Unveiled the Startups Selected for its Inaugural Program Cohort

EntertainmentLAB

In September 2023, Startup.Flanders partnered with Tomorrowland to launch EntertainmentLAB with the goal of positioning Flanders as a global innovation hub. This ground-breaking accelerator challenges startups to tackle complex challenges in the entertainment space, partnering them with experienced corporate partners to develop and test their concepts in real-world situations. Selected startups get access to financial, human, and intellectual capital, as well as guidance, mentorship, and Tomorowland’s thriving global ecosystem. The startups will have the opportunity to test their concepts live later this year at a Tomorrowland event in 2024.

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A Landslide of Startup Submissions

Over 100 startups from around the world applied to be part of EntertainmentLAB’s first cohort, but only four made it into the program. Each winning startup was selected based on its potential to shape the future of entertainment in one of three challenge categories: Crowd Monitoring & Communication, Circularity & Recycling, and Immersive Experiences. Each category is backed by a corporate partner with the expertise, reach, and assets to help take each startup to the next level. This year’s partners include Telenet for Crowd Monitoring & Communication, Brussels Airport for Circularity & Recycling, and d&b group for Immersive Experiences.

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Meet This Year’s Startups

Each challenge category features one exceptional startup, except for Circularity & Recycling, which proudly boasts two start-ups partnering up to solve the challenge. Here’s a closer look at the winning startups per challenge category:

Outsight for Crowd Monitoring & Communication: Founded in 2019, this French startup was chosen from a list of 26 competitors. Its solution leverages LiDAR technology to monitor public and private spaces, providing real-time data on people flows. Its corporate partner for this challenge, Telenet, will help enhance the solution with a Rich Business Messaging (RBM) chatbot, enabling seamless communication with festival participants onsite without the need to download an app. Other finalists included the British startup Sensing Feeling.

Beyond Ordering and Neurogreen for Circularity & Recycling: This challenge is all about building a future in which waste management and repurposing is fun and easy. Two Belgian startups, Beyond Ordering and Neurogreen, emerged victorious in this category, outshining 44 other contenders. Partnering with Brussels Airport, they aim to boost the prevalence of recycling with their AI-driven smart bin ecosystem. These interactive smart bins will educate consumers on how to contribute to a circular economy where waste is repurposed. The concept will be tested at the Tomorrowland Dreamville Campsite this summer. Other finalists in this category included Swiss startup WasteFlow and the Romanian startup Ecoterra.

Scenery for Immersive Experiences: Scenery beat out 38 startups in its category and will collaborate with German corporate partner d&b group. Its solution aims to revolutionize the festival experience by creating real-time transmission of events for the Apple Vision Pro, extending the magic of Tomorrowland beyond the event space. Other finalists in this category were the German startup Tawny and the British startup Volta.

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What’s next?

The winners in all three categories have until the summer to work out their proof of concept in detail. They’ll be working closely with their respective corporate partners—Telenet, Brussels Airport, and d&b group—exchanging ideas and feedback to expand and fine-tune each solution in time for the final test at a Tomorrowland festival later this year. Stay tuned for more updates!