Cyber Security Coalition

🎙️ AI is learning to act. But who is allowed to decide?

Agentic AI represents a major shift: instead of merely performing predefined tasks, AI systems can increasingly determine how to pursue an objective, adapt their approach and interact with multiple tools and systems. This creates exciting opportunities, but also urgent questions about oversight, responsibility and trust.

Host Tommy Gontie is joined by Michel Herquet of Yuma and Abdullah Elbi of KU Leuven’s Centre for IT & IP Law and imec. They examine how organisations can prepare for Agentic AI, why autonomy must never become autonomy from accountability, and how innovation can remain aligned with human dignity, fundamental rights and democratic values.

From mental well-being and education to European sovereignty and strategic autonomy, this episode looks beyond the technology to ask a bigger question: how do we want to shape our AI-powered future?

A special teaser for the Artificial Intelligence, Reimagined track at BE-CYBER 2026, on 22 September at La Sucrerie in Wavre

Labour 12 - Resilience and Future: The Marathon Continues 

After funding challenges, market validation, internationalexpansion, team building and relentless competition, one question remains: what does it take to keep going?

In the final episode of The Twelve Labours of a Cyber Start-up,Tommy Gontie (Proximus) reflects with Lars Veelaert, CEO & Co-founder of XFA, and Mustapha Annouh, CEO & Co-founder of Shield AI, on the lessons learned from the entrepreneurial journey so far. What keeps founders motivated when the road gets tough? What gives them confidence about the future? And what advice would they give to the next generation of cybersecurity entrepreneurs?

This closing labour is about resilience—the ability to adapt,persevere and continue building despite uncertainty, setbacks and constant change. Because successful companies are not only built on technology and innovation; they are built on determination, trust and the people who help makethe journey possible.

As the series concludes, Lars and Mustapha leave us with a powerful message: entrepreneurship is not a sprint but a marathon, and the strongest ecosystems are those where founders, partners, investors and institutions moveforward together.

🎧 Listen now and discover why resilience may be the mostimportant labour of all.

Labour 11 - Disruption: AI, Speed and Competition 

What happens when innovation itself starts accelerating at anunprecedented pace?

In Episode 11, Tommy Gontie (Proximus) welcomes LarsVeelaert, CEO & Co-founder of XFA, and Mustapha Annouh,CEO & Co-founder of Shield AI, for a conversation about disruption in the age of AI. As technology evolves faster than ever, start-ups must innovate, adapt and execute at a speed that was unimaginable just a few years ago.

How do founders stay ahead when ideas can be copied overnight? Does AI create more opportunities or more threats? And what does it mean to build trust and resilience in a world where both innovation and cyber risks areaccelerating simultaneously? Lars and Mustapha share their perspectives from the front line of cybersecurity entrepreneurship.

The lesson of this labour is clear: success is no longer determined solely by having a great idea, but by how quickly and effectively you can turn that idea into lasting value.

🎧 Listen now and discover why, in the AI era, innovationmoves fast—but resilience must keep pace.

Labour 10 - Complexity: Regulation, Procurement and the Administrative Hydra 

Every entrepreneur expects competition. Fewer expect to spend so much time navigating procurement processes, compliance requirements and administrative hurdles.

In Episode 10, Tommy Gontie (Proximus) talks with LarsVeelaert, CEO & Co-founder of XFA, and Mustapha Annouh,CEO & Co-founder of Shield AI, about one of the most frustrating labours of the start-up journey: turning market interest into actual business.

Why can innovation move at lightning speed while procurement moves at a snail’s pace? How do young companies earn the trust of large organisations? And canregulation be an obstacle and an opportunity at the same time?

Drawing on their own experiences, Lars and Mustapha share lessons learned at the intersection of cybersecurity, compliance, governance and sales. Because building a great solution is only part of the challenge—the real testis navigating the systems that decide whether it gets adopted.

🎧 Listen now and discover why every cyber entrepreneureventually encounters the administrative hydra.

Labour 9 - Go-to-Market: Entering Cybersecurity and AI Without Being Crushed

Having a great technology is one thing. Convincing customers to trust it, adopt it and pay for it is another challenge entirely.

In Episode 9, Tommy Gontie (Proximus) sits down with LarsVeelaert, CEO & Co-founder of XFA, and Mustapha Annouh,CEO & Co-founder of Shield AI, to discuss what it takes to enter highly competitive cybersecurity and AI markets. How do you stand out when everyone claims to be innovative?

How do you turn curiosity into customer commitment? And how do you build credibility when you're competing against much larger players?

Lars and Mustapha share their experiences of positioning a new solution in a crowded market, challenging established assumptions and proving that they solve a real problem—not just create another buzzword. Because ultimately, success is not about having the most features; it's about delivering the most value.

🎧 Listen now and discover why going to market may be one of the toughest labours of all.

Labour 8 - Family Balance: Building Without Losing Yourself

Building a company is demanding. Building one without losingyourself along the way may be an even greater challenge.

In Episode 8, Tommy Gontie (Proximus) sits down with LarsVeelaert, CEO & Co-founder of XFA, and Mustapha Annouh,CEO & Co-founder of Shield AI, to discuss the human side ofentrepreneurship. How do founders balance ambition with family life? How do they protect their energy when the start-up is always on their mind? And what does resilience really look like when the pressure never quite disappears?

Beyond funding rounds, product launches and market growth lies a reality that every entrepreneur knows: success is difficult to sustain without personal balance. Lars and Mustapha share candid reflections on stress, motivation, support networks and the importance of staying human throughout the journey.

🎧 Listen now and discover why protecting your energy may be just as important as protecting your business.

Labour 7 - Building the Team: From Solo Founder to Real Company

A start-up may begin with a founder, but it can only grow through the people who join the journey.

In Episode 7, Tommy Gontie (Proximus) speaks with LarsVeelaert, CEO & Co-founder of XFA, and Mustapha Annouh,CEO & Co-founder of Shield AI, about one of the most criticalmoments in any entrepreneurial adventure: transforming a vision into a real team. What makes someone join an unproven start-up? How do you find people who believe before the market does? And what qualities matter most when resources are limited and uncertainty is part of daily life?

From recruiting the first key profiles to building trust,resilience and a shared sense of purpose, Lars and Mustapha reveal the realities behind creating a company that can scale. Because technology may be the catalyst, but people are what turn an idea into a lasting business.

🎧 Listen now and discover why no founder can complete thetwelve labours alone.

Labour 6 - Going International: Testing the Idea Against the World 

Sooner or later, every start-up faces the same question: Canthis idea succeed beyond our borders?

In Episode 6, Tommy Gontie (Proximus) speaks with LarsVeelaert, CEO & Co-founder of XFA, and Mustapha Annouh,CEO & Co-founder of Shield AI, about taking a Belgian cyber start-up onto the international stage. Why is global exposure so important? What happens when your solution is tested against international competitors? And how do youknow whether your idea can travel?

From trade missions and international events to conversations with customers and partners around the world, Lars and Mustapha share the lessons they learned when stepping outside their comfort zone. Because while innovation may start locally, ambition rarely stops at the border.

🎧 Listen now and discover what happens when a cyberstart-up puts its vision to the test against the world.

Labour 5 - The Belgian Maze: Funding, Grants, Forms and Patience Building a cybersecurity start-up is challenging enough. Building one in Belgium means learning to navigate a maze of grants, funding programmes, public support mechanisms, institutions and administrative processes.

In Episode 5, Tommy Gontie (Proximus) sits down with LarsVeelaert, CEO & Co-founder of XFA, and Mustapha Annouh,CEO & Co-founder of Shield AI, to discuss one of the less glamorous but essential labours of entrepreneurship: finding the right support, securing funding and knowing where to focus your limited time and energy.

From funding applications and investor conversations to theopportunities and complexities of the Belgian ecosystem, Lars and Mustapha share honest lessons from the front line. Because while no start-up succeeds on funding alone, the right support at the right moment can make all thedifference.

🎧 Listen now and discover why every founder needs more than innovation to find their way through the maze.

Labour 4 - First Believers: Trust Before ReputationGreat ideas are important. But before customers, investors or the market believe in your vision, someone must take the very first leap of faith. 

In Episode 4, Tommy Gontie (Proximus) speaks with Lars Veelaert, CEO & Co-founder of XFA, and Mustapha Annouh, CEO & Co-founder of Shield AI, about the people who believed in them before they had a track record. How do you build trust when you have no reputation? Who were the first customers, partners and ecosystem players willing to take a chance on a young cyber start-up? And why is credibility often more valuable than funding in the early stages of the journey?  

From their first supporters to their first public appearances, Lars and Mustapha share how trust is earned long before success is visible. Because every start-up begins with an idea—but it grows because others choose to believe in it.  

🎧 Listen now and discover why trust comes before reputation. 

Labour 3: First Build: The MVP Without Trying to Build the Universe

Every founder has a vision. The challenge is turning it into something real—without trying to build the entire universe on day one. 

In Episode 3, Tommy Gontie (Proximus) talks with Lars Veelaert, CEO & Co-founder of XFA, and Mustapha Annouh, CEO & Co-founder of Shield AI, about the art of building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP): the smallest version of a solution that proves the idea works in the real world. What should you build first? What should you leave out? And how do you balance innovation, speed and credibility in cybersecurity? 

From difficult feature decisions to lessons learned from early testing, Lars and Mustapha share how founders can stay focused on solving a real problem rather than getting lost in endless possibilities. 

🎧 Listen now and discover why successful start-ups don't start by building everything—they start by building what matters most. 

Labour 2: Reality Check: The Market Always Answers Back

Every founder starts with a vision. Then comes the moment when the market starts asking difficult questions. 

In Episode 2, Tommy Gontie (Proximus) speaks with Lars Veelaert, CEO & Co-founder of XFA, and Mustapha Annouh, CEO & Co-founder of Shield AI, about one of the toughest entrepreneurial lessons: the market always answers back. From challenging assumptions and refining ideas to learning from customers and confronting unexpected realities, this is where vision meets validation.  

Discover why successful start-ups don't just build products—they learn, adapt and evolve. Because in entrepreneurship, reality isn't the enemy; it's the guide.  

🎧 Listen now and discover how great ideas survive their first encounter with the real world.  

Labour 1 : The Spark - Seeing the Problem Before the Market Does

Every entrepreneurial journey begins with a moment of insight: seeing a problem before the rest of the market does.

In this first episode of The Twelve Labours of a Cyber Start-up, host Tommy Gontie (Proximus) sits down with Lars Veelaert, CEO & Co-founder of XFA, and Mustapha Annouh, CEO & Co-founder of Shield AI, to explore the origins of their ventures. What challenges did they identify? What convinced them to leave the beaten path? And when did a bold idea become the foundation of a real company?

Inspired by The Twelve Labours of Asterix, this episode examines the first labour faced by every founder: recognising an emerging problem before the market fully understands it. Expect honest reflections, entrepreneurial lessons and the stories behind two Belgian cyber start-ups on a mission to make a difference.

🎧 Listen now and discover where every cyber start-up journey begins.

What does it take to build and scale a cybersecurity start-up in Belgium?

Hosted by Tommy Gontie (Proximus), this podcast series follows the entrepreneurial journeys of Lars Veelaert, CEO & Co-founder of XFA, and Mustapha Annouh, CEO & Co-founder of Shield AI. Inspired by The Twelve Labours of Asterix, they share the challenges, lessons and realities of building innovative cyber companies in a fast-changing world.

In this introductory episode, we set the scene for the twelve labours ahead. The conversation continues at BE-CYBER 2026 in the United Shield track on September 22nd in La Sucrerie in Wavre.🎧 Start the journey. Discover the challenges. Join the debate.

What happens when cybercrime is no longer viewed as a technical incident, but as a human experience? In this thought-provoking teaser for BE-CYBER 2026 – Track 4: Cyber Humanism, host Tommy Gontie (Proximus) explores why victims of cyber-enabled fraud deserve more than a transactional response. Together with Isabelle Marchand, Director Public Affairs & Communication and Member of the Management Team at Febelfin, and Veerle Peeters, Founder of CybHERStrong, he discusses the emotional impact of cybercrime, the rise of AI-driven scams, and what a truly victim-centric approach to cyber response could look like. A compelling conversation about trust, dignity, resilience, and the human side of cybersecurity.

Pascal Steichen sheds light on the vital role played by the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC), headquartered in Bucharest. Discover in this episode how this Centre, in collaboration with the Network of National Coordination Centres, is enhancing Europe's cybersecurity capacities, fostering the entire value chain from research to the market, and boosting the competitiveness of the Union’s industry in this critical field.

Cyber Security Personality of 2023 & Managing Director General of the Centre of Cybersecurity for Belgium - Miguel De Bruycker - looks back on his 8 years at the helm of the Centre, delves into the challenges ahead and into the Centre's plans to bolster Belgium's cybersecurity posture.

On the occasion of International Women's Day 2022, the Cyber Security Coalition invited three successful women active in cybersecurity to give a testimonial on their professional development: Cathérine Van De Heyning (Public Prosecutor & Professor University of Antwerp); Claudia Diaz (Associate Professor KUL); and Karine Goris (CISO Belfius).

Interview conducted with Major General Michel Van Strythem by The Content Company on behalf of the Cyber Security Coalition for the Coalition Gazette 2022 (release in January 2023): 2022: ACTIVITY REPORT OF THE CYBER SECURITY COALITION - CYBERSECURITYCOALITION

Interview with Prime Minister Alexander De Croo conducted by The Content Company on behalf of the Cyber Security Coalition for the interactive Coalition Gazette 2021 (released in January 2022). 2021: ACTIVITY REPORT OF THE CYBER SECURITY COALITION - CYBERSECURITYCOALITION

The more our economy and society digitize, the bigger the risk that people are left behind as they are not skilled to use the new communication technologies. The Digital Inclusion Alliance (DigitAll) aims at reducing digital inequalities. Linde Verheyden, director public affairs at BNP Paribas Fortis and one of the founders of the DigitAll ecosystem, Christine Copers, innovation manager at FPS BOSA, and Arnaud Recko, sustainability coordinator at DNS Belgium and board member of Digital for Youth, explain what is at stake and what DigitAll aims to achieve.