About

The only foundation for entrepreneurship,
by entrepreneurs.

Founded in 2012 by around twenty entrepreneurial families and entrepreneurs. Private, politically neutral, financially independent, and active across the whole of Belgium.

Our story

One conviction, held by families and entrepreneurs.

Pulse Foundation was inspired by the Fondation Entreprendre in France, in 2009, and founded here in 2012 by around twenty entrepreneurial families and entrepreneurs who shared one conviction: that entrepreneurship is a force for good, and that giving back to it deserves to be done well.

More than a decade later, we remain the only foundation in Belgium dedicated entirely to entrepreneurship. Our mission is to remove every obstacle on the entrepreneurial path, for every profile and every ambition.

2012
Founded
~20
Families and entrepreneurs
€1.8M
Deployed each year
All
Of Belgium

Where the money comes from

Private money, independent voice.

Pulse draws its resources mainly from the generosity of its donors, many of whom have been with the Foundation since its inception. Public funding supports part of the work. It never buys a say in what we defend.

That private base is particularly valuable, because it lets us act neutrally and independently. It lets us defend entrepreneurship to the full, and emphasise at every level the crucial role it plays, and will play more and more in the future.

Our values

Three values guide everything.

i

Entrepreneurial

We act like the entrepreneurs we serve: with initiative, speed and a bias for building.

ii

Collaboration

We build with others, bringing the ecosystem to one table rather than working alone.

iii

Pay it forward

Paying it forward keeps generosity flowing: we received, so we give back.

Seven themes

The themes we work on.

Most of them are served by more than one lever.

01

Entrepreneurial culture

Encouraging contact with entrepreneurship from an early age.

02

Access

Promoting access to entrepreneurship, whatever its form and whoever is behind it.

03

Internationalisation / Scaling

Enabling the most ambitious entrepreneurs to deploy their projects beyond our borders.

04

Second chance

Helping entrepreneurs in difficulty bounce back professionally.

05

Administration

Helping political decision-makers and public institutions make the administrative side of entrepreneurship easier to navigate.

06

Talent acquisition

Raising awareness of training for the professions of tomorrow. No dedicated program yet: the work sits in advocacy.

07

The ecosystem

Helping ecosystem players work together and foster entrepreneurship within each sector.

The team

The people behind Pulse Foundation.

The operating team that funds, operates and advocates every day.

Emmanuelle Ghislain
Emmanuelle Ghislain
CEO
Emmanuelle Ghislain · LinkedIn
Céline Bouton
Céline Bouton
COO ad interim
Céline Bouton · LinkedIn
Louis Wouters
Louis Wouters
Chief Impact Officer
Louis Wouters · LinkedIn
Romain Degen
Romain Degen
Communication Manager
Romain Degen · LinkedIn
Flavie Jourdain
Flavie Jourdain
Communication Manager
Flavie Jourdain · LinkedIn
Camille Foerster
Camille Foerster
Communication Officer
Camille Foerster · LinkedIn
Edouard Moreels
Edouard Moreels
Revival Program Director Flanders & Brussels (NL)
Edouard Moreels · LinkedIn
Sébastien Hamende
Sébastien Hamende
Revival Program Director Wallonia & Brussels (FR)
Sébastien Hamende · LinkedIn
Boris Baghdikian
Boris Baghdikian
First Lights Product Manager
Boris Baghdikian · LinkedIn
Rodrigue Viérin
Rodrigue Viérin
BEyond Program Director
Rodrigue Viérin · LinkedIn
Barbara Vlerick
Barbara Vlerick
BEyond Community Builder
Barbara Vlerick · LinkedIn
Astrid Van Lierde
Astrid Van Lierde
Advocacy Advisor
Astrid Van Lierde · LinkedIn
Dorothée Druez
Dorothée Druez
Admin Manager
Alexandre Hemelaer
Alexandre Hemelaer
Project management assistant
Alexandre Hemelaer · LinkedIn
Yassine Aberkane
Yassine Aberkane
Student
Yassine Aberkane · LinkedIn

The board

Guided by families and entrepreneurs.

Governed by a board drawn from the families and entrepreneurs who founded Pulse Foundation in 2012.

Blandine Mulliez
Blandine Mulliez
La Fondation Entreprendre
Blandine Mulliez · LinkedIn
Aurélie d’Andrimont
Aurélie d’Andrimont
Marie Kluyskens
Marie Kluyskens

The community

A foundation is people.

The team who runs it, the board who governs it, and the entrepreneurs and directors who build the programs with us. Every face here is one of them.

Manifesto

Pulse Foundation is more than a foundation; it is a movement. A heartfelt commitment to breaking down every barrier that stands in the way of entrepreneurial dreams in Belgium.

Emmanuelle Ghislain
CEO · Pulse Foundation

By 2030, we aim to be Belgium's guiding light in entrepreneurship. Politically neutral. Financially independent.

Get involved

Be part of the solution.

Donate, mentor, partner or speak. Pulse Foundation is a movement, and it is open.