StartupDelta and VNO-NCW, The Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers have launched an action agenda to stimulate collaboration between startups and corporates in the Dutch StartupDelta ecosystem and to actively push the startup agenda. The agenda is part of the efforts of StartupDelta to make the Dutch startup and scale-up ecosystem ranked in Europe’s top 3.
StartupDelta and VNO-NCW have joined forces to build onto the successes of the Dutch ecosystem and to connect startups and corporates. The action agenda comprises a joint effort to change current policies and systems into more competitive ones. For example fiscal regulations, impulses for an improved incubator infrastructure, the role of governments to become launching customer.
VNO-NCW is the largest employers’ organization in the Netherlands and has an extensive network of captains of industry and R&D directors that are committed to boost collaboration with startups. VNO-NCW will also activate this to become ambassadors of innovative startups. Together with MKB-Nederland, The Royal Dutch Association for SME’s (the largest entrepreneurs’ organization in the Netherlands) entrepreneurship initiatives as The Next Entrepreneur and ‘Week van de Ondernemer’ will be more geared towards startups.
In January of this year, StartupDelta was launched by Special Envoy for startups Neelie Kroes to enhance the business climate for startups in the Netherlands and to make it the largest and best connected startup ecosystem in Europe. Innovation networks were connected and changes to the system were implemented to become a champion breeding ground for startups and scale-ups. StartupDelta also identified that in order to strengthen the startup ecosystem startups and corporates need to enhance collaboration and connectedness.
Startups are pivotal to the economy, because they rapidly generate jobs and innovate at a tremendous speed. Their disruptive business models can overturn existing markets and systems, creating new markets and room for growth to new contenders in the market. The fast growing startups, also known as scale-ups, are a driving force for innovation and growth in the Netherlands and therefor need to be fostered.
The Netherlands offers a stimulating environment for innovative fast growing companies, due to the world renowned (digital) infrastructure, top ranked education system and competitive open market. According to the World Economic Forum the Netherlands ranks 5th on its list of most competitive countries in the world. This is a good point of departure, but to become a leading ecosystem in the startup world, StartupDelta and VNO-NCW have formulated an action agenda. The agenda contains 9 concrete actions to further strengthen the startup and scale-up ecosystem, for the coming months and on a more structural level for the long-term.
Here you find a downloadable version of the action agenda (in Dutch). Please also visit the VNO-NCW website for more information and follow-up.