What happens in the startup scene in The Netherlands right now? Find out in another Dutch startup news update!
News & Updates
Listnride is the new Airbnb for X. X in this case is bikes. Interestingly one of the founders of this sharing platform for bikes is (of course) a Dutch. Gert-Jan van Wijk started the service with his German partner Johannes Stuhler. Founded in Germany and expanding to Austria and Zwitserland, Listnride has now set foot in The Netherlands. Individuals as well as companies can offer their bikes on the marketplace for rent. The platform charges a relatively high premium: 7,5 % and 12,5 % transaction fees from respectively the owner and renter. The startup is right now in the process of crowdfunding 150.000 euros. A bike in Amsterdam costs on average between 8 and 18 euro’s a day.
Rockstart starts Amsterdam-based pre-acceleration program: Launchtrack AI
Rockstart has launched the pre-cursor for its AI program, LaunchTrack AI. The founders and teams participating in Launchtrack AI will have a chance to fast-track to the AI accelerator. By starting this pre-accellator progam Rockstart aims to empower first-time entrepreneurs. But also talented engineers and researchers in the AI field who would otherwise join large corporate companies, because of a lack of guidance in entrepreneurship.
Funding
Dutch tech celebrities pour €900.000 in travel startup Polarsteps
The Amsterdam-based travel startup, Polarsteps, has raised €900,000 in seed funding from some of the country’s most successful internet entrepreneurs. Nalden (WeTransfer), Janneke Niessen (Improve Digital), Patrick Kerssemakers (FonQ) en Robert Gaal (Wakoopa, Karma) are some of tech celebrities that participated in this round.
The Amsterdam based startup plans to use the new backing to hire engineers and further develop its product.
Hospitality startup 4SUITES raises $400K form informal investors
4SUITES, a tech startup dedicated to pave the way for the hospitality sector to become smart, mobile and connected has raised 400.000 USD from a group of informal investors.
The Zuthpen-based startup offers hotels, holiday parks and real estate locations the opportunity to provide their customers a smooth digital journey. The capital raised will be used to fuel the expansion of its offering across Europe. Focusing first on the Benelux, Germany, UK and Spain.
Monday Morning Read
Build it and they will come
In the growth marketing community we gladly refer to the 1989 Kevin Costner movie Field of Dreams to refer to the illusion that if you build a product people will miraculously show up and buy your product. Unfortunately a lot of very smart (tech) founders think, like Costner, that their products will sell themselves. Lucky some do understand the importance of sales. However, even to these enlightened teams sales is considered as simple as organising a transaction. Lucky Ben Horowitz of VC firm a16z does a great job in the following article by breaking down your sales channel design. The critical takeaway I want to stress and makes the article even more worth your while: your product, market and the decision making process of your buyers define the succes of your sales strategy. If you’re selling without knowing the buying criteria, incentive structure and decision making process your potential customers apply to buy or refrain from purchasing your product it’s like you’re climbing the Mount Everest blindfolded.
Photo by Ishan @seefromthesky on Unsplash