Minister Henk Kamp and Startup Envoy Constantijn van Oranje to lead high-tech trade mission to US West Coast
5 March, 2021 by
Minister Henk Kamp and Startup Envoy Constantijn van Oranje to lead high-tech trade mission to US West Coast
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We are glad to share that our co-organizing partner for the high-tech trade mission to CES 2017 and Silicon Valley, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, has officially announced the trip and released the program of Minister Kamp! Read their press release here:

 

The improved positioning of Dutch tech startups in the US market can help attract capital and talent while simultaneously strengthening collaboration opportunities with American companies. From 5 to 10 January, Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Henk Kamp will lead a high-tech trade mission to the West Coast of the United States to focus on these central themes. Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, Special Envoy for StartupDelta, an umbrella organization that represents the interests of the Dutch startup ecosystem, will join Minister Kamp as head of the business delegation. Over 100 Dutch companies and knowledge institutes, mostly from the high-tech and startup sector, will join the 97th trade mission of the Dutch government to explore new collaborations with American partners in the field of photonics, smart and e-mobility, and energy storage.

The company visits, network events, bilateral and roundtable chats with potential US business partners and investors will take place in Las Vegas during CES. The CES is known as the largest trade show for consumer electronics in the world. After CES the trade mission continues to San Francisco and San José/Silicon Valley with visits to the leading Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley.

“The Netherlands is one of the top European countries in the field of innovation and boasts one of the most competitive economies globally. Our entrepreneurs have a lot to offer when it comes to technology. With that in mind, we are delighted to bring a large delegation of ambitious companies and promising startups to the world’s largest technology trade show and on the subsequent visit to the most innovative region in the world, “ said His Excellency Minister Kamp. “Our goal is to support innovative Dutch companies that focus on smart and clean mobility, robotics, photonics and energy transition in showcasing their product or service and to help them build and expand their American network. As Dutch companies are at the forefront of these fields, we see many opportunities for cross-fertilization. We further aim to bring home the latest and most innovative technologies and information. This will benefit the Netherlands through extra income generation and job creation.”

CES: the world’s most important technology trade show

On Thursday January 5th, the Minister kicks off the economic trade mission with a visit to CES, the largest and most important technology trade show in the world. The trade show showcases the latest products, solutions and innovations in the field of existing and new consumer electronics. Previous years saw the demonstration and launch of Windows operating system updates, electric cars and new gaming technologies. Every major player from the technology industry is represented at CES. The trade show will further host many innovative companies from the Netherlands, eager to show their products. In fact, this year CES will see the first ever Holland Startup Pavilion, which is shared by 22 Dutch startups.

Minister Kamp and Startup Envoy Prince Constantijn will officially open the Holland Startup Pavilion on Thursday afternoon. Following the opening the Startup Envoy will show the Minister around the Pavilion. That evening, Minister Kamp will kick off the Holland Innovation and Startup Network Event for an audience of 300 leading entrepreneurs. The high number of participating startups shows the combined strength of, and interest in, Dutch high-tech companies and startups. On Friday January 6th, Minister Kamp will get a tour to see the highlights at CES, both from Dutch as well as international companies.

Silicon Valley: global center for innovation

From Sunday January 8 onwards, Minister Kamp will lead a three-day high-tech trade mission to California, where he will visit San Francisco and Silicon Valley. The Valley is seen as the global center for high-tech innovation. Companies like Google, Facebook, Apple, Intel, Tesla and Cisco were founded, and are still headquartered, in Silicon Valley. The region further boasts a number of knowledge institutes that excel in fundamental research, such as Stanford and Berkeley University. Based on the successful Dutch top sector format, Minister Kamp will connect Dutch companies with local governments, knowledge institutes and companies. 

On Sunday morning, Minister Kamp will visit the Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey. STELLA, the World Champion solar-powered family car from the University of Eindhoven, will attempt to break the record at the racetrack. STELLA perfectly represents what this trade mission is about. Innovation, smart and clean mobility, robotics, photonics and energy technology: everything converged into one. The engineers that built STELLA, students of the University of Eindhoven, have recently launched Atlas Technologies, a startup that aims to bring a solar-powered SUV to market.

On Monday January 9, Minister Kamp is scheduled for a number of bilateral meetings, among others with the US Secretary of Environmental Protection Rodriquez. The Minister will further give a keynote presentation at the Smart E-mobility conference. In this speech he will call attention to the leading role of the Netherlands in promoting clean and smart mobility. The Minister will continue to Berkeley University where he will address around 100 Berkeley students to talk about entrepreneurship in general and the strength of the Dutch entrepreneurial climate. The day will be concluded with a business diner with around 250 international business leaders.

On Tuesday January 10, Minister Kamp  will open the Emerging Technologies Summit at Stanford University, after which Diarmuid O’Connell, VP Business Development of Tesla, will give a keynote. At this Summit, Dutch and American counterparts will continue to exchange the latest technologies in the fields of smart e-mobility, robotics, photonics and energy transition. The visit to the Valley will be concluded with a visit to Tesla headquarters.

 

Contact information

For more information on the high-tech trade mission, interview requests etcetera, please contact Pim van Strien, spokesperson to Minister Kamp: [email protected] and +31 6 19900776.

 

For information regarding the role of StartupDelta or interview requests to Special Envoy Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, please contact Maxime Bakker, personal assistant to the Prince: [email protected] and +31 6 83531312.

                        

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