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Katrien Herdewyn

Founder Elegnano

Phone:

+1 510 778 6537

Email:

Date of Birth

April 3rd, 1987

LinkedIn Profile

Highlights

40 under 40 Belgium (2021)

Honorary Professor, University of Leuven (KUL) (2021)

Inspiring Fifty Belgium (2020)

TEDx Speaker (2015)

A Bit About Me

Everybody has a story. Mine starts in the early nineties. As a little girl, I was obsessed with shoes. After a Bachelor in Electrical Engineering & Material Sciences and a Master in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, I obtained a degree in Fashion Footwear Design. In 2014, I started my own company - Elegnano® - combining my passion for science, technology, and shoes.


Over the past years, I have been on stage giving lectures and presentations for national and international audiences of all backgrounds about Elegnano®, (female) entrepreneurship, fashion tech, international business, nanotechnology, sustainability in the fashion industry, etc.

A Selection of Recent Talks & Publications

Talks & Presentations at

  • TEDx Ghent

  • imec

  •    American Chamber of Commerce & Belgian Chamber of Commerce

  • Deloitte

  • BNP Paribas Fortis

  • ONSemi

  • General Electric

  • AstraZeneca

  • European Union - Week of Europe

  • Flanders Investment and Trade

  • San Francisco Fashion Week

  • Prince Albert Fund

  • HULT Business School (San Francisco Location)

  • EU Horizon 2020 - WEAR Sustain

  • Knack DataNews - She Goes ICT

  • Federation of Belgian Enterprises

  • Academics for Technology - Women in Tech Gala

  • Vlerick Business School

  • European National Young Academy

  • KULeuven

  • Belgian Business Club Los Angeles

  • European Chamber of Commerce - European Pitch Night

  • A Seat at the Table (ASATT EU)

  • Erasmus Mundus Nanotechnology Conference

And many more

Podcasts

 

 

Recent Publications

And many more

List of Awards & Recognitions

2015

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Startup of the Year

Unizo

Belgium

Laureate Prince Albert Fund

King Baudouin Foundation

Belgium

50 of the Future

De Tijd (Newspaper)

Belgium

Best Women's Designer Footwear Label

Lux Magazine

United Kingdom

Inspiring Fifty 2020/2021

Belgium

40 under 40

Belgium

Top 100 Fashion Industry Influencers

MarSum

United States of America

Honorary Professor at the Faculty of Engineering, KULeuven

Belgium

Women in Footwear Awards

RetailBoss

International

Top 50 Women in European Tech

Inspiring Fifty & Financial Times

Europe

Best Luxury Footwear Label Belgium

Lux Magazine

United Kingdom

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WHAT PEOPLE SAY

“Katrien Herdewyn is a fashion entrepreneur combining design, craftsmanship, and 21st-century innovation in the shoe industry. Her story provides inspiration on how to start and grow a brand. Her story is especially insightful on how to achieve global impact with limited resources applying a lean operational mindset.”​

 

—  M. Meuleman, Prof. Vlerick Business School

Events

Recent and Upcoming Talks