An ed-tech entrepreneur from Belgium, Gauthier Van Malderen is disrupting thetraditional academic publishing industry. He is the Founder and CEO of Perlego, theworld’s first digital, subscription-based service for textbooks. Inspired by popular online streaming services, Perlego is a ‘Netflix for books’, offering a library of over one million e-textbooks, plus additional learning resources. The affordable alternative to traditional textbooks breaks down barriers to education for students and also supports the publishing industry’s digital transition. Van Malderen has previously founded several other innovative businesses, including Iconic Matter, a marketing company foruniversity-branded merchandise, and the Teenage Tourist social platform for students to exchange travelling tips. A champion of entrepreneurial ventures beyond his own, Van Malderen continues to support the Belgian early-stage tech ecosystem through investment, knowledge sharing and mentorship as a Member of Syndicate One, a group of experienced start-up stakeholders and is the Belgian representative of European Young Leaders, a new generation of leaders recognised by Friends of Europe as an individual with the ability to inspire action and generate change.
