Rudy Dekeyser

Rudy Dekeyser is a Belgian molecular biologist turned life-sciences investor. He earned a PhD in molecular biology / biotechnology from the University of Ghent, and his early academic work (late 1980s–early 1990s) focused on plant gene expression and rice transformation. He later served as a senior advisor in life sciences at IWT in Belgium and became a visiting professor of innovation and management at the University of Ghent.

He is best known as co-founder and Managing Director of VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology), which he helped build "from a white sheet of paper" into one of Europe's leading life-sciences research institutes, running it for roughly 17 years until May 2012. At VIB he also led technology transfer, signing more than 900 option/license/R&D agreements and spinning out 12 start-ups (including seven venture-backed biotechs such as Ablynx, Actogenix, DevGen, and CropDesign). He co-founded the Association of European Science and Technology Transfer Professionals (ASTP) and has held board roles at companies including EMBLEM (EMBL's tech-transfer arm), reMYND, and Peakadilly.

In 2012 Dekeyser joined LSP (Life Sciences Partners), the Amsterdam-based life-sciences VC, as Managing Partner to lead its Health Economics Funds — a strategy investing globally in medtech, diagnostics, and digital health. In 2017 he closed LSP Health Economics Fund 2 (HEF 2) at €280 million, described at the time as the largest dedicated medtech fund in Europe. When LSP was acquired by and merged into EQT in 2022 (becoming EQT Life Sciences), Dekeyser became a Partner at EQT and Head of its Health Economic Funds, the role he holds today.

• Invests through a "health economics" lens: backing innovation that simultaneously improves the quality of patient care and keeps (or reduces) overall healthcare costs — the core screen for a "yes."
• Focuses on medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health, typically later-stage private companies with proven or near-proven products rather than early discovery-stage science.
• Deploys large institutional tickets from a €280M fund (HEF 2), with a plan of roughly 15 portfolio companies — implying concentrated, sizeable positions and active board involvement.
• Invests across Europe and the US, using capital to help companies scale commercially (e.g., funding US expansion for portfolio companies).
• Brings deep operator/tech-transfer credibility from building VIB and spinning out biotech companies, so he engages hands-on on strategy, partnerships, and building companies toward exit.