Leo Exter

TLDR

Leo Exter is Chief Energizer at Hack Belgium Labs and has organised around 20 large-scale hackathons in Belgium, including events on healthcare, defence, and the blue economy.

Overview

Leo Exter is a creative entrepreneur best known for powering Hack Belgium, a civic hackathon initiative. He is described as "among the most accomplished practitioners in the hackathon format anywhere in Europe," having helped establish hackathons as a meaningful tool for civic and technological innovation in Belgium. He has organised approximately 20 hackathon events with over 500 participants each, spanning sectors including healthcare (Hack Healthcare), defence (Innovation for Defence), epilepsy, and the blue transition. Several hackathons he organised directly produced technology startups that continue to operate.

Career History

• Previous roles: European Innovation Council, westartup, Startup Weekend Brussels, Advance.Healthcare
• Current: Chief Energizer, Hack Belgium Labs
• Organised ~20 hackathons including Hack Healthcare, Hack Epilepsy, Hack Blue Transition