After announcing a new StartupDelta at the Startup Fest Europe earlier this year, the government program aimed at creating a better Dutch startup ecosystem, presented a draft of its first action plan this week.
StartupDelta wrote down 13 concrete action points. The most important change regarding the first ‘class’ of StartupDelta: instead of attention for several clusters within the Netherlands, the Dutch startup ecosystem will be promoted as one single hub – something the community wanted for a while.
Here’s a recap of the plan, you can read it yourself here (pdf / Google Drive). Written down here are the priorities with their objectives.
One Single Hub
The team wants to connect and promote the Dutch startup ecosystem as one single hub. However, within this it also wants to leverage strong clusters – so there will still be some attention for separate regions as well.
Access to Capital
Objectives: grow the overall pool of ‘smart funding’ for startups and attracting foreign (VC) funds to the Netherlands. As a goal, StartupDelta wants to attract at least one top tier VC.
Access to Networks
Objectives:
Link Dutch startups to the rest of the world – for instance with missions to foreign hubs
Increase/improve quality of mentoring for startups – by attracting Dutch founders abroad to mentor and creating role models in a mentor pool. This seems an obvious choice but time will tell it this in theory isn’t too complicated.
Attract/support foreign startups – by lobbying for an European startup visa and increase the attractiveness of The Netherlands. How is not mentioned.
Contribute to relevant international startup networks to complete the ‘European Single Market’ – This is an interesting one: next to ‘participate in the European startup network’ StartupDelta wants to stand up stand up for the European right of access and open markets (issues such as VAT, copyright, data protection and patent law). If The Netherlands can be a forerunner in this, it sure raises attention. Hopefully StartupDelta will lead by example.
Access to Markets
Objectives:
Open up public procurements to startups
Connect startups & corporates – One of StartupDelta’s biggest hobbies, corporates, of course cannot miss in this plan. It wants to connect startups to launching customers with programmes and events like COSTA, Corporate Launchpad and the How To Get There Summit.
Remove barriers for startups & increase access to European markets – for instance adopt labor laws to create the required flexibility for high potential and high risk startups, as well as stimulate governments to create sandboxes for new business models.
Access to Talent & Skills
This priority hasn’t been changed much, and that’s a good thing. The objectives ‘address shortage in tech talent’ and ‘facilitate entrepreneurship in education’ are solid long-term plans.
Access to Knowledge & Technology
Objective: Boost academic startups. This is a tricky one. For instance: connecting universities to each other and to regional startup hubs can be a hassle because institutions still tend to think in hubs. It also wants to improve the attitude of board members of universities and universities of applied science towards startups, spin-outs and entrepreneurship. That’s already happening, but again, I’m not so sure about the cooperation with other universities. Hopefully StartupDelta can prove them otherwise!
If you have suggestions, you can contact the organization.
Of course, this action plan is still a draft. We reached out to StartupDelta for comments.
Image: corgaasbeek @ Pixabay