Wim Audenaert likes it when people say, “Water is the new gold.” But that doesn’t make it any easier for his tech company, AM-Team. “A business that revolves around disruptive innovation will always be challenging.” Even with the support of the other startups at Wintercircus.

“Of course, I knew Wintercircus from before!” says Startup Campus resident Wim Audenaert. Today, he’s the CEO and co-founder of AM-Team, but some twenty years ago, Wim was an industrial engineering student at Ghent University specializing in environmental sciences. “It was then that I participated in that famous musical chairs contest of the popular TV show Man bijt hond at Wintercircus. But the building back then was extremely run-down - completely unlike today!”

AM-Team is undeniably one of the Wintercircus showpieces. For its “innovative and extensive climate efforts,” the company received the Changemakers Award from the Belgian newspapers De Tijd and L’Echo. And that should also tell you that Wim and his team have their sights set on the world, as climate matters require a global approach.

Today, AM-Team generates eighty percent of its sales abroad, “and the last three people we hired come from Italy, Argentina, and Pakistan,” Wim says over coffee at Bar Bougie, one of the cafes inside Wintercircus. Moreover, “Two of them are relocating to Ghent. The city has been attracting international talent for several years now, but Wintercircus truly added an X factor and enhanced its appeal even further. A dynamic ecosystem like this makes it easier for us to recruit the right people.”

So, what exactly is AM-Team recruiting this international talent for? To build computer models of large water installations in Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Canada, and the US. Why? “So that we can virtually operate those installations and look for ways to improve water quality, save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and anticipate future problems. Digitization offers enormous opportunities to solve the biggest water challenges in the world at an accelerated pace, but without our computer models, which are really unique, that won’t happen.”

We note, somewhat naively, that AM-Team operates primarily in countries without acute water problems, but Wim vehemently disagrees. “We work with a Dutch drinking water company that today services six million customers, and it has to worry about whether it will still be able to supply them with enough drinking water in fifteen to twenty years. Fifteen to twenty years, that’s short notice. And having no drinking water is clearly not an option. So, for me, that’s an acute problem.”

This is not to say that the CEO does not also want to explore less developed markets in the long run. “In principle, our digitally advanced tools can already be used to develop water processing infrastructure virtually, which can subsequently be built in any country around the world. But honestly, we’re not even investing nearly enough in water in Western countries. On the one hand, that’s quite frustrating because it needs to happen now. On the other hand, it is not entirely unpleasant to be working in an essential sector that still offers so much potential.”

AM-Team now has fifteen staff members, nine based in Ghent. “In the best possible spot,” according to Wim Audenaert. “We are a digital company focused on impact entrepreneurship on a global scale, so we are a perfect match with the other companies at Wintercircus. And on a personal note, it’s essential to be surrounded by tech entrepreneurs who think as ambitiously and disruptively.”

The CEO makes no bones about it: building a business is hard, “and it gets even harder when that business revolves around disruptive innovation. Because that always requires major behavioral changes, with countless challenges and problems along the way. Only you have to overcome those as an entrepreneur by believing fully in your vision. At Wintercircus, my business partner and I can openly and honestly talk about that with other entrepreneurs. We barely need words to understand each other. For us, that’s super important.”

By now, Wim is also known at Wintercircus for the openness he displays during our conversation. His mantra: entrepreneurship is more about giving than taking. “The more you give, the more you get back. I really believe that, because giving back is in our nature. But you have to do it unconditionally, without expecting anything in return. Because when that doesn’t happen right away, it affects your happiness.”

Another thing the CEO firmly believes in is long-term thinking. “On LinkedIn, I sometimes write blog posts that verge on sharing IP,” Wim admits. “The reasoning might then be that whoever reads those things no longer needs us. But for me, that’s part of our brand. Do you know the saying ‘sales last three months, a brand three generations?’ Yes, it takes years to build a brand, but once you’ve gotten to that point, it’s SO powerful. People trust you without fully realizing why. They email you to give a talk without thinking twice. And they end up on your website without you begging them to ‘click on the link.’ So that’s definitely something I share with the other startups at Wintercircus: think beyond sales and create valuable content.”

Want to know more about the Wintercircus Startup Campus? Visit wintercircus.be/campus!