The City of Amsterdam has opened the registration for the third edition of ‘Startup in Residence’, the startup programme of the City. Following the successful editions of 2015-2016 and 2016-2017, the City is again seeking startups to propose creative and innovative solutions for societal challenges. Registration closes on 8 October 2017 at midnight.
For this third edition, the City has defined 20 challenges. These range from ‘how do we promote an inclusive and responsive city’ to ‘how do we keep the city clean (waste and nightlife nuisance)’, and from ‘how can our public space become part of the circular economy’ to ‘how can we reduce food wastage’. This edition also features a ‘wildcard challenge’, inviting startups to propose a solution for a challenge that has not been formally defined.
The complete list of challenges is available at startupinresidence.com. The City is organising an information meeting on 4 September for all startups that are interested in participating. Here, they will have the opportunity to ask questions about the challenges, about the incubator programme, and about the (registration) process.
“With the ‘Startup in Residence’ programme, the City of Amsterdam takes a more outward-looking approach to identify the developments occurring in the city and to find the best possible solutions for the challenges we encounter”, explains Kajsa Ollongren, Deputy Mayor and Alderman of the City of Amsterdam. “The municipal bodies don’t need to address our issues on their own, but can work with young and eager entrepreneurs to tackle urban challenges. In this way, we can contribute to enhancing the quality of life in Amsterdam, while at the same time kick-starting the careers of startups.”
“The ‘Startup in Residence’ programme is in fact a startup in itself”, adds Minouche Cramer, Startup Officer of the City of Amsterdam. “We learnt a lot during the first two editions, and we have used those lessons to develop and make this third programme even better.” As part of the new programme, the City is also organising training sessions for the civil servants involved, as well as interested colleagues. “These training sessions devote a lot of attention to how startups work, what the associated methods are, and how municipal bodies can learn from the ‘startup working method’. Our goal is to bring startups and civil servants closer together”, says Cramer. In turn, startups will gain insight into decision and procurement processes within the City of Amsterdam.
As part of the ‘Startup in Residence’ programme, the City of Amsterdam also offers startups an extensive six-month training programme. The participating startups will have the support of civil servants with regard to the content of the challenge, and of experienced entrepreneurs with regard to entrepreneurship (mentors). The City and its partners will make work spaces available for the startups, and they will also have the opportunity to conduct pilots and to validate products in Amsterdam. It is the City’s intention to act as their launching customer at the end of the programme.