Frank Gielen

Prof. Dr. ir. Frank Gielen possesses extensive experience in research and development within the telecommunications and software technology sectors, specializing in venture capital, university-industry collaborative research, and spin-off creation. His career began as a software architect at AT&T Bell Labs in the USA, followed by a position as director of software technology at Alcatel. In 1998, he joined Tellium, a US-based startup focused on optical network technology, serving as the Vice President of Software Engineering during its successful IPO on NASDAQ in 2001. After returning to Europe as the CEO for Tellium EMEA, he transitioned to academia and currently serves as a professor of software technology entrepreneurship at the University of Ghent. Since 2010, he has directed Incubation & Entrepreneurship at iMinds, a leading digital incubator and business accelerator in Flanders, where the iStart incubation program was ranked fourth globally among university accelerators in 2015. Recently, Frank was appointed head of the EIT Digital Professional School, aiming to innovate professional development and executive education for organizations and individuals undergoing digital transformation.