We speak with the CEO of European Spinning Group and founder/CEO of the start-up Ariadne Innovation, for our Inspirational Female Entrepreneurs series…

In recognition of International Women’s Day we’ve been speaking with the women who have used their time at business school to become trailblazers – unleashing their entrepreneurial superpowers to make a change in their industries and the world around them.

Julie Lietaer is the CEO of European Spinning Group and founder/CEO of the start-up Ariadne Innovation. After completing a Masters in Financial Management at Vlerick Business School in 2008 Julie went on to launch Ariadne Innovation – playing a vital part in making the textile and fashion industry more sustainable.

Can you tell us a bit about your start-up, and what it does?

Ariadne Innovation is a start-up set its purpose on driving change in the textile and fashion industry through collaborative technology.

Our main product is our digital platform Ellie.Connect, a collection of AI-based tool where we aim to inspire, inform and connect the textile & fashion ecosystem to become more sustainable. Our value proposition is based on saving time and resources to find the right partner, resource or technology to take a step forward in the direction towards sustainability.

What inspired you to start your own business?

I would say that entrepreneurship has always run in my blood. 

From the experience I gained at European Spinning Group, growing towards a circular approach – I noticed a need for collaboration in the whole textile ecosystem. At the time of Covid, digital tools and technology were booming and in a partnership with Datascouts, we built a platform to support this ecosystem. 

“When you have jumped, do not give up. The beginning is always tough. But begin with the end in mind.”

Julie Lietaer

For those who know the Greek mythology, Ariadne helped her hero Theseus escape the labyrinth with a thread. This inspired the name for our start-up. Ellie, your sustainability copilot, is offering the solutions to get our of the labyrinth of sustainable textiles. 

In light of the complexity of the EU Green Deal and the new textile strategy, many of the companies will need the support to tackle the challenge. 

How has your business school experience helped you in your life as an entrepreneur?

Other than the extensive knowledge and inspiration I gathered on financial and business models, as well as on the importance of innovation, building the network was crucial. 

Vlerick Business School is known for its extensive student and alumni network and provided me opportunity to leverage these connections into a valuable network. Today, I am still part of the iGMO Academy program.

Building a network is at the heart of what we are building at Ariadne Innovation. Ellie.Connect now has more than 600 users in the textile and fashion business. It is crucial to understand the network and it’s dynamics to be able to build one.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in the early stages of building your business, and how did you overcome them?

The most difficult part at the start is to find the right product market fit. Starting an innovative business model in a mature, classic market is tough. How to define the real pain of the customer is often more challenging than defining a solution to fix it.

During the years, we have to learn to be careful about our partnerships as well. Although a certain partner or customer might seem as a great opportunity at first, they might be the ones that keep you off your path.

An important lesson as well is look for funding when you do not need it. Building financial knowledge is crucial for an entrepreneur. 

As a female entrepreneur, have you encountered any unique obstacles or biases in your entrepreneurial journey? How did you navigate them?

I do have the feeling that women need to prove themselves harder to get the same result. Whether it being raising funding or convincing key customers.

However, I have still not figured our if that is only a feeling or the mere reality. 

What advice would you give to other women who are considering starting their own businesses?

Define your purpose. Be confident. And do not forget to be yourself.

Build your network from the start of your career.

When you have jumped, do not give up. The beginning is always tough. But begin with the end in mind.

Celebrate the small successes. Your first customer, your first team member, your first fund raising.

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