Ismaël Ben-Al-Lal: ‘You have to run your own race, otherwise you’ll blow yourself up’

For some, life as an entrepreneur starts at a steady trot; others set the pace right away. Ismaël Ben-Al-Lal certainly belongs to that second category. As CEO of Futech and iLumen, among others, he is at the forefront of the renewable energy solutions of today and tomorrow. The common thread throughout his life? Keeping his eyes forward and just going for it. Both in his career and on his way to what is now his tenth (!) Ironman participation.

Ismaël Ben-Al-Lal: 'Our credo: Stop talking, start acting. A mindset that is still very much alive in all our companies today.'

Ismaël laid the roots of his entrepreneurship at a young age, during a gap year, no less. On the other side of the world, all the way Down Under. ‘When I was in the third year of my Industrial Engineering studies in Leuven, I first heard about the World Solar Challenge. That’s a race of more than 3,000 km through the Australian desert between cars powered entirely by solar energy. As an aspiring engineer, I absolutely wanted to participate.’

‘We put together a team of fifteen fellow students and decided to interrupt our studies for a year to build our own solar car and participate. It was a huge success. Not only did we finish second, but we also attracted a lot of Belgian sponsors. I was surprised by how much high-end technology was already present in our country back then and how innovative many companies were, from SMEs to corporates.’

Stop talking, start acting

The seed was planted and soon began to sprout. Upon his return to Belgium, Ismaël founded Futech with a colleague from his solar team, initially focusing on the solar panel market. Today, he is the CEO of U2P, which houses several renewable energy companies. From solar panels to heat pumps and from battery systems to charging stations.

‘Furthermore, with iLumen, we have our own R&D center. We develop our own products there, such as the smart application iLusmart, which ensures you use as much of your own solar energy as possible to keep your energy bill as low as possible.’

‘Our vision as a company? We want to facilitate the energy transition. In 2007, for example, you often heard that electric driving would never happen, even though the technology already existed. With Futech, we wanted to accelerate the renewable story. Our credo: Stop talking, start acting. A mindset that is still very much alive in all our companies today.’

‘That means we have a very result-driven policy. If you hear “no” three times, it should only make you hungrier to succeed. We expect our people to show ownership. In return, they get all the freedom they need. If they pitch an idea for a new product or application during a brainstorm, they get the time and resources to develop it within a self-managing team. We evaluate the progress after two months. Such an approach means that as a CEO, you must also provide the space to make mistakes. To replace control with trust. If you can’t do that, you can’t claim to have an innovation culture.’

‘You must be able to replace control with trust; otherwise, you cannot claim an innovation culture.’

What would my (grand)children be proud of?

‘No matter how technically minded we are, that drive for innovation goes hand in hand with a human-centric approach. We only develop products that we believe would make our children and even grandchildren proud. And we do that with people who share the original Futech DNA: trying to change the world in a positive way by persevering.’

‘For that reason, we are still closely involved with the Solar Challenge. For instance, every two years we organize the 24 Hours iLumen European Solar Challenge at Circuit Zolder, an initiative I started together with our commercial director Frans Joosten. We stay true to who we are and where it all began. That also means we run our own race, without measuring ourselves against the competition. We set our own pace as a company. If you don’t, you’ll blow the engine.’

‘My family makes me realize every single day that as an entrepreneur, I also have to make the right ethical choices. I want to make them proud and create impact in a positive way.’

Everyone needs their desert

What does more than 15 years of entrepreneurship do to a person? Is Ismaël Ben-Al-Lal even the same entrepreneur in 2025? ‘My role is more fascinating than ever. Finance, management, looking for new entrepreneurs to support our U2P goals… The big difference is perhaps that today, more than ever, I get energy from motivating others and helping them grow. After all, it is and remains a very volatile sector where things can change quickly due to crazy political statements, local regulations, you name it. Agility is therefore the key to success for us. And everyone has to be able to handle that.’

‘The home front too, by the way. Fortunately, I enjoy a lot of support from friends and family. Especially from my wife—for more than 24 years now—and my two children. They make me realize every day that as an entrepreneur, I must make the right ethical choices. I want to make them proud and create impact in a positive way.’

Ismaël also draws the energy and focus to achieve all this from sports. Triathlon, specifically. ‘In a previous life, I was way overweight; I had never even sat on a bike, so to speak (laughs). I threw myself into sports because it allowed me to literally disconnect from everything for a while. The runner’s high that kicks in, the refreshing shower afterwards, and the new ideas that seem to come naturally: wonderful! I think everyone needs a desert like that for themselves, where they can just be with themselves for a moment.’

And suddenly, things moved very fast. ‘In 2014, I climbed Mont Ventoux for the first time; in 2015, I ran my first marathon. And then I discovered my great love for the Ironman. It started with Lanzarote, and Hawaii followed. I was bitten by the bug and kept dedicating myself to it. In 2018, I won the Ironman Taiwan, an absolute highlight. Currently, I’m working toward my tenth participation, the European Championship in Hamburg. A beautiful milestone, exactly in the year I turn 40.’

How we made Futech & iLumen stand out

Ismaël and his team were looking for a marketing partner who could provide their companies, Futech and iLumen, with both more brand awareness and commercial opportunities.

‘As a growing company in a complex sector with numerous challenges, we were specifically looking for a total solution, but above all an outside-the-box approach. With a focus on brand awareness toward potential customers and employees on one hand, and lead generation to grow across various sectors on the other.’ We translated those marketing ambitions into a convincing brand strategy and communication plan, topped off with a rock-solid lead funnel. Ready to stand out!

What would our joint story sound like?

Are you still looking for that marketing and communication partner who truly—and we mean truly—understands your company? Our main ambition is to fully grasp your business 100%. Only then can we deliver on our outstanding marketing skills for you. Ready to bring our ambitions and stories together? Meet our heart hunters and let us steal your marketing heart.