Willem Delbare
About Willem Delbare
Willem Delbare is a co-founder, CEO and CTO of Aikido Security, a software security company based in Ghent, Belgium. He holds an MSc in Computer Science from Ghent University (2007 to 2012, per Crunchbase).
Before Aikido he co-founded several SaaS companies. The World Economic Forum describes him as a serial entrepreneur with multiple exits: Teamleader, Officient and Futureproofed (now part of Sweco).
Aikido was incorporated in Ghent in October 2022. Wikipedia lists a €2M pre-seed round in January 2023, a €5M seed in November 2023 and a $17M Series A led by Singular in May 2024.
The World Economic Forum bio calls him a prolific angel investor and names Donna, StoryChief, journy.io and Salesflare among his investments. PitchBook records seven investments, dated from 2018 to May 2026. It also lists him as an advisor to StoryChief and journy.io, and Crunchbase lists him as a board advisor at journy.io since July 2020.
On the Lounge deals desk, Delbare took part in the Holmes pre-seed round of €1.1M in May 2026. Crunchbase also lists the Holmes round, with 100IN among the other investors. PitchBook records a further investment in Prelude (Paris) on 20 May 2026 and classes it as business and productivity software. We found no public statement from Delbare about an AI-specific investment thesis.
His recorded deals are mostly early-stage software companies in business and productivity tools, plus one developer-focused API company, Apideck. Holmes is listed as pre-seed and StoryChief as a 2018 seed round. He is based in Belgium, and his portfolio includes European companies.
NFX Signal lists an investment range of $5K to $50K with a $25K sweet spot. That is a third-party profile, and we did not find Delbare stating a check size himself. He has not published a public statement on what he looks for in founders that we could find.
- Holmes: pre-seed round announced in May 2026, which Delbare joined. It is listed on the Lounge deals desk and in Crunchbase.
- Prelude (Paris): early-stage round recorded by PitchBook on 20 May 2026.
- Donna: business software company, investment recorded in June 2024.
- StoryChief: content marketing software. PitchBook records a 2018 seed round and a 2022 deal, and he is also an advisor.
- journy.io: investment recorded in February 2021, and he has been a board advisor since July 2020.
- Salesflare: named in his World Economic Forum bio as an angel investment.
- Apideck: API software company in his PitchBook record, with no date given.
Investing activity
Willem Delbare appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Pre-seed, with a median round size of $1M. The most recent is Holmes (Pre-seed, €1.1M, May 2026).
Willem Delbare most often invests alongside Syndicate One, Louis Jonckheere, 100IN and Belgian-founded tech startups, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Willem Delbare
Who is Willem Delbare?
He is a Belgian software entrepreneur and angel investor based in Ghent. He is CEO and CTO of Aikido Security and co-founded Teamleader, Officient and Futureproofed.
What AI startups has Willem Delbare invested in?
On the Lounge deals desk he is listed in the Holmes €1.1M pre-seed round from May 2026. PitchBook also records a May 2026 investment in Prelude (Paris).
What is Willem Delbare's check size?
He has not stated one publicly that we could find. NFX Signal lists a $5K to $50K range with a $25K sweet spot, but that profile is third-party and unconfirmed.
What stage does Willem Delbare invest in?
His recorded deals are mostly pre-seed and seed rounds in software companies. Holmes was a pre-seed round and StoryChief a seed round.
Does Willem Delbare invest outside Belgium?
Yes. His recorded investments include Prelude, based in Paris, and Holmes, which Crunchbase lists with 100IN among its investors. He is based in Ghent.
Is Willem Delbare an angel investor?
Yes. Willem Delbare invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Willem Delbare invested in?
Willem Delbare's AI investments include Holmes. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Willem Delbare invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Willem Delbare has invested at Pre-seed, with a median round of $1M.
Who does Willem Delbare co-invest with?
Willem Delbare's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Syndicate One (1 deal), Louis Jonckheere (1 deal), 100IN (1 deal), Belgian-founded tech startups (1 deal) and Aikido founders Roeland Delrue (1 deal).
How can founders reach Willem Delbare?
Founders on Lounge can see Willem Delbare's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Willem Delbare to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.