Amsterdam and  New York City will work together in order to stimulate tech startups.

Amsterdam’s deputy mayor Kajsa Ollongren and her New York City colleague Alicia Glen have discussed this during a meeting this week, according to news site NU.nl. (link in Dutch).

The collaboration is one of the first elements of the Startup Amsterdam program that was launched in the beginning of this year. Another important part of the program is the establishment of coding academies for talented entrepreneurs to become software developers.

Amsterdam wants to become the biggest startup hub of Europe. The cooperation between the two cities should make it easier for tech startups and startups in the creative industry to settle in both cities.

Gateway

Amsterdam should become the gateway for startups form the US to enter Europe. Special boot camps will be set up to help startups take the first step. Both cities will moreover help the young companies to get introduced to the local markets, for example by providing legal aid.

According to the town of Amsterdam, most investments from abroad in Dutch companies come from the US. Companies such as Netflix, Tesla and Salesforce have their European headquarters in Amsterdam, a trend that the city wants to stimulate further.

Also, Dutch startups like 3D Hubs and Shapeways have opened up offices in New York. More Dutch companies should follow.