Walter De Brouwer
Encyclopedia
Walter De Brouwer is a Belgian futurist, semiotician and internet
entrepreneur
.
. He earned earned a Masters degree in linguistics
from the University of Ghent in 1980 and a PhD
in Semiotics
from Tilburg University in 2005. He was a lecturer at the University of Antwerp
(UFSIA) and an adjunct professor at the International University of Monaco
from 2001-2004. He is an Entrepreneur in Residence with the Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning at Judge Business School
at the University of Cambridge
since 2004. He sits on the editorial advisory board of the Journal for Chinese Entrepreneurship.
. He then published the cyberpunk magazine Wave, edited by Michel Bauwens
and designed by Niels Shoe Meulman
. Wave was a cult Belgian avantgarde magazine which joined Boing-Boing and Mondo 2000 as bridge between the underground and the world of the future.
. In April 1998 the company was sold to Qwest Communications International, which in turn later merged EUnet in with the ill fated KPNQwest.. In 1999, his electronic employment site Jobscape
merged with eight similar sites to make up Stepstone
. Stepstone went public with a price tag of £365m on the London Stock Exchange.
In 2008, De Brouwer set up OLPC Europe, the European branch of One Laptop per Child.Curtis, Sophie (January 11, 2010). Poor Families to get Government Laptops. eWeek Europe
In 1996, he set up Starlab
. It specialized in blue skies research
, deep future research, and BANG (Bits, Atoms, Neurons and Genes) research. Starlab produced generic patents in intelligent clothing, and worked on time travel
. One of its spinoffs (spitters.com) was collecting spit for personal genomics typing, what 23andme
started doing 6 years later. The laboratory closed during the dot-com bubble
in 2001.
In 2011 De Brouwer joined the Brain-Computer-Interface company Emotiv, where he became the CEO of Europe.
He is a board member of Tau Zero Foundation, formerly known as NASA’s Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Program which recently published the state-of-the-art work The Frontiers of Propulsion.
. In 2005 he spoke at the World Spirit Forum. . He is a non-executive board member of Bboxx.
De Brouwer is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
and served as President of RSA Europe from 2006 to 2008. He is a member of TED
, a Founding Member of TEDGlobal, and curator of TEDxBrussels and TEDxKids Brussels. He is a Knight in the Order of Leopold
and a member of the Education Board of the Lifeboat Foundation. Since 2009 De Brouwer is the Director of the Founder Institute Brussels. He has guest posted on Quantified Self.
De Brouwer has two children with his current wife and a daughter from a previous marriage.
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
.
Academic
De Brouwer was born in Aalst, BelgiumAalst, Belgium
Aalst is a city and municipality on the Dender River, 19 miles northwest from Brussels. It is located in the Flemish province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek. The municipality comprises the city of Aalst itself and the villages of Baardegem, Erembodegem, Gijzegem, Herdersem, Hofstade,...
. He earned earned a Masters degree in linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
from the University of Ghent in 1980 and a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Semiotics
Semiotics
Semiotics, also called semiotic studies or semiology, is the study of signs and sign processes , indication, designation, likeness, analogy, metaphor, symbolism, signification, and communication...
from Tilburg University in 2005. He was a lecturer at the University of Antwerp
University of Antwerp
The University of Antwerp is one of the major Belgian universities located in the city of Antwerp. The name is sometimes abbreviated as UA.-History:...
(UFSIA) and an adjunct professor at the International University of Monaco
International University of Monaco
The International University of Monaco is an English-language school in Monaco, specializing in business education. IUM is operated by the Institut des hautes études économiques et commerciales group of schools, which is owned by Career Education Corporation a US-listed professional education...
from 2001-2004. He is an Entrepreneur in Residence with the Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning at Judge Business School
Judge Business School
Cambridge Judge Business School, formerly known as the Judge Institute of Management Studies, is the business school of the University of Cambridge. Established in 1990, the School is a provider of management education and is consistently ranked as one of the world's leading business schools. It is...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
since 2004. He sits on the editorial advisory board of the Journal for Chinese Entrepreneurship.
Publisher
De Brouwer set up Riverland Publications in 1990 to publish personal computer magazines. In 1994, De Brouwer sold his titles to VNUVNU
Nielsen is a global marketing and advertising research company headquartered in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Nielsen is active in over 100 countries, and employs some 32,000 people worldwide...
. He then published the cyberpunk magazine Wave, edited by Michel Bauwens
Michel Bauwens
Michel Bauwens is a Belgian Peer-to-Peer theorist and an active writer, researcher and conference speaker on the subject of technology, culture and business innovation.-Biography:...
and designed by Niels Shoe Meulman
Niels Shoe Meulman
Niels Shoe Meulman is a visual artist, graffiti writer, graphic designer and art director, based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
. Wave was a cult Belgian avantgarde magazine which joined Boing-Boing and Mondo 2000 as bridge between the underground and the world of the future.
Internet
In 1996 De Brouwer was one of the founders of PING, later sold to EUnetEUnet
The roots of EUnet go back to 1982 and the first international UUCP connections. From a very loose collaboration of individual sites under the auspices of the EUUG , it evolved to the fully commercial entity EUnet International Ltd.In April 1998 the company was sold to Qwest Communications...
. In April 1998 the company was sold to Qwest Communications International, which in turn later merged EUnet in with the ill fated KPNQwest.. In 1999, his electronic employment site Jobscape
merged with eight similar sites to make up Stepstone
Stepstone
Stepstone, originally named Productivity Products International , was a software company founded in 1983 by Brad Cox and Tom Love, best known for releasing the original version of the Objective-C programming language....
. Stepstone went public with a price tag of £365m on the London Stock Exchange.
In 2008, De Brouwer set up OLPC Europe, the European branch of One Laptop per Child.Curtis, Sophie (January 11, 2010). Poor Families to get Government Laptops. eWeek Europe
Research labs
In 1996, he set up Starlab
Starlab
Starlab NV/SA was a multidisciplinary, blue skies research institute in operation from 1996 to 2001 and based in Brussels, Belgium. A second base of operations, Starlab Barcelona, was established in 2000 and remains in operation.-History:...
. It specialized in blue skies research
Blue skies research
Blue skies research is scientific research in domains where "real-world" applications are not immediately apparent...
, deep future research, and BANG (Bits, Atoms, Neurons and Genes) research. Starlab produced generic patents in intelligent clothing, and worked on time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
. One of its spinoffs (spitters.com) was collecting spit for personal genomics typing, what 23andme
23andMe
23andMe is a privately held personal genomics and biotechnology company based in Mountain View, California that is developing new methods and technologies that will enable consumers to understand their own genetic information...
started doing 6 years later. The laboratory closed during the dot-com bubble
Dot-com bubble
The dot-com bubble was a speculative bubble covering roughly 1995–2000 during which stock markets in industrialized nations saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the more...
in 2001.
In 2011 De Brouwer joined the Brain-Computer-Interface company Emotiv, where he became the CEO of Europe.
He is a board member of Tau Zero Foundation, formerly known as NASA’s Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Program which recently published the state-of-the-art work The Frontiers of Propulsion.
Other activities
In 2003 he placed a bid for bankrupt company DataPlayDataPlay
DataPlay is an optical disc system developed by DataPlay Inc. and released to the consumer market in 2002. Using very small disks enclosed in a protective cartridge storing 250MB per side, DataPlay was intended primarily for portable music playback, including both pre-recorded disks and...
. In 2005 he spoke at the World Spirit Forum. . He is a non-executive board member of Bboxx.
De Brouwer is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
and served as President of RSA Europe from 2006 to 2008. He is a member of TED
TED
TED may refer to:* TED , an annual multidisciplinary conference* TED spread, the yield spread between U.S...
, a Founding Member of TEDGlobal, and curator of TEDxBrussels and TEDxKids Brussels. He is a Knight in the Order of Leopold
Order of Leopold
Order of Leopold may refer to:* Order of Leopold , founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918* Order of Leopold , founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium...
and a member of the Education Board of the Lifeboat Foundation. Since 2009 De Brouwer is the Director of the Founder Institute Brussels. He has guest posted on Quantified Self.
De Brouwer has two children with his current wife and a daughter from a previous marriage.