Job Nijs leaves Braventure, Bert-Jan Woertman steps in his shoes

When he took office, Job Nijs was tasked with transforming a series of promising but small activities into something more coherent. Now that he has announced his resignation from Braventure, it is time to look back. And he does so with satisfaction: “It was a big job, but it was all more than worth it.” He will hand over the baton on January 1. The result: fragmentation has given way to connection, a common language has emerged, and a new foundation has been laid with factual data and coherent programs in a Brabant-wide route for every startup. “After all, it's not about Braventure, it's about Brabant.”

The foundation was laid by the province: a top-down establishment of Braventure and a single Brabant Startup Fund, rather than separate regional funds. “A good decision,” says Nijs, “but not one that immediately gained support everywhere. Partners also had to transfer things.” What did he find? Many separate programs with “insufficient impact” and partners who preferred to warn each other in whispers rather than collaborate openly. The turnaround came when everyone decided to “speak one language.” Nijs: “We agreed on clear definitions and started measuring, based on shared data. That's where trust grew.” That data line, anchored by colleague Matthijs Bulsink, provided a widely supported picture of the ecosystem.

One route for startups, together with BOM

The partnership with BOM was also crucial. “We combined separate startup programs into a single Startup Readiness program, accessible throughout Brabant,” says Nijs. Access to financing became systematic: coaches and mentors in the regions work as a single funnel to the Brabant Startup Fund (BSF). According to Nijs, that fund “is among the best in the Netherlands, both in terms of the number of investments and their success. And it is founder-friendly.” The official evaluation confirms that, he says, “but the real difference is that we are all doing this together.”

Orchestrator instead of owner

Braventure gradually positioned itself as an orchestrator: for the startup community (via the regions), for the startup support organizations, and for the broader ecosystem. “We connect and drive,” Nijs summarizes. “Not being satisfied with the status quo, raising the bar, and pooling resources so that startups are really better served.” It is, he emphasizes, mission-driven rather than organization-driven: “If tomorrow there is a fund that makes the BSF redundant and benefits startups, that's fine. Braventure's success lies outside Braventure.”

Level Up as visible proof of joining forces

The tangible symbol of this collaboration is Level Up, the joint annual event of parties that previously had their own platforms. “No one could have achieved this alone,” says Nijs. “Level Up gives startups visibility, nationally and even internationally.” And it has all the potential to grow into something bigger, something that is more than just one day a year. The idea of an annual calendar under the same banner and a joint news service is “up for grabs.”

Bert-Jan Woertman, who is following in Nijs' footsteps at Braventure as interim director, sees this as the next phase: “Level Up was a ‘magical accident’: under one brand, with shared energy. If you link that to an ongoing program and a newsletter, you can offer value all year round, without it feeling like ‘Braventure at the top’.”

Brainport: world-class innovation, startup vibe could be stronger

Nijs does not mince words about the broader context. He praises the knowledge base and campus infrastructure in Brabant, but is critical of the startup vibe. "We have everything we need—community, venture building, investors, talent—but we don't always act on it. The innovation ecosystem is top-notch, but corporations dominate it. The startup ecosystem could be more open, more visible, more of a single movement across locations.“ His call: open doors further, implement a uniform door policy, and better align with what has long been happening on the work floor. ”We are making real progress, but we need an administrative tailwind to accelerate."

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What is at stake: ambition

What worries him most after his departure? “Ambition,” says Nijs without hesitation. “We cannot be satisfied with where we are now. It is too important for Brabant, for the Netherlands, and for Europe. If ambition declines, our earning capacity will be compromised.” In concrete terms, this requires priority from the province and municipalities, as well as representation of startups in the places where decisions are made. “Established interests have their ways; startups need to be more emphatically at the table.”

Nijs summarizes the biggest cultural shift in two principles. One: make it human. “Top-down only works if you give it a face in the ecosystem.” Two: make it factual. “A single language and shared data remove emotion and noise from discussions. You talk about the same things, you learn faster, you get further.”

An ongoing assignment

Nijs will step down as director on January 1. “This is a driving force; you have to do it to the maximum for a number of years and then make room for acceleration.” With Bert-Jan, he believes there is "someone who can further establish the Level Up idea and make the Brabant collaboration even more visible. Connecting and driving. Leveling Up and taking it one step further.“ Woertman himself is cautiously optimistic: ”The foundation is stronger than ever. Now it's important to sustain that energy: one flag, year-round programming, and continued measurement so we know what works."