Katleen Vandersmissen

Katleen joined the Private Capital Belgium board in 2022.

Katleen Vandermissen is the Managing Partner of Heran Partners, a venture capital investment firm specializing in healthcare and life sciences, with a focus on innovative startups and scale-ups. As Managing Partner she leads the overall organization and long-term strategy of HERAN, overseeing investment decisions, fundraising activities, and portfolio management.

Prior to joining Heran Partners in 2020, Katleen built a strong track record in healthcare investment through her role as Head of the Health & Care department at LRM, a government-backed institutional investor, where she worked for 7 years and got to know the world of startups and scale ups in the life science sector inside out.

Earlier in her career, Katleen worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, where she focused on strategy and M&A, gaining exposure to a wide range of industries and refining her strategic skill set. Prior to that, she served as Investor Relations and R&D Laboratory Manager at Umicore, where she led one of the labs and managed investment projects, sparking her interest in the intersection of science and business.

In parallel to her role at Heran Partners, Katleen is a member of the Investment Committee of Qbic II, an interuniversity seed and venture capital firm. She also serves on the Board of Directors of  BC10/In4Care, a healthcare-focused members’ organization in Belgium.

Katleen holds a PhD in Chemistry from KU Leuven and a degree in Corporate Finance from the same university.