The IO+ Week: A startup needs more than courage to grow

Tomorrow, the Evoluon in Eindhoven will host LEVEL UP for the fifth time. When the event began in 2022, much of the discussion centred on founders: how do you make a sound plan, deliver a convincing pitch and know when to change course? Five years later, a bigger question is on the table. How can we help a promising company grow into a global player from a European base?

I find that shift telling. We rarely lack ideas or technical talent. But after the first breakthrough, the hardest work often begins: finding customers, building production capacity, attracting the right people and securing funding for the next stage of growth. An award or a good conversation can open doors. What happens next depends on partners who stay involved.

That is why I’m curious to see which conversations continue after LEVEL UP on Monday. Will a founder meet a first major customer, the right investor or perhaps even a co-founder? In our look back at five years of LEVEL UP, we trace how an event about startup skills grew into a discussion about Europe’s ability to build global companies.

More on IO+ this week

Photonic chips: demand is growing faster than a factory can be built

The AI boom is driving strong interest in the new pilot plant at the High Tech Campus. TNO program manager Boudewijn Docter explains why reliable production still cannot be rushed: customers need proof that every process is stable and repeatable.
https://ioplus.nl/nl/posts/tussen-ai-gekte-en-cleanroom-precisie-de-fotonische-proeffabriek

A good pitch deck is only the beginning

Founders and investors came together at OWOW’s Startup Investment Afternoon. One question kept coming up: can a founder clearly explain the problem their company solves, the evidence that it works, and why their team is the one to build the business?
https://ioplus.nl/nl/posts/tech-en-kapitaal-aanwezig-maar-founder-moet-ze-bij-elkaar-brengen

RWE to build a large battery system in Moerdijk

The company has decided to invest in a storage system with 400 MW of power and 1,100 MWh of capacity. The battery will store electricity when supply is plentiful and help ease grid congestion in North Brabant. It is scheduled to enter service in the second quarter of 2028.
https://ioplus.nl/nl/posts/-rwe-bouwt-een-van-de-grootste-nederlandse-batterijopslagsystemen

Mapping the molecules behind flavour

Researcher Mudita Vats uses molecular imaging to show where substances are located in food. That knowledge could help improve the taste and texture of plant-based products more precisely—and detect contaminants.
https://ioplus.nl/nl/posts/smaakwetenschap-moleculaire-kaarten-voor-voedsel-van-morgen

How do you design a building for everyone?

Jodi Sturge studies how buildings and healthcare spaces can better serve the people who use them. Her starting point is simple: ask who a design choice might exclude, then involve those people in finding a solution.
https://ioplus.nl/nl/posts/hoe-ontwerp-je-een-gebouw-voor-iedereen

Photonic chip pilot plant reaches its highest point

The structure at the High Tech Campus was completed in 142 workable days. Now work moves indoors, with cleanrooms, climate-control systems and, eventually, the machines that will power Europe’s photonic chip pilot line.
https://ioplus.nl/nl/posts/van-eerste-paal-tot-hoogste-punt-in-142-dagen

Nine ways to put AI to work

The eight finalists and one wildcard in the AI Pitch Competition are working on applications ranging from baggage handling and cybersecurity to dementia care. You can meet them at LEVEL UP on Monday; the final takes place on November 12.
https://ioplus.nl/nl/posts/van-vliegtuigruimen-tot-dementiezorg-de-ai-pitch-competition

A computer in a drop of water

Researchers at Maynooth University and Caltech have used DNA molecules to perform calculations without electronic chips. A conventional computer is much faster, but the experiment demonstrates another way to process information.
https://ioplus.nl/nl/posts/deze-computer-rekent-met-dna-in-een-druppel-water

An additional €3.3 billion for the National Investment Institution

The Dutch government and private financiers have launched an initiative to help innovative companies secure growth capital. Together with the existing capital of Invest-NL and Invest International, the additional government contribution brings the planned initial core capital to approximately €6.6 billion.
https://ioplus.nl/nl/posts/nationale-investeringsinstelling-start-met-33-miljard-extra

Our Other Newsletters

Thank you for reading this newsletter. But there’s more. Subscribing is easy — via the options on the IO+ homepage or simply by clicking one of the newsletters below:

• IO+ Daily (1,200 subscribers)
• Mauro’s Green Corner (monthly, 13,800 subscribers)
• Elcke’s Saturday Data Dive (monthly, 20,550 subscribers)
• Elcke en Mauro’s BIO+ Bites (monthly, 29,300 subscribers)
• Bart’s Saturday CHIPS (monthly, 16,300 subscribers)

Rather listen?

Here's a small selection of last week's highlights in a half-hour podcast:

Enjoy your Sunday!