The week of IO+: The Brabant alternative
Every Sunday, our weekly review offers an overview of the most interesting stories around important innovations.
Published on July 6, 2025
The 2025 G&A Award Winners
As editor-in-chief, Aafke oversees all content and events but loves writing herself. She makes complex topics accessible and tells the stories behind technology.
Last week, I wrote about our “The European Alternative” series on European tech solutions that put privacy, digital sovereignty, and sustainability at the center. Instead of relying on large American platforms, these stories showcase the alternatives that Europe itself offers—transparent, secure, and in line with European values.
Last week, it became clear once again that there are many, very many alternatives coming from Brabant that aim to make the world a better place. From a long list of over 70 startups, the jury selected the ten most promising startups from the Brainport region. These entrepreneurs received their Gerard & Anton Award on Thursday under the watchful eye of over 300 visitors. In the coming weeks, we will share the bigger story of all those winners. Three of them are already online!
And when the G&A Awards are handed out...
...that means summer is just around the corner. We will, of course, continue to keep you up to date with news from the world of innovation as usual, but at a slightly lower frequency. This newsletter will return sometime in mid-August; we will still write our category newsletters. Not subscribed yet? Take care of it now - we have plenty of choices!
Used Dutch EV prices have gotten 30% cheaper
The price of used Dutch electric vehicles has decreased by 30% since 2023, according to the sales platform Looping.nl. Currently, a used EV costs an average of €18,427. Behind this drop is a mix of factors, including government subsidies, lower costs of new models, and an influx of vehicles from leases into the used market.
Why are used electric car prices plummeting so fast? Is this the time to buy a used EV? You can read about it in Mauro's latest episode of Behind the Figures.
And then there was this:
- Scorching hot days, and new-build homes retain heat
- G&A Alumnus Tibo Energy raises €6 million
- TomTom's transformation: AI as a guide to the future
- EU climate plan 2040: ambitious, but with fallback options
- Protein sequencing tech gets €30 million NATO support
- French hydrogen pioneer sets up at the High Tech Campus Eindhoven
- Copenhagen and Aarhus say goodbye to Microsoft
Want to make sure you don't miss a thing? You can find an overview of all our articles here. Have a great summer!
Aafke Eppinga, editor-in-chief at IO+