Here’s your weekly Dutch startup news update.
Funding & Updates
European tech funding dropped 17 percent to €3.4 billion in Q3 2016. Decreased activity in UK and Germany are to blame, says TechEU.
Startupbootcamp alumni ULU secured an investment of around one million euro to buy Chinese hardware company Velio. The money was invested by new ULU ceo Christian Kerssens (also co-founder of Velio) and the Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM).
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 last week.
Last week, the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) opened in Rotterdam (Groothandelsgebouw). CIC was founded in 1999 in Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts and houses more than 1000 companies in close to 50,000 square meters of office and co-working space across eight facilities. CIC is famous for companies like Android and GreatPoint Energy. CIC ceo Marcus Fernhout expects to attract entrepreneurs form all over Europe and Asia.
Accenture and mobility company Toogethr have launched a new service in the business district of Amsterdam (Zuidas), presenting an app for people who work in the busy area to share a car ride. “The Zuidas attracts 65.000 people each day, but has only 11.000 parking spots”, says ceo Michel Boerrigter.
The transfer of family companies will become more expensive in The Netherlands. Secretary of State Eric Wiebes (Finance) wants to exclude some forms of company capital from tax exemption, says Het Financieele Dagblad.
Secretary of State Martijn van Dam (Economy) has promised 8 million euro for innovation in the Food and Agriculture sectors, he said at the opening of the Dutch Agri Food week in Arnhem last week. (Link in Dutch)
Monday Reads
Trello: Technology is always evolving, bringing new ways to make us work faster and smarter. Or is it just making us work harder to keep up? Depending on where you normally fit into the technology adoption lifecycle, your attitude towards learning new digital skills can range from “LET’S DO THIS!” to “@#%$!…!”15 Ways To Master The Trello App For Slack [Infographic]
New York Times: Peter Thiel, true to his reputation as the most contrarian soul in Silicon Valley, is doubling down on Donald J. Trump. The only prominent supporter of the Republican candidate in the high-tech community is making his first donation in support of Mr. Trump’s election. He will give $1.25 million through a combination of super PAC donations and funds given directly to the campaign, a person close to the investor said on Saturday.
Image credit: Wikimedia, Groothandelsgebouw (location of CIC) Rotterdam
