funding rounds in 2020 and 2022, TechWolf found entry into 5 countries. The company’s reference list includes Booking.com, Virgin Media O2 and GSK. With a new capital injection just around the corner, TechWolf will also set its sights on the US.

Meanwhile, the company continues to enhance both its AI algorithm and services. The aim is to guarantee not only data quality but also data integrity while eliminating the inherent bias that many AIs struggle with.