In a few words, COVARTIM today is a team of around twenty people spread across offices in Brussels, Liège and, since 2024, La Rochelle (France); clients throughout Europe and as far afield as Japan, Brazil and the United States; and the driving force behind the MedTech Meetup-an event that, in just a few years, has succeeded in bringing together all stakeholders in the MedTech sector in Belgium and is taking off this year in France. More than enough to fully realize the entrepreneurial dream of the little boy who imagined himself running a company before the age of 40. “It’s a calling,” says Kyun Thibaut. “My intention was to create an activity from scratch, to build the momentum of a company-without knowing in which field or for which product, because initially I was thinking more in terms of products.”
Discovering MedTech
It was the twists and turns of his academic journey that would steer Kyun Thibaut toward the medical sector. At a time when biomedical engineering degrees did not yet exist, but when ULB was already collaborating with Erasme Hospital on a number of research projects, the future electromechanical engineer was offered a final-year project involving the design of a drilling guide for an orthopedic implant. A task far more complex than it might appear. “No two legs are the same, no two bones are the same,” he explains. “Equipment intended for the operating room must be sterile and biocompatible-concepts I knew absolutely nothing about due to the lack of appropriate coursework. I realized that I knew how an engine works, how to build a bridge, but nothing about human physiology or the mechanics linked to biology. I learned everything on the job, and that’s when I had my wake-up call.”
A Focus on Consulting
For several years, Kyun Thibaut held positions in various MedTech companies-startups, consulting firms and large corporations alike – working on a range of exciting projects. Until one realization became clear: the know-how he had acquired in each of these companies could be offered to the MedTech sector as a whole. “It’s always the same pattern, the same phases, the same standards,” he explains. “From the outset, I wanted to create a true engineering consultancy – structure offering expertise as a service and developing a strong advisory component. That’s actually where the ‘CO’ in COVARTIM comes from. We support development, conduct R&D, design products, generate the safety and performance data required for certification, and ensure follow-up on behalf of clients who lack in-house capabilities or the necessary expertise. From a regulatory standpoint, we also implement all the internal procedures needed to ensure proper day-to-day management so companies can comply with relevant standards, through the quality management system we put in place. That’s how I was able to reconcile my desire to create a company.”
Ten Years of Partnership with the Lifetech Cluster
Almost simultaneously with the founding of COVARTIM, a collaboration was born that has never wavered since. “The Lifetech cluster was our very first client, when the first edition of the MedTech Accelerator was launched in 2016,” says Kyun Thibaut. “I sensed there was an opportunity to build a strong connection between us. Our expertise in structuring an accelerator-developing content and facilitating certain thematic modules-made us a complementary partner.”
COVARTIM can also boast strong regulatory expertise, a particularly valuable asset for the Lifetech cluster, sealing a partnership that celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. “Ten years during which the Lifetech cluster has supported our initiatives, and during which we have supported theirs,” Kyun Thibaut explains. “We take part in events organized by the cluster, not only within the accelerator framework, as there are many other interesting initiatives. We also share our insights, as we have a good sense of how the market is evolving, with all its constraints and opportunities. We understand the challenges startups face. At one point, we even created a prototyping space in our former offices – a kind of purely medical fab lab for MedTech entrepreneurs lacking infrastructure. Our mission is to bring the ecosystem to life. In my view, we need to give our time, take part in conferences and teach courses so that the industry can thrive and create a virtuous circle. On its side, the Lifetech cluster works to make things easier, launch new projects and foster closer dialogue between hospital decision-makers and industry. We sponsor the events organized in this context and take part in them, such as the recent Health On Stage, which was a great success.”
Human-Scale Growth
Over the past ten years, COVARTIM has continued to evolve-within the Brussels ecosystem, of course, because “in Belgium, where several business support structures coexist, Brussels is the most healthtech-oriented (digital health).” It has also expanded abroad, with a presence in southwestern France, a region rich in research centers, entrepreneurs, incubators and competitiveness clusters. Since there is no desire to extend COVARTIM’s activities into adjacent sectors such as pharma, biotech, cosmetics or dietary supplements, expanding the client base internationally became essential. That said, Kyun Thibaut has no ambition to replicate COVARTIM around the world. “We prefer to remain a small team and grow in expertise, focusing on quality rather than quantity. We love Brussels, and we’ve succeeded with our base in La Rochelle. Managing these two entities already represents a great deal.”
