In a world awash with data, making sense of it and keeping it reliable can feel like navigating a stormy sea. From academic research to “unicorn” status, VUB spin-off Collibra redefined how organisations can trust, understand and use their data to create value.
The challenge: Taming data chaos within organisations
Data and AI are only as powerful as the trust behind them. Organizations today face growing complexity - hybrid ecosystems, fragmented governance and rising regulatory demands. Collibra delivers a complete platform for data and AI governance, giving teams the visibility, control and confidence to turn data into a trusted asset.
The solution: Creation of a powerful unified semantic platform
At VUB’s STARLab (Laboratory for Semantic Technology and Applications Research), researchers focused on semantic technology, using formal models to represent knowledge clearly and consistently. Building on 10 years of expertise, these insights were translated into a practical solution: software that could help organisations define, manage and govern their data assets in one unified platform. In 2008, Felix Van de Maele, Stijn Christiaens, and other co-founders spun Collibra out of VUB with the mission to make data governance intuitive and collaborative.
By combining advanced semantic modelling with user-friendly design, Collibra’s platform enables teams to agree on definitions, track data lineage, assign ownership and enforce policies - transforming chaotic data landscapes into trusted business assets. They accelerate trusted business outcomes by connecting the right data, insights and algorithms to all Data Citizens. Their cloud-based platform connects IT and the business to build a data-driven culture for the digital enterprise.
The impact: A Belgian Unicorn with global reach
From finance to healthcare to retail, organisations adopted the platform to support compliance, enable self-service analytics and drive data-driven strategies. The company grew rapidly, opening offices in New York, London, Paris and beyond. In 2019, Collibra reached “unicorn” status with a valuation exceeding $1 billion, making it one of Belgium’s most successful tech scale-ups. Collibra employs hundreds of people globally and serves some of the world’s largest organisations. The company has won several awards and is named a Leader by Gartner, Forrester, IDC, Floor and other analysts.
Collibra’s story showcases the power of university spin-offs to translate fundamental research into transformative industry solutions. With VUB’s support and the founders’ entrepreneurial vision, Collibra didn’t just address the data chaos challenge - it redefined how organisations can trust, understand and use their data to create value.
Global organizations choose Collibra to unlock the value of their data and turn it into a strategic, competitive asset. With offices in the US, Belgium, The Netherlands, Australia, France, UK, Czech Republic and Poland, they make data easy to find, understand and use - confidently.
“We are entering the era of agentic AI, where systems don’t just suggest answers; they take actions. And every enterprise scaling AI today is paying a hallucination tax: the hidden cost of manual oversight, rework, and risk that grows with every new agent in production. The AI Command Center eliminates that tax. It gives organizations real-time visibility, continuous control, and the confidence to run AI at the pace it operates.”
Felix Van de Maele, Co-founder of Collibra
Collibra empowers Data Citizens to take command of data and AI, transforming possibilities into progress.
