Overview
Verhaert, which trades as Verhaert Masters in Innovation, was founded in 1969 by Paul Verhaert. The company works with corporations and start-ups on new products, services and businesses, and is organised in five business units: strategic innovation, digital innovation, product innovation, high-tech innovation and on-site consulting. It is active in the market through the brands Verhaert, Beacon, LOAD and Lambda-X, and runs ten competence labs, among them AILab, DesignLab, DigitalLab, EmbeddedLab, FabLab, MechLab, OpticsLab and PhysicsLab. The markets it addresses are space and defense, FMCG, life sciences and industry, with technology work in IoT and sensors, AI and data science, robotics and autonomy, cooling, heating and fluidics, and optics. The legal entity is Verhaert New Products & Services NV, with its registered seat at Hogenakkerhoekstraat 21 in Kruibeke and further offices in Antwerp, Gentbrugge, Kuurne, Nivelles, Utrecht and Aveiro. Koen Verhaert is CEO and has been the company's managing director since June 2009. Verhaert entered the space industry in 1984 and designed, built and commissioned PROBA, the first small EU satellite for ESA, in orbit in 2001. The space division was spun out in 2006 and later sold to QinetiQ Plc. Since 2015 the company has acquired Lambda-X, Moebius Consulting, LOAD, Pegus Digital, BEACON, the Academy for Corporate Entrepreneurship, Bagaar and The Engineering Network. Customers it names include AB InBev, Atlas Copco, Novartis and Zehnder.
Stated facts & numbers
- Founded: 1969
- Founder: Paul Verhaert, founder and chairman
- CEO: Koen Verhaert
- Headquarters: Kruibeke, Hogenakkerhoekstraat 21
- Legal entity: Verhaert New Products & Services NV, BE 0439.039.420
- Employees: 300
- Offices: Kruibeke, Antwerp, Gentbrugge, Kuurne, Nivelles, Utrecht, Aveiro
- Business units: Strategic innovation, digital innovation, product innovation, high-tech innovation, on-site consulting
- Brands: Verhaert, Beacon, LOAD, Lambda-X
- Markets: Space and defense, FMCG, life sciences, industry
- Customers: AB InBev, Atlas Copco, Novartis, Zehnder
- Products developed: 1,000
- Patents generated: 500
- Ventures accelerated and financed: 400
- Acquisitions: Lambda-X (2015), Moebius Consulting (2016), LOAD (2017), Pegus Digital (2018), BEACON (2019), AfCE, Bagaar and The Engineering Network (2022)
Key people
In the news
- At Flanders Technology & Innovation Festival, Verhaert is proud to showcase the Tovertafel 3, an interactive projection system we helped design and scale together with Tover. The original concept was born at Tover with a meaningful purpose: to connect users and their families while unburdening dedicated healthcare providers. By projecting interactive games onto tables or floors that respond directly to movement, the Tovertafel stimulates cognitive activity, physical movement and social interaction. It brings fun, contact and calm,
- Technology transfer without value creation is just an expensive science experiment. We all want to innovate faster, but speed alone doesn't guarantee a quality outcome. If you are still trying to build every component from scratch, internal R&D becomes your biggest bottleneck. Join David Pas at the Innovation Roundtable® Summit as he explores how strategic sourcing and smart technology transfer accelerate value creation without sacrificing product standards. 📍 Tivoli Congress Center, Copenhagen Add David’s session to your summit
- What can the surface of Phobos tell us about the origin of Mars' moons? The MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) mission aims to help answer this question through an ambitious exploration program, culminating in sample collection to be brought back to Earth for scientific analysis. On its journey to the Martian system, MMX carries the IDEFIX rover, designed to explore the surface of Phobos, demonstrate mobility in its milligravity environment and help investigate a potential landing site for the main spacecraft. Lambda-X | Verhaert
- Ready for inspiring days in Copenhagen! I’m attending the Innovation Roundtable® together with David Pas connecting with innovators and leaders who are shaping what’s next! The conversations there are a great reminder of how much value there is in stepping outside your own environment and learning from others. And we’re not sitting still. At the end of November, we’re hosting our own Innovation Day with Verhaert | Masters in Innovation, bringing fresh ideas and new energy back home to put them into action. 🚀 #Innovation
- Smarter everyday products aren’t built by packing in more technology, but by knowing what truly creates value. From validating consumer response through early pilots to borrowing proven industrial solutions like machine vision and advanced sensing, true FMCG innovation relies on scaling what works without adding unnecessary complexity. At Verhaert Innovation Day 2026, our FMCG track dives into how bridging cross-industry expertise is transforming consumer goods from the ground up. 📅 November 24 | 📍 Kruibeke, Belgium Check out
- Wie bepaalt hoe de digitale samenleving eruitziet? Hoe maken we als samenleving actief en rechtvaardige keuzes over technologie - voor wie, en onder welke voorwaarden? Paola Verhaert werkt op het snijvlak van technologie en sociale rechtvaardigheid, als onderzoeker, adviseur en auteur van 'Technologie is politiek'. Op 17 november tijdens DigiCurious in Gent gaat Paola dieper in op wat digitale rechtvaardigheid concreet inhoudt en wat de cultuursector daarin kan betekenen voor de toekomst. Hoor je Paola graag spreken? Schrijf je dan
- Your proof of concept works. But does that mean your innovation is ready for the market? Technical feasibility is only one part of the equation. Understanding user needs, validating demand and testing commercial assumptions are just as important when deciding what to develop next. At the Innovation Roundtable® Summit in Copenhagen, we'll be discussing how to reduce uncertainty and make better decisions throughout the innovation journey. Will you be there? Meet Runeke and David at Tivoli Congress Center to discuss your innovation
- Ook het publiek koos vanavond een favoriet: Woosh gaat overtuigend naar huis met de publieksprijs! Woosh kon het publiek in Mechelen het meest bekoren met hun innovatieve recycleerbare luierservice. Proficiat Alby en het hele team! Alby Roseveare - Ilse Verhaert - Kurt Peys - #VLAIOawards
Alumni 4 went on to found or lead
Alexander Van DammeBusiness Development Innovation Consultancy (repr. Deviant)→CEO at bedal
Felix De ColvenaerMechatronic System Engineer→Co-founder at Lynqo
Hari PrasanthSenior R&D Systems Engineer→Chief Technology Officer at NIVO- PJoran Van GrembergheInternship→Chief Electron Orchestrator at Joranalogue Audio Design
Olivier DupontApex Consultant→CTO at AUCTIM
Something wrong or missing? Send an update. Fixed within 24 hours.