Tomorrowland is one of Europe's best-known festivals. Less known is that it quietly helped create one of Europe's most interesting corporate-startup matchmaking platforms. In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm speaks with Joris Beckers, Co-Founder of Love Tomorrow, and Mats Raes, Event Director of Love Tomorrow and The Impact Circle, about how a sustainability initiative evolved into an open innovation platform connecting startups, corporates, investors and public institutions. The conversation starts with a simple idea: Tomorrowland is not just a festival. It is a temporary city of more than 75,000 people per day, facing many of the same challenges as any major city, from energy and water to waste, mobility and logistics. That insight led to Love Tomorrow, Tomorrowland's official sustainability and innovation platform. As startups, corporates and public institutions increasingly began using the festival as a real-world testing ground for innovation, one challenge remained: connecting promising technologies with customers, deployment partners and smart capital. The result was The Impact Circle, Europe's exclusive innovation network for impactful entrepreneurship. Through challenge-led collaboration, curated startup selection and partnerships including the European Innovation Council's Corporate Partnership Programme, The Impact Circle brings together startups, corporates, investors and public institutions around shared innovation challenges. Joris and Mats explain how Tomorrowland became a stress test for innovation, why corporates increasingly engage as deployment partners rather than sponsors, and how The Impact Circle helps move innovation from pilot projects to real-world adoption. Key highlights Why Tomorrowland describes itself as a "hyper-compressed city"How Love Tomorrow evolved from a sustainability initiative into an open innovation platformWhy startups need real-world testing environmentsHow innovation is stress-tested in real-world conditionsWhy corporates increasingly act as deployment partnersThe role of venture clienting in startup growthWhy "smart capital" led to the creation of The Impact CircleThe Impact Circle's partnership with the European Innovation CouncilHow curated ecosystems improve innovation adoptionWhat investors, founders and corporates can expect from Love Tomorrow Summit and The Impact CircleTimestamps (00:00) Introduction(01:00) From Tomorrowland to Love Tomorrow(06:40) The "hyper-compressed city" thesis(11:00) Why startups need real-world testing environments(13:20) Why The Impact Circle was created(16:40) How The Impact Circle works(20:30) Venture clienting, corporates and startup deployment(23:20) Love Tomorrow Summit vs The Impact Circle(24:00) What makes Tomorrowland different from traditional conferences(26:20) Who should attend and why(28:30) Final thoughtsMore information Love Tomorrow Summit takes place on 23 July 2026 at Tomorrowland's iconic grounds in Boom, Belgium. The Summit unites the brightest minds — thinkers, entrepreneurs, music artists and leaders — to explore the future of intelligence, and what it asks of humans, organisations and society. With 80+ speakers and artists, the programme combines keynotes, networking, music, entertainment and a magical evening show. On July 23, EUVC is curating the investment stage at Love Tomorrow Summit, including 90 minutes of investor-focused keynotes on the Rose Garden Stage. On July 24, EUVC will host a dedicated investor programme at The Impact Circle Investor Lounge. Get your tickets here. #EUVC #VC #VentureCapital #Investing #TheEuropeanVC #Podcast #Tech #Startup
