Allez Startups

In this episode I spoke with Manu Vanderveeren, co-founder of Spott, an AI native platform that is revolutionising CRM and ATS tooling for agency reciters. 

Founded in Leuven in 2024, Spot went through Y Combinator's winter 2025 batch and has grown fast since commercialising the current version of their product 10 months ago, now at 4.5 million in ARR with a team of over 40 people. They've just closed a 21 million Series A led by Balderton Capital. 

Listen to Manu for tips on how to get into Y-Combinator, how to think big and get results early. Behind the ambitious growth numbers there's real trust between co-founders, and some very human details, like a caring mother. 

What is Allez Startups?

Behind-the-scenes interviews with Belgium’s startup founders, investors and local experts.

I’m Claudia, a Talent and People advisor for startups and a former founder. When I moved to Belgium in 2022, I explored the local startup scene. It seemed small, fragmented, full of complexities and hurdles.

Digging deeper, I realised Belgium is full of bold founders, scaling startups and an ecosystem that’s on the rise.

But most of its stories remain untold, or only shared in local networks.

This podcast aims to change that.

I’m pulling back the curtain to spotlight Belgium’s startup founders, investors and local experts. They’ll share real, personal stories about what happens behind-the-scenes, the knowledge they built and lessons learnt along the way.

Expect local inspiration and hands-on knowledge, in English, across regional barriers — so we can all learn from others' journeys.