A coffee alternative made from Luxembourg-grown lupin, a startup targeting billions of litres of lost water, and a call to put people back at the centre of entrepreneurship: Jonk Entrepreneuren Luxembourg brought young founders to the Nexus Luxembourg 2026 stage after Meagan Loyst’s opening keynote.
The founder of Ecoffee Luxembourg, 
Founded in 2024 as a school project involving six Luxembourg students, Ecoffee continued after the project ended when Calisti Thill decided to pursue the venture independently. “This is Ecoffee, on a mission to redefine what the daily coffee means for people, for health, and for the planet,” he told the audience.
The founder argued that traditional coffee carries a heavy environmental footprint, requiring long transport routes and large quantities of water. Ecoffee’s lupin-based alternative, cultivated in Luxembourg, aims to reduce transport emissions while offering a locally sourced product.
The startup’s ambitions extend beyond coffee. “Ecoffee is just the beginning of something much bigger,” Calisti Thill said. “It is the first step towards a lupine universe.”
That vision includes protein snacks, protein bars, flour, and meat alternatives derived from lupin. To support those plans, the company is seeking €200,000 in funding, with the investment earmarked for production, operations, marketing, packaging, and logistics. “There is no waiting. Everything is ready,” he said.
Smart4Leak takes aim at water losses
The focus then shifted from food innovation to water management as the founders of Smart4Leak presented a solution designed to detect leaks in municipal water networks.
According to the team, Luxembourg loses 3.9 billion litres of water every year due to leaks, while losses across Europe reach between 8.9 and 12.8 trillion litres annually.
“We cannot accept it,” one of the founders said.
The startup’s technology combines sensors, monitoring software, and real-time alerts to help municipalities identify leaks more quickly and reduce water waste. Smart4Leak plans to target Luxembourg’s municipalities before expanding into neighbouring markets and eventually across Europe.
The founders also pointed to tightening regulations and growing concerns around water scarcity as factors driving demand for solutions that improve network efficiency.
Putting people at the centre
From left to right: Daniel, Anton, Diogo, and Alex, the founders of Smart4Leak. The startup develops leak detection technology designed to help municipalities reduce water waste. (Photo: Paperjam)
Closing the session, Jonk Entrepreneuren Luxembourg director Sven Baltes reflected on the role entrepreneurship education plays in preparing young people for a rapidly evolving economy.
Drawing on nearly a decade spent working with entrepreneurs, innovators, and startup founders, Baltes said one challenge consistently emerges: talent.
“We have to make sure that we ask the right questions at this stage to make sure that the talent is well prepared,” he said.
Baltes highlighted creativity, critical thinking, ownership, and proactivity among the skills that will become increasingly valuable as industries continue to evolve. He also argued that technology alone is not enough. “We have to put the people back in the center of everything that we try to do,” he said.
Returning to the theme of encounters introduced throughout the session, Baltes encouraged attendees to use Nexus as an opportunity to build connections that could shape future careers, businesses, and collaborations.
