Valeria, Ausra, Scott and Antoine: their experience at TheMerode

Ausra, Valeria, Scott and Antoine: their experience at TheMerode

You might already know this: we have a wonderful partnership with TheMerode, which hosts our conferences six times a year. As a result, all our Alumni enjoy a special offer. For them, the 1,000€ joining fee is waived.

Some of you have already taken advantage of this. We asked a few of them what membership really looks like. Meet Valeria, Ausra, Scott and Antoine.

1. Tell us about yourself. What do you do?

Ausra: I am a medical doctor and psychiatrist. I graduated from the Solvay Lifelong Learning EMBA last year, and I am now building my own mountaineering travel company on the side.

Valeria: I am an official at the European Commission. I studied marketing and advertising at Solvay, a passion of mine, even though life took me in a different direction.

Scott: I am Australian, and I moved to Belgium to study the Master in Biotech and MedTech at Solvay. I now run a startup that automates hospital admin, so nurses can spend less time on paperwork. Our product is already live.

Antoine: I run my own creative agency, Capital Panache, with a business partner I met while finishing my master's at Solvay. We create brand identities and communication materials, in print, web and video.

2. When did you join TheMerode, and what made you take the plunge?

Ausra: I joined last year, just before finishing my EMBA. The reduced fee and a free first conference made it an easy test. I wanted to keep myself stimulated.

Valeria: I joined last spring, after receiving your email about the membership offer. What hooked me was the agenda. There are events for everyone.

Scott: I joined at the start of last year. Friends had been telling me to check it out for two years. I finally took a tour after an Alumni event, and within five minutes I knew I needed to sign up.

Antoine: I only joined a few months ago, on my brother's recommendation. The events looked genuinely specific and artistic, and since he and I are both into music, that appealed to us. It was also a good excuse to push myself to do more business development, in a more natural way, through the people I'd meet.

3. What do you enjoy most about your membership, and what has it brought you?

Ausra: I love the coworking space, open from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, and the community around it. I expected a cliché "old bankers' club". I found the opposite: diverse, friendly, and with no competition.

Valeria: I love the variety. From news to beauty products, you really get a bit of everything. It has also become a welcome break from my routine.

Scott: I think of it as real-life TED Talks every day. In the whirlwind of startup life, an event at TheMerode lets me step back and think. The coworking space has paid off too. Fellow members have given me funding advice and even introduced me to angel investors. And I have made genuine friends.

Antoine: What I enjoy most is the line-up of events, they bring in architects, well-known actors, designers, even politicians, and that alone is worth it. The coworking space is lovely too, and so are the garden and terrace.

4. What's your best memory at TheMerode so far?

Ausra: A casual chat at the coworking space led to an introduction, then another, and within days I was on a video call with the owner of a climbing company in Tanzania. We are now working on a partnership. The networking circle there just becomes enormous.

Valeria: I have a few. One was an event with a journalist from Euronews, a news channel I watch regularly. Another was the perfume masterclass on Giorgio Armani.

Scott: I went to breakfast with a leading EU journalist and European officials, all around one boardroom table, debating the future of Europe. The woman who was sitting next to me is now a good friend. I also signed the contract with my new co-founder at TheMerode, and I have hosted lunches with investors there.

Antoine: I haven't managed to attend many events yet, so my best memory is really a future one: I'm looking forward to their first Oktoberfest event next week!

5. What would you say to an Alum thinking about joining?

Ausra: I would ask one thing first: what do you want out of it? Then I would say go and test it. Join one event and decide for yourself.

Valeria: I would say it is really enriching. You can meet people, try new things, and the place itself is very nice. Bring a friend, have a glass of wine, and enjoy it.

Scott: I would say go for it, you have very little to lose. It has something for everyone. Above all, it is about the community and the people you meet.

Antoine: Just for the calibre of the speakers, architects, actors, designers, politicians, I think it's worth it. Compared to a standard coworking space, it's genuinely good value once you add in the events, especially with the Alumni discount.

Curious to see everything TheMerode has to offer for yourself?

➡️➡️➡️ Fill in this form to register your interest and reserve your spot at our next Discovery Event, exclusively for SSA Alumni.