We spoke to some interesting Belgian technology companies in the MWC exhibition area. HeronTrack is developing AirTags-like trackers to find building materials lying around.

The Mobile World Congress has a Belgian touch again this year. For several years, our country has had its own pavilion where companies from Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia can present themselves to the world. The Brussels start-up platform hub.brussels was also represented with its own stand at the fair this year, where we were able to get to know some up-and-coming companies from the region.

The Charleroi-based HeronTrack stand is an immediate eye-catcher. Her table is full of toy tools. But the company didn’t travel to MWC to play, co-founder Luc Francis Jacobs tells us. HeronTrack has developed an automated management system for construction materials. “Construction companies sometimes just don’t know where their material is. We try to help them prevent loss or theft,” says Jacobs.

AirTags

The materials are managed via a mobile application, which Jacobs is happy to show us. “Through the application you can find a tool. To do this, we work with a transmitter that we attach to the tool. The application also shows you which employees are responsible for the material.”

Jacob’s description reminds us of Apple’s AirTags, which you can also attach to your keys to find them again, for example. Jacobs partially agrees. He points out that HeronTrack’s sensors are much more discreet and also have a longer range than Apple’s transmitters, up to two hundred meters. The condition of the devices can also be checked via the application in order to plan maintenance in good time.

HeronTrack came to MWC to attract investors. Jacobs: “We started a capital round to raise one million euros in capital. Mobile World Congress is the perfect opportunity to meet potential investors.”