Start AI · Flanders

Start AI with Litecycle

Three days with an AI expert alongside your team, and you'll know where AI creates value in your business, and where it doesn't. Litecycle has been selected as an expert company for Start AI, the programme by Agoria, Sirris and VLAIO. As a Flemish SME, you only cover 30% of the cost.

Apply for your trajectory What to expect
01

What is Start AI?

Plenty of companies sense AI could matter to them, but don't know where to start. That's what Start AI is for: a coaching programme of the Flemish Industry Partnership, backed by Agoria, Sirris and VLAIO. A selected expert company visits you and looks for the applications that make a difference. Litecycle is one of those expert companies.

A Tailored. No standard AI slide deck, but a close look at how work actually flows in your company today.
B Reviewed. An AI Flanders expert panel assesses every application before the trajectory starts.
C Mostly funded. For a Flemish SME, VLAIO picks up 70% of the bill.
02

Is this for you?

A You run an SME with a site in Flanders. Manufacturing, logistics, services or trade: the sector doesn't matter.
B You're just getting started. Still running on Excel and email? Fine. No IT department or technical knowledge required.
C A larger company? You can follow the trajectory too, at the full rate and without subsidy.
03

What to expect

A Litecycle AI engineer dedicates three days to your company, split over three phases: scan, choose and plan. Part of it happens on site, part in working sessions with the people who know your processes best.

01

Scan

We shadow your team and learn how the business runs today: which tasks, which systems, which data.

  • Interviews with the people doing the work daily.
  • Where is information retyped, searched for, checked or chased by phone?
  • An inventory of your software, document flows and available data.
02

Choose

From all the ideas, we filter out the applications that truly pay off and are realistic to build.

  • Each opportunity is scored on value, difficulty and risk.
  • We work out the business case with you.
  • We spell out what it takes: data, people, privacy and the AI Act.
03

Plan

You get a report you can use tomorrow: the best opportunities, in order, with a step-by-step plan.

  • Where to start, and why exactly there.
  • What you can pick up in-house and where you need outside help.
  • Possible follow-up subsidies to fund the next step.
04

What does it cost?

The programme sets the price.

SME €1,645 excl. VAT. Your own contribution as a Flemish SME. The remaining 70% is covered by the subsidy.
+ €5,468 excl. VAT. The full rate for companies that don't meet the SME definition.
→ Apply through Agoria and VLAIO. We help you with the application. The AI Flanders expert panel approves it.

Amounts as communicated within the programme. Unsure about your SME status? We'll check it together.

05

Why Litecycle?

Litecycle is an AI studio for SMEs. We don't just write reports, we also build and maintain the systems that come out of them.

01 From plan to production. The team that writes the action plan can also deliver it. No hand-off to another agency.
02 Realistic. We know the pitfalls of AI projects and we'll tell you when something isn't a good idea (yet).
03 Focused on return. Every use case gets an estimate of what it delivers, not just what it costs.

And then?

There's no lock-in. If you want to go further, we build the first application with you into a system that runs in your day-to-day operations. For larger projects, we look together at whether a VLAIO development project can add extra funding.

06

Frequently asked questions

Do I qualify?

If you run an SME with a site in Flanders, chances are good. Sector and digital experience don't matter. Unsure about your SME status? We'll figure it out together.

How much time does it take from my team?

The coaching covers three days of expert work. From your side we ask for a few interviews and working sessions with the people who know the processes.

Do I need technical knowledge?

No. We start from your business and your processes, and translate that into what is technically possible and worthwhile.

Who submits the application?

You apply through Agoria and VLAIO. We help you with it, and the AI Flanders expert panel approves the trajectory.

What happens after the programme?

You receive a final report with an action plan. What you do with it is up to you: get started yourself, keep building with Litecycle, or a follow-up project with VLAIO funding.

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