Lowie Vercraeye named new JCI Flanders Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Degroof Petercam - Marketing & Communication Specialist

Following Andy de Jong from Paleo, Lowie Vercraeye, co-founder and driving force behind Brauzz, has been awarded this year's JCI Flemish Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the JCI event held at Wijndomein Vandeurzen in Linden. The jury was impressed by Brauzz's innovative business model and eco-friendly cleaning solutions.

Brauzz, a start-up based in Ghent, operates from a typical co-working space—slightly chaotic yet vibrantly active. Lowie Vercraeye's office showcases their complete product line alongside a notable collection of awards, with the JCI Award for Flemish Young Entrepreneur of the Year being the latest accolade for a company that has only been in operation for four years. "Many people have great ideas, but it's crucial to ensure your idea is genuinely valuable and effectively addresses a problem," Vercraeye emphasizes.

What exactly does Brauzz do?

Brauzz was founded in 2019 during my studies in innovation and entrepreneurship at the Antwerp Management School. With a background in finance, I was eager to gain practical insights for starting my own business. Alongside my partners, Manush Barvar and Ruben Renaer, we aimed to create a sustainable alternative to traditional plastic bottles used for liquid detergents.

“Our first innovation was an effervescent tablet designed as a substitute for conventional surface cleaners. This was just the beginning; we quickly expanded our product line to include strips for laundry and floor cleaning. After four years of operation, we successfully developed a plastic-free solution for nearly every household cleaning task.”

Why did you start this initiative?

“Our passion for the environment and business motivated us to transform our master's thesis into a viable business with significant social impact. After partnering with a laboratory to develop our concept, we established our business model and officially launched in 2021.”

Our new team members are mainly in their thirties because it's essential to surround ourselves with experience.

Lowie Vercraeye, co-founder of Brauzz

What does it mean to be young entrepreneurs in our country?

“Our initial goal was to eliminate one million single-use plastic containers by 2025, and we are on track to achieve that. Our team now consists of eight members, primarily experienced professionals in their thirties, specializing in R&D, IT, and digital marketing. Their expertise is invaluable, especially on our board of directors, where they provide support and challenge our ideas. Fortunately, building a strong network in Flanders is quite feasible, even for newcomers."

How do you deal with risk? What does ‘boldness’ mean to you?

"We dedicated two years to comprehensive market research, which allowed us to approach the launch of Brauzz as a calculated risk, particularly since we introduced an innovative solution in a market dominated by large multinationals. We also sought guidance from seasoned entrepreneurs to help us avoid common pitfalls. In 2021, we launched our first product, funded by €500,000 in seed capital from Pitchdrive, a fund backed by leading tech entrepreneurs in Flanders. We plan to seek additional funding next year to continue our innovation and expand into new markets."

What are your plans for the future?

“We were the first in Europe to introduce this concept. Currently, we are focusing on our home markets of Flanders and the Netherlands, primarily selling through our webshop and select organic stores. We are also expanding into Germany, Austria, French-speaking Belgium, and France. Ultimately, we aim to partner with major supermarket chains to reach a broader audience.”

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