From fossil fuels to green energy, the digitization of society, and a more sustainable food industry, we live in a time of massive changes. On the one hand, that offers hope. A greener, better future in which we treat the earth better is on the horizon. The Netherlands has 9,093 startups that are instrumental in accelerating those transitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, labor productivity and our capacity for innovation need to catch up. ” It’s not because we don’t have enough startups, innovative ideas, and entrepreneurs,” observes Arjan van den Born, ROM regio Utrecht general director. “Many solutions exist for more efficient care, but the ideas are not getting into the hospitals. Whereas, in 15 years, there will be twice as much cancer in the Netherlands as now. So we have to make care more efficient and better, with the same amount of people. Then you have to innovate, and you can’t do that without startups. As ROM Netherlands<\/a> (the nine regional development companies in the Netherlands, ed.), we try to make a difference in that playing field.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStartups represent innovation and thus guarantee the future earning power of the Netherlands. ROM Netherlands is a proud partner of LEVEL UP, which has become one of the largest national startup events. It provides a powerful platform to highlight the potential of startups and innovative SMEs,\u201d said Wendy de Jong, president of ROM Netherlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Monday, Sept. 30, the Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM<\/a>), Braventure, and The Gate are organizing the LEVEL UP event, one of the most significant start-up and scale-up events in the Netherlands. ROM-NL is the official partner of the event. LEVEL UP celebrates and supports the (inter)national startup climate. During this event, startups find inspiration, insights, and (investor) contacts to help their startups scale up faster. The international character stimulates knowledge exchange, cooperation, and access to new markets. The focus of the event is on deeptech, healthtech, cleantech and agritech.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n Figures from McKinsey show that established startups could generate \u20ac250 billion to \u20ac400 billion<\/a> between 2022 and 2030. But before young tech companies can raise money, they must go through several life phases to gain a foothold. The fragmented Dutch playing field sometimes makes that unnecessarily complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And that is precisely where, according to Brigit van Dijk – van de Reijt, general director of the BOM<\/a>, and co-initiator of LEVEL UP, an essential task of the ROMs lies: provide young, innovative companies with the proper support and partner network so they can get off to a flying start. “We help entrepreneurs draw up a clear business model, assemble a strong team, and find a clear focus and market fit. And, of course, by investing ourselves. In doing so, we send a signal to private investors. If a ROM believes in a particular technology or entrepreneur, it is easier for them to join.”<\/p>\n\n\n\nAbout LEVEL UP<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>
Helping startups make an impact<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n