Short presentation i gave to the 'Circle of Influence' of StartupDelta providing an overview of the Dutch tech-entrepreneurship ecosystem. Views expressed are my own.

1. June 2015 Amsterdam
An Introduction and Overview
Robert Verwaayen
THE DUTCH ECOSYSTEM

2. The Dutch are pioneers of capitalism
The Dutch East India Company (VOC),
was the world’s first limited liability
corporation.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Dutch made your carrots orange The Dutch authored the code language NASA uses
Carrots used to be purple. It wasn't
until 17th century that the Dutch bred
them to be orange.
In 1989 Dutch programmer Guido van
Rossem authored the Python
programming language.

3. INTRODUCTION
DISCLAIMER
Pivot
Bootstrapparadigm shift
Burn Rate
Unicorn
Rockstar
Sweat equity
Ramp Up
Brogrammer
Roadmap Deep Dive
ScaleGrowth Hacking
Ecosystem
Series A Crunch
Valley of Death
SoLoMo
THE STARTUP SUB CULTURE
LOVES TO USE JARGON
Ninja Lean

4. DOMAINS // POLICYINTRODUCTION
WHAT A GOOD ECOSYSTEM LOOKS LIKE: A POSITIVE FEEDBACK LOOP
c
c
c
c
c c
c
c
c
c
Start
Company
Get Funding
Scale Up
ExitGet back in- Michael porter
Once a cluster begins to form, a
self-reinforcing cycle
p r o m o t e s i t s g r o w t h ,
e s p e c i a l l y w h e n l o c a l
institutions are supportive and
local competition is vigorous. As
the cluster expands, so does
its influence.
Source: 'Clusters and the New Economics of Competition' - Harvard Business Review

5. INTRODUCTION
... LUBRICATED WITH SOCIAL CAPITAL ...
0
250
500
750
1000
Trust
TransactionCost
High
Low
Low High
SOCIAL CAPITAL'S INVERSE RELATION WITH TRANSACTION COSTS
" Along with sharing the same type of risks,
the [Silicon Valley] entrepreneurs also
shared a camaraderie unsurpassed almost
anywhere else in American industry. Even
engineers and scientists who work at
competing firms during the work day
remained close friends off the job ... the
manager of one semiconductor firm would
not hesitate to call a competitor for
assistance on technical matters.
- Regional advantage: culture and
competition in Silicon Valley and
Route 128

6. 220 people from PayPal have formed one of the most influential networks of entrepreneurs and investors seen during the internet age
PRODUCES PHENOMENAL RESULTS
CHAD HURLEYSTEVE CHANROELOF BOTHA
DAVE MCLURE
DAVE SLACKER
PERMAL SHAH
ELON MUSK
REID HOFMANRUSSEL SIMMONS
JEREMY STOPPELMAN
KEITH RABOIS
PETER THIEL
MAX LEVCHIN
THE PAYPAL MAFFIA
Founder / employee
InvestorSource: Adopted from kumu.io 'PayPal Maffia' network graphic by Jeff Mohr

7. DOMAINS // POLICY
DOMAINS OF THE STARTUP ECOSYSTEM
GOVERNMENT
UNIVERSITIES
MENTORS
ENTREPRENEURS
COMMUNITY
EVENTS
INVESTMENT
LARGE
COMPANIES
POLICY
• Startup / venture
legislation
• Leadership
CULTURE
• Visible Success
• Wealth generation for
founders
• International Repuation
• Tolerance of Risk,
Mistakes, Failures
• Social status of
entrepreneur
• Wealth Creation
• Ambition, Drive Hunger
HUMAN CAPITAL
• Educational institutions
• Labor pool
• Networks
MARKETS
• Business Environment
• Launching Customers
FINANCE
• Angels, Friends and
Family
• Seed stage venture
capital
• Venture capital funds
• Private Equity
• Public capital markets
CONTENT FRAMEWORK
SUPPORTS
• Infrastructure
• Clusters
• Support Professions
• Non Government
Institutions
SERVICE
PROVIDERS
I II III
IV V VI
Source: Adopted from 'Domains of the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem'- Babson
Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Project

8. DOMAINS // POLICY
ENTREPRENEURS CAN BUILD UPON A HYPER CONNECTED INFRASTRUCTURE
DOMAINS // SUPPORTS
BROADBAND PENETRATION (GLOBAL TOP 10) TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE (GLOBAL TOP 10)
Broadband Internet subscriptions per 100 population
ELECTRICITY AND TELEPHONY (GLOBAL TOP 10) INTERNET PENETRATION (GLOBAL TOP 10)
Electricity and telephony infrastructure, 1-7 (best)
UAE
Singapore
Hong Kong
Netherlands
Japan
Spain
Germany
France
USA
Korea, Rep
0 1,4 2,8 4,2 5,6 7
Transport infrastructure, 1-7 (best)
Hong Kong
Luxembourg
Switzerland
Austria
Singapore
UK
Taiwan
Denmark
Iceland
Netherlands
0 1,75 3,5 5,25 7
Internet Penetration per 100 population
Source:'Global Competitiveness Index' - World Economic Forum, ITU
Switzerland
Denmark
Netherlands
France
Norway
Rep. Korea
Iceland
UK
Iceland
Germany
0 9 18 27 36 45
Qatar
Iceland
Norway
Sweden
Denmark
Netherlands
Luxembourg
Finland
United Kingdom
Bahrain
0 25 50 75 100
#3
#4
#10
#6

9. IN SEVERAL CLUSTERS AROUND THE COUNTRY
• Original home of booking.com, Takeaway.com, and Distimo;
• Strong in nano technology, bioscience, high tech systems and materials;
• CottonWood Technology Fund and Kennispark Twente are situated in the
region.
• Home of DSM and Brightlands Chemelot Campus (corporate backed incubator);
• Maastricht has a world class university;
• Region focused on chemicals and smart materials (with Startupbootcamp
incubator).
• One of the smartest region in the world;
• City build around high-tech companies such as Philips, ASML, NXP and Sapiens;
• World's largest hardware accelerator StartupBootcamp High Tech XL;
• Home of many high tech facilities: High-tech campus, Strijp S.
• Offers perfect combination of creativity, openness, and entrepreneurial spirit
• Capital with much startup activity (mostly digital);
• Top accelerators Rockstart and StartupBootcamp are hq-ed;
• Many startup events such as The Next Web, Holland Fintech etc.. ;
• Home of 2 unicorns TomTom and Adyen.
Amsterdam
Eindhoven (BrainPort)
Maastricht (Limburg)
Twente Region
DOMAINS // SUPPORTS

10. THERE ARE PLENTY OF SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR SUPPORT
DOMAINS // SUPPORTS
LegalLegal Accounting
Corporate Finance / I-banking Accelerators, non-profit, competitions
The support system is getting
s t r o n g e r ( a c c e l e r a t o r s ,
entrepreneur clubs, events
etc.). Still there is a lack of
specific startup fund raising
advise (boutique i-bank / tech
oriented corporate finance)

11. YET, DUTCH ENTREPRENEURS WOULD BENEFIT FROM HEAVY ANCHOR POINTS
DOMAINS // SUPPORTS
SAND HILL ROAD STANFORD UNIVERSITY
WHITE BEAR YARD SILICON ROUNDABOUT
?
ROTHSCHILD BOULEVARD
OBERHOLZ CAFE

12. DOMAINS // POLICY
Luxembourg
United Kingdom
Sweden
Norway
Hong Kong SAR
Denmark
Singapore
Iceland
Netherlands
Switzerland
0 1,75 3,5 5,25 7
THE NETHERLANDS IS A GREAT PLACE TO DO BUSINESS AND...
DOMAINS // MARKETS
TIME REQUIRED TO START A BUSINESS (GLOBAL TOP 10) TECHNOLOGICAL READINESS (GLOBAL TOP 10) BEST PLACES TO START A BUSINESS (FORBES LIST)
CORPORATE ETHICS (GLOBAL TOP 10) EFFICIENCY OF LEGAL FRAMEWORK (GLOBAL TOP 10)
New Zealand
Rwanda
Georgia
Macedonia
Hong Kong
Singapore
Portugal
Australia
Netherlands
Belgium
0 1 2 3 4
New Zealand
Finland
Singapore
Denmark
Switzerland
Norway
Japan
Luxembourg
Qatar
Netherlands
4 5 6 7
Singapore
Finland
Hong Kong
New Zealand
United Kingdom
Qatar
Norway
Switzerland
Netherlands
Canada
4 5 6 7
Rank Best Countries to start a business
1
Denmark
2 Hong Kong
3 New Zealand
4 Ireland
5 Sweden
6 Canada
7 Norway
8 Singapore
9 Switzerland
10 Finland
11 Netherlands
Corporate ethics, 1-7 (best)
Tech readiness, 1-7 (best)
Efficiency of settling disputes, 1-7 (best)
# of days
Source: 'Global Competitiveness Index'- World Economic Forum , Forbes
#9 #9
#10
#9

13. DOMAINS // POLICY
PROVIDES A GOOD LAUNCHING MARKET FOR STARTUPS
DOMAINS // MARKETS
ADVANCED CONSUMER MARKET ADVANCED ENTERPRISE MARKET
$ 35,244
Average disposable income per person
per year. This put Netherlands ahead of
Germany and Japan
59 %
16.8 mln
83%
Urbanization levels. Netherlands is one
of the most densely populated areas in
the world
67 %
mobile broadband penetration
Internet purchases by individuals
The Netherlands is a small market, but offers great potential as a testing ground for consumer and enterprise ventures
Source: Eurostat, OECD

14. DOMAINS // POLICY
THE DUTCH HAVE A HIGHLY EDUCATED AND SKILLED WORK FORCE ...
DOMAINS // HUMAN CAPITAL
SECONDARY GRADUATION RATES STUDENT SKILLS (PISA)
YOUTH NOT IN EMPLOYMENT
EDUCATION OR TRAINING
ADULT EDUCATION LEVEL / TERTIARY ENGLISH PROFICIENCY
Slovenia
Iceland
Germany
Netherlands
Hungary
UK
Ireland
Japan
Spain
Denmark
0 25 50 75 100
Denmark
Netherlands
Sweden
Finland
Norway
Poland
Austria
Estonia
Belgium
Germany
0 25 50 75 100
Ranking Country name
Maths, mean
score
Reading,
mean score
Science, mean
score
1 Shanghai-China 613 570 580
2 Singapore 573 542 551
3 Hong Kong-China 561 545 555
4 Taiwan 560 523 523
5 S.Korea 554 536 538
6 Macau-China 538 509 521
7 Japan 536 538 547
8 Liechtenstein 535 516 525
9 Switzerland 531 509 515
10 Netherlands 523 511 522
Rankin
g
country Name Tertiary Education Rate
1 South Korea 63.82%
2 Japan 58.70%
3 Canada 56.70%
4 Russia 56.46%
5 Ireland 47.19%
6 UK 46.91%
7 Norway 46.80%
8 Luxembourg 46.64%
9 New Zealand 46.04%
10 Israel 45.04%
17 Netherlands 39.90%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Luxembourg Austria Canada Estonia United States Ireland SpainSource: Eurostat, OECD, EF English Proficiency Index
#4
#2
#3

15. DOMAINS // POLICY
... BUT LACK A WORLD CHAMPION ACADEMIC INSTITUTION...
Erasmus University is highest ranking Dutch
University in subject of Economics
ECONOMICS / BUSINESS
#28
# of universities in top 100
Leiden University is highest ranking Dutch
University in subject of Physics
#51-75
# of universities in top 100
PHYSICS
Eindhoven University is highest ranking Dutch
University in subject of CS
#51-75
# of universities in top 100
COMPUTER SCIENCE
DOMAINS // HUMAN CAPITAL The Netherlands has good average scores in the Shanghai Index, but does not have a top 10 University
Source: Shanghai Index 2014

16. DOMAINS // POLICY
AND ARE SLIGHTLY BEHIND IN RELATIVE SIZE OF ITS SCIENCE & TECH WORKFORCE
DOMAINS // HUMAN CAPITAL Compared to other EU28 nations, the Netherlands has a relatively low concentration of its workforce working in tech
Of active population employed in
science and technology
#7 in EU27
36.8%
Active population with tertiary
education and employed in science and
technology
#11 in EU27
22.4%
Active population working as scientist and
engineers
#8 in EU27
8.4%
Source: Eurostat

17. DOMAINS // POLICY
YET THE DUTCH ARE QUITE AN ENTREPRENEURIAL BUNCH
DOMAINS // HUMAN CAPITAL
0%
3,5%
7%
10,5%
14%
USA
Lithuania
Romania
Slovakia
UK
Portugal
Netherlands
Estonia
Hungary
Poland
Austria
Croatia
Greece
Average
Luxembourg
Sweden
Ireland
Slovenia
Finland
Denmark
Spain
Belgium
France
Germany
Italy
EARLY-STAGE ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVITY - 2014 (EUROPEAN UNION + USA)
Percentage of 18-64 population who are either a nascent entrepreneur or owner-manager of a new business
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014
INNOVATIVE ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVITY
Source: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2014

18. FUNDING
• The Dutch government has a stack of funding support
initiatives directly for entrepreneurs. These include subsidies
on innovation credit, loan guarantees and joint technology
initiatives. These are not always geared to startups, as these are
mostly loss making in the beginning;
• The government has a co-funding/ matching initiative for
venture capital funds under the technostarter regime.
LEADERSHIP INITIATIVES
• Dutch liberal party launched and implemented a startup
agenda, with measures proposed to help Dutch startups called
Agenda Startup NL (with visible results such as the startup Visa);
• The Startup Delta initiative has had an enormous positive
reception as the first serious collaborative effort for the startup
ecosystem.
TAXATION
• Companies can benefit from an effective tax rate of only 5% for
R&D income (WBSO);
• Dutch tax law provides participation exemption -> benefits as
a shareholder are exempt from corporate income tax;
• Investors can benefit from a 30% tax break for highly qualified
foreign employees;
• Stock option programs for startups are very difficult to structure.
REGULATION
• The legal system is fair and transparent and well equipped to
deal with business, trade, taxation and patent issues;
• Funds are subject to European AIFMD regiment which is
ambiguous and subject to a great deal of bureaucracy and
transaction costs;
• Salary requirements of directors of a limited company;
• Changes with flexible labor contracts.
Funding
programs to support angel / venture
Leadership Initiatives
Entrepreneurship strategies
Regulation
General regulation on business and
trade
Taxation
Fiscal regiments for investors and
entrepreneurs and tech companies
BUSINESS BENEFITS FROM FRIENDLY POLICIES
(NOT ALWAYS GEARED FOR STARTUPS)
+/-
+/-
+
+
+
-
+
-
+/-
+
+
-

19. DOMAINS // POLICY
STARTUPDELTA HAS BEEN RECEIVED AS A VERY POSITIVE INITIATIVE
DOMAINS // POLICY
In 2016 in top 5 startup Hubs
They Love Startups Everywhere
Spectacular presentation atend of StartupDelta in Groningen
StartupDelta is an anchor for the
Netherlands
Startup
Grandma Kroes
– steals hearts
of the young
Land of water becomes land
of bits and bytes

20. DOMAINS // POLICY
ON THE CAPITAL SIDE THERE ARE ACTIVE ANGELS AND FUNDS
TIME
SEED
REVENUE
EARLY MID / EXPANSION LATE MEZZANINE EXIT
Angel
Venture Capital
Private Equity
Debt Investments
Mezzanine
Growth Equity
break-even
STAGE OF INVESTMENTS V.S. LIFECYCLE
DOMAINS // FINANCE
REGIONAL INVESTMENT FUNDS
ANGEL / SEED
VENTURE CAPITAL AND GROWTH EQUITY
Sample
Sample

21. DOMAINS // POLICY
0%
0,15%
0,3%
0,45%
0,6%
Norway
Denmark
Netherlands
UK
France
Finland
Sweden
EUTotal
Ireland
Germany
Belgium
CzechRep
Switzerland
OtherCEE
Hungary
Portugal
Spain
Baltic
Italy
Austria
Poland
Luxembourg
Romania
Bulgaria
Ukraine
Greece
DUTCH PRIVATE EQUITY IS QUITE MATURE AND...
DOMAINS // FINANCE
PRIVATE EQUITY INVESTMENTS AS A % OF GDP - 2014
Source: EVCA: 2014 European private equity activity
73%
3%
1%
14%
9%
Venture Capital
Growth
Rescue/Turnaround
Replacement capital
Buyout
The Private Equity asset class is primarily
driven by Buyout(s). Venture Capital is
often called a 'rounding error of the
economy'

22. DOMAINS // POLICY
... VENTURE BACKED TECHNOLOGY INVESTING SAW A GOOD 2014, HOWEVER...
DOMAINS // FINANCE
# OF VC TECH DEALS -2014
Source: CBInsights - The 2014 European Tech Report
Hungary
Greece
Bulgaria
Ukraine
Latvia
Luxembourg
Turkey
Czech Rep
Poland
Portugal
Lithuania
Norway
Estonia
Austria
Scotland
Switzerland
Belgium
Denmark
Ireland
Netherlands
Finland
Italy
Sweden
Spain
France
Germany
UK
0 50 100 150 200 250
Turkey
Greece
Hungary
Latvia
Ukraine
Estonia
Portugal
Bulgaria
Norway
Austria
Poland
Luxembourg
Scotland
Czech Rep
Lithuania
Italy
Belgium
Switzerland
Finland
Ireland
Denmark
Spain
France
Sweden
Netherlands
Germany
UK
0 300 600 900 1200 1500
$ MILLION AMOUNT OF VC TECH DEALS -2014
....'Monster rounds' at Adyen and
Takeaway.com positioned Netherlands at
Nr 3 in Europe of total money invested
The Netherlands was Nr 8 in terms of the
number of VC backed deals in Europe,
but...

23. DOMAINS // POLICY
RELATIVE TO OTHERS THE DUTCH LACK SERIOUS ANGEL / SEED INVESTING
DOMAINS // FINANCE
0%
2,5%
5%
7,5%
10%
Sweden
SlovakRepublic
Latvia
CzechRepublic
Bosnia&Herz
Romania
Lithuania
UAE
Turkey
Taiwan
Norway
Switzerland
USA
Hungary
France
Finland
Australia
Belgium
Croatia
Greece
Netherlands
Spain
Slovenia
Denmark
Ireland
Korea(South)
Poland
SouthAfrica
UnitedKingdom
Brazil
Portugal
Panama
Malaysia
Russia
Japan
As a percentage of population who have
personally provided funds for a new
business (2011), Netherlands scores very low
ANGEL INVESTOR RATE
Source: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor
Note: Data and information around angel investing activity is sparse. National statistical offices lack information and alternative sources of data are few and often inadequate. The GEM angel investor rate is somewhat dated, but is intended to give an indicative and comparative view.

24. DOMAINS // POLICY
DUTCH CULTURE IS CHARACTERIZED AS EGALITARIAN
DOMAINS // CULTURE
0
20
40
60
80
Power Distance Individualism Masculinity Uncertainty Avoidance Long Term Orientation Indulgence
Dutch are characterized as being
independent, hierarchy for convenience
only, equal rights, superiors accessible,
consensus driven. Control is disliked
and egalitarianism is valued
The Dutch are an individualist society
where people are expected to to take
care after themselves and their
immediate family only. Promotions /
hiring decisions based on merit only.
The Dutch have a low score which means
a focus on work/life balance and to
make sure all are included. Quality of life
is the sign of success while standing out
from the crowd is not
The Dutch exhibit a slight preference for
avoiding uncertainty. The Netherlands
maintains codes of belief and behavior.
In these cultures there is an emotional
need for rules.
Dutch are pragmatic and believe that
truth depends on the situation, context
and time. Dutch show an ability to
easily adapt traditions to changed
conditions, a strong propensity to save
and invest, thriftiness and perseverance
The culture of the Netherlands is clearly
one of indulgence. The Dutch generally
exhibit a willingness to realise their
impulses and desires with regard to
enjoying life and having fun.
Hofstede Cultural Model (Netherlands vs Singapore)
Source: The Hofstede Centre

25. DOMAINS // POLICY
THIS CULTURAL HERITAGE DRIVES SOCIAL VALUES TOWARDS ENTREPRENEURSHIP ...
DOMAINS // CULTURE
Independent in nature, the Dutch love
entrepreneurship as a career ...
79%
... But they do not give as much
status to successful entrepreneurs ...
... neither does it get as much media
attention
0
20
40
60
80
Netherlands Italy Poland France Estonia Belgium Ireland Finland
Entrepreneurship as a good career choice
67%
0
22,5
45
67,5
90
Finland Ireland Romania Hungary Italy France NL Greece Portugal Slovakia Belgium Croatia
High status to successful entrepreneurs
0
20
40
60
80
USA Portugal UK Lithuania Slovakia Italy Luxembourg France
55%
Relationship status ?
Source: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor

26. DOMAINS // POLICY
... AS WELL AS ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENT
DOMAINS // CULTURE
Although the Dutch are not afraid of failure
compared to other European countries ...
... The Dutch lack a gritty ambition in their
entrepreneurial activity
0%
14%
28%
42%
56%
70%
Greece
Poland
Belgium
Italy
Lithuania
Hungary
Luxembourg
Estonia
Romania
France
Denmark
Average
Germany
Ireland
Portugal
Spain
Finland
UK
Sweden
Slovakia
Austria
Netherlands
Croatia
USA
Slovenia
0%
7,5%
15%
22,5%
30%
USA
Romania
Hungary
Slovakia
Croatia
France
Poland
Slovenia
Germany
Lithuania
Ireland
Sweden
UK
Finland
Belgium
Portugal
Estonia
Netherlands
Denmark
Austria
Italy
Spain
Luxembourg
Greece
Fear of failure %
of entrepreneurs
20 or more jobs
growth as % of Total
Entrepreneurial
Activity*
Source: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2014 Global Report
Note: * This indicator looks at Job growth expectations of early-stage entrepreneurs. The indicator is divided into % of early stage entrepreneurs expecting 0-5 jobs | 6 - 19 jobs| 20 or more jobs; The highest job growth expectation is used as a proxy for ambition levels of entrepreneurs.

27. DOMAINS // POLICY
OF COURSE THE DUTCH HAVE BREAKOUT COMPANIES ...
DOMAINS // CULTURE

28. DOMAINS // POLICY
AND STRONGPOINTS OF DUTCH CULTURE MATCH VERY WELL WITH STARTUPS ...
DOMAINS // CULTURE
EgalitarianThriftinessPragmaticGlobetrotters
DUTCH CULTURE STARTUP CULTURE
Most startups have flat hierarchies and try create
a culture of autonomy, transparency, and
openness. Meritocracy is a must.
Sometimes mistakenly the Dutch are considered
'cheap' (# 6 globally in foreign aid as % of GDP).
More often they are frugal and hate to waste
value.
Building a business out of very little or virtually
nothing relies on bootstrapping. With limited
resources great entrepreneurs maximize their
runway from personal income, sweat equity, and
the lowest possible operating costs.
Dutch are, above all, pragmatic people. You can
trust a Dutchie to tell it like it really is. They tend
to have 'strong beliefs, loosely held' and learn
fast from mistakes in a frank and open manner.
An often used 'lean' startup mantra is fail fast
and fail often (quick iterations to success). This
agile approach requires a high degree of
pragmatism.
The Dutch have been swarming out across the
world’s oceans and continents ever since the
16th century. And they still have a tendency to
look beyond the dikes fast.
Great entrepreneurs are today's world explorers
and distribute their products and services to a
world audience from day one.
Status and respect are obtained through study
and work and not through family ties or old age.
Every person is equal and should be treated
accordingly.
MeritocraticAgileBootstrapThinkGlobal

29. DOMAINS // POLICY
BUT THE DUTCH NEED TO GET COMFORTABLE IN AMPLIFYING SUCCESS STORIES
DOMAINS // CULTURE
ACT
NORMAL
THAT IS
CRAZY
ENOUGH
HERE'S
TO
THE
CRAZY
ONES

30. DOMAINS // POLICY
LETS GET TO ORANJE WORTHY STATUS
IN TECH ENTREPRENEURSHIP

31. DOMAINS // POLICYCONCLUSION
DUTCH SCORE CARD: GOOD WITH POTENTIAL FOR GREAT
CULTURE
GOVERNMENT
HUMAN CAPITAL
INVESTMENT
MARKET
SUPPORTS
The Netherlands has a world class infrastructure,
solid support professionals, and a maturing
entrepreneurial tech community.
The Netherlands has a very conducive business
environment and provides a good launch market for
startups.
The Dutch are a highly educated and skilled
workforce -> more attention for developing tech
talent.
Funding is certainly available, but seed and early-
stage capital is behind relative to top-tier
ecosystems.
Netherlands can do better by encouraging an
a m b i t i o u s a tt i t u d e a n d d i s c a rd i t s u n e a s y
relationship with success.
WORLD
CLASS
PARLAGGARD COMMENTS
Government is supportive and increasingly
championing startups -> Need to re-think startup
s p e c i f i c p o l i c y ( t a k e ' l o s s m a k i n g ' i n t o
consideration ).