ARISE: Start-Up Founders Webinar Series

EA Editor October 15, 2026 ARISE
ARISE: Start-Up Founders Webinar Series
15 Oct 2026
ARISE
October 15, 2026 EA Editor

From Student to CTO: Launching the MSL Startup Founders Webinar Series

What does it really take to go from completing a technical university degree to building and leading an AI-driven venture?

Technical mastery in fields like artificial intelligence, Extended Reality (XR), and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is in high demand across Europe. Yet, understanding how to apply that knowledge within an early-stage startup, navigating technical debt, product-market fit, and team leadership, requires insights rarely found in standard textbooks.

To address this gap, programme partner 28DIGITAL, in collaboration with the EIT Digital Master School network, is launching the MSL Startup Founders Webinar Series. This recurring initiative gives students direct access to tech entrepreneurs who share candid reflections on their career journeys, pivotal decisions, and the realities of Europe’s innovation ecosystem.

First Session Spotlight: Christophe Geudens, Co-Founder & CTO of Prismos

The inaugural edition features Christophe Geudens, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Prismos, a Belgian startup building advanced software infrastructure for regulatory risk and public policy analysis.

Christophe holds a PhD in Knowledge Representation from KU Leuven (2020) and brings extensive industry experience in natural language processing (NLP) engineering. At Prismos, he oversees core data infrastructure and AI development, placing him at the crossroads of academic computer science and commercial execution.

During the session, Christophe will explore:

  • The Journey from Student to CTO: How he navigated the shift from doctoral research to startup co-founder, and the critical decisions that defined that path.
  • The AI Career Landscape from the Inside: An objective view of emerging opportunities in machine learning, identifying which skills matter most versus industry trends that may be overhyped.
  • What He Wishes He Had Known: Practical lessons on venture building, architecting early systems, and transitioning from academic inquiry to product delivery.
  • Live Student Q&A: An open forum where participants can ask direct questions about hiring, technical challenges, and startup realities.

The session will be introduced and hosted by Vilma Djala from 28DIGITAL.

Why Entrepreneurial Perspective Matters for ARISE Students

The ARISE project (Advanced Realities for Innovation and Skills Enhancement) aims to elevate European higher education in advanced digital competencies, specifically Human-Computer Interaction, Extended Reality, and Cloud/Networking Infrastructure.

While technical rigour forms the backbone of the curriculum, technology does not operate in a vacuum. Connecting technical expertise with entrepreneurial thinking provides distinct benefits:

  1. Contextualising Deep Tech: Advanced XR and AI tools achieve lasting impact when deployed to solve genuine societal and commercial problems. Hearing how founders evaluate real-world demand helps students align their projects with market needs.
  2. Demystifying the Startup Path: Many graduates hesitate to pursue entrepreneurship because the early steps seem opaque. Real conversations with technical founders demystify early-stage funding, product validation, and technical hiring.
  3. Fostering Academia-Business Synergy: Cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset ensures that Europe’s next generation of digital specialists are prepared not only to enter existing technology firms, but also to build new ones.

Event Details & Registration

Official Website of the EU-Co-Funded Project ARISE: https://28digital.eu/eu-collaborations/arise 

Consortium Partners:

  1. 28DIGITAL (28DGTL)
  1. Aalto University (AALTO)
  2. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)
  3. KTH Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
  4. Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI)
  5. University of Twente (UT)
  6. Linköping University (LIU)
  7. University of Trento (UNITN)
  8. Evolutionary Archetypes Consulting SL (EAC)
  9. Tech Valley Management (TECHVALLEY)
  10. University of Rennes (UNIVREN) 
  11. Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
  12. Fifth Ingenium (FIFTH)

Project Number: 101225600 — ARISE — DIGITAL-2024-ADVANCED-DIGITAL-07-KEYCAPACITY

 

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or HADEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.