A Belgian VC's First $10.8 Million Bet on Europe's Hidden Tech Talent

Jan de Vries · 2026-09-21

You know, Europe is absolutely bursting with brilliant engineers and technical founders. But there's a gap, a common story where the product is genius but the path to market feels like a foreign language. That's exactly the kind of problem a new player in the VC scene wants to solve. Let me introduce you to NewSchool VC. They're a Belgium-based venture capital fund, and they just hit a big milestone: closing their very first fund at its $10.8 million target (that's €10 million). Back in September 2025, they announced an initial close of about $6.6 million, so they've been steadily building momentum. ### Who's Backing This New Fund? It's a pretty interesting mix. Around fifty investors got involved. That includes six family offices, like The Millers Office. But what really stands out is the lineup of successful Belgian entrepreneurs who put their money and reputations behind it. We're talking about names like Willem Delbaere and Roeland Delrue from Aikido Security, Jean-Louis Van Houwe from Monizze, and Luc Coopman from Cobofisk. And here's a show of confidence: Christophe Morbee, the fund's founder, personally put up 25% of the capital himself. ### The Founder's Journey from Angel to Fund Christophe's story is one of those natural progressions you see sometimes. "I invested as an angel for years," he said, "but felt it was time to build a real structure around it. I love entrepreneurship, investing, and sharing what I know about marketing, sales, HR and finance with founders. That's what led me to launch a full-fledged fund." He didn't just come from the angel world, though. He's also the CEO of besox, a Belgian payroll and HR provider for small and medium-sized businesses. That day job gives him a unique perspective. He's seen companies grow from a simple idea into something that thrives long past the startup chaos. That experience shapes the entire fund's philosophy. And get this—through besox's network of roughly 4,000 SME clients, NewSchool can actually open doors. It's not just a check; it's a potential shortcut to a startup's first real customers. ### Where Does The Money Go? So what's the actual playbook here? NewSchool is a solo-GP fund, meaning Christophe is the sole general partner calling the shots. They're targeting B2B tech companies right at the very beginning—pre-Seed and Seed stages. Their investment range is between about $108,000 and $540,000 (€100k to €500k). They have a clear focus on sectors where they see massive potential for automating old, clunky industries: - Artificial Intelligence (AI) - Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) - Cybersecurity - Robotics - Compliance+ They've already been busy. To date, they've made 32 investments. About 75% of those are based right there in Belgium, with the rest sprinkled across some of Europe's other tech hubs: Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, France, and the United Kingdom. You might recognize some of their portfolio companies that have already gone on to raise more money: Ravical, Warren, Spotable, and Donna. More recently, they've backed Talentir, a Swiss company, and Outline, based in Paris. ### The Bigger Picture for Europe Christophe summed up the opportunity perfectly, and it's worth quoting directly: > "Europe is an engineer's continent, with technically strong teams. What's often missing is someone who takes charge of go-to-market, sales and storytelling. That's where we focus, alongside the capital we provide. There's still enormous room to automate old industries. We see plenty of opportunity there for the years ahead." That's the real thesis. It's not just about finding the next clever app. It's about finding brilliant European builders who are creating the tools to transform lumbering, traditional sectors. And then giving them not just cash, but the exact kind of hands-on, go-to-market guidance they often lack. For American investors and founders watching the European scene, NewSchool's debut is a signal. It highlights a specific, operational approach to early-stage investing that's gaining traction. It's betting that the real value in European tech isn't just in the code, but in bridging the gap between a great product and a real, sustainable business.