Nele Van Damme

Nele Van Damme and Koenraad Belsack co-founded Upgrade Estate after using proceeds from a food truck business to purchase and convert a house into student rooms. The company expanded to over 2,200 rooms across multiple Belgian cities, operating under brands Upkot (students), Upliving (young professionals), and Upoffiz (SMEs).

Van Damme was recognized as Sustainability Professional 2022 for her work integrating sustainability into Upgrade Estate's housing portfolio. She also joined Nexxworks as a Business Partner in an active advisory capacity, contributing to Belgium's broader innovation ecosystem.

She has been a Vlerick Business School faculty contributor and a keynote speaker on Entrepreneurship, particularly on young Entrepreneurship and sustainable business development.