This document discusses Amsterdam's efforts to become a leader in innovation and startups. It outlines the city's strategy in three key areas: 1) Creating an environment where experiments and entrepreneurship can flourish through initiatives like the European Capital of Innovation award; 2) Developing a strong startup culture and ecosystem through programs like Startup Amsterdam and Startup in Residence; 3) Focusing innovation efforts on topics like mobility, data, social issues, and future government through collaboration across partners in the innovation network. The approach emphasizes embracing change, organizing serendipity, and allowing experiments in a holistic manner.

1. Innovating the city!
Buiding a smart city, strong
communities and a start-up culture.
Frank van Erkel

2. How is City of Amsterdam
doing as one of the Capitals
of the World?

3. Smartest cities in the world (2013)
Europe

4. PWC study to Cities of Opportunities
(2014)

5. Nesta’s CITIE studie (2015)
City Leadership
Creating conditions for
experiments, innovation and
entrepreneurship to flourish
Break down silo’s and supporting
citywide innovation projects
Encouraging civil servants to
become changemakers, learning
new skills
Ambition to reinvent how city hall
delivers services and engages with
its residents

6. 2016

7. 7
It’s going well in our region!
 European Capital of Innovation 2016/2017
 2700 foreign companies
 140 new foreign companies in 2015
 #2 best city in Europe for digital startups
 #4 sustainable city
 Home to 2,600 international meetings a
year

8. Why is Amsterdam
doing so well?

9. Movie: Overview Amsterdam

10. Why Amsterdam?
•"Amsterdam fully deserves to be our European Capital of
Innovation for its holistic vision of innovation in and for the
city.”
Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and
Innovation
•"This Award is all about speeding up change: we must
encourage cities and regions to tackle burning societal
challenges by jumping on the innovation train and spreading
bottom-up experiences. We need pioneering cities and
regions like Amsterdam, to lead the way.”
Markku Markkula, President of the European Committee of the Regions

11. Amsterdam European Capital of
Innovation
For embracing a bottom-up approach based
on smart growth, startups (>1000)
livability and digital social innovation

12. Society in Transition
Closed hierarchical
organized groups
Command & Control
Top Down
Static
Competition
Offline
Planning
Open networks
(communities)
Open & Distributed
Bottom Up
Fluid & Dynamic
Collaboration
Online & Offline
Experimentation

14. Key Elements Innovation Strategy
• The city is a platform for everyone with an open government
• A new way of guiding renewal
• Radical shift from centrally organized to distributed networking
• Innovation is co-creating and co-making
• Focus on technological and societal innovation
• Very active ‘smart citizens' and city makers
• Knowledge institutions

15. Innovation ecosystem: Knowledge
System

16. City as a platform
…. and as
an ecosystem

17. The World is Changing….

19. Using Initiatives from the Whole
Ecosystem

20. Innovation ecosystem: 30%
Participate
•Focus on sharing economy
•Room to experiment
•Invite partners
•Power of local initiatives

21. 40.000 city makers co-creating the city

22. Movie: Amsterdam- Winner, European Capital of Innovation
2016

23. How Does it Create and
Support a Startup Culture?

24. Everything starts with Ambition
• Changes in the economy and jobs are rapid and intense.
• We have to identify fast growing sectors to keep enough
jobs for the people in Amsterdam
• We believe that a dynamic economy offers opportunities
to entrepreneurs, thinkers and inventors who feel they are
Amsterdammer but think Globally
So our ambition is …..
To be in the top 3 in Europe as a
startup-city (next to London and Berlin)

25. Joining forces to built strategy and
the action program

26. Goals & Strategy
 create a sustainable
culture for startups
 Attract talent and
relevant expertise,
nationaly and
internationaly
 Attract capital
 More international
startups choose
Amsterdam as their
home to kickstart further
growth

27. Startup Amsterdam as local action
program

28. Create a buzz and
a place where everyone can join
https://app.startupamsterdam.org

29. Weaving the network around the startup
Communities, Corporates, Investors, Network
Universities, etc (>100 and growing)

30. Be proud and tell it!
Living the dream

31. What Really Helps
Attracting New Startups?

32. Startup in Residence Programma
Looking for expanding
startups into public sector
 Finding new solutions for
societal challenges
 Combining accelerator
programmes with support
of government and
corporate partners

33. Movie: Amsterdam- Start up in residence

34. The City of Amsterdam offers support

35. What are the Focus Topics
for the
Cities of the Future?

36. Innovation & Technology

37. Urban Mobiliteit

38. Data en connectivity

39. Social Innovation

40. New Economy

41. eHealth

42. Future Gov

43. To Conclude:
What did we learn?

44. 44Amsterdam innovation ecosystem
Go with the flow
• We have great partners, and we like to cooperate on initiative that they have
already developed.This ensures we work on initiatives that already have
momentum
• No large companies who dominate the innovation value chain
Organize
serendipity
• We create and support initiatives where people meet, exchange ideas and
create new products and services
Take a holistic
approach
• We are ok in technical innovation, which is really difficult.We are great in social
innovation, which is also difficult, but just as important
• We dare to combine private and public parties in our approach
Be open for
experiments
• We dare to try something new, even when the stakes are high
• We dare to embrace (disruptive) changes, such as sharing economy or new
technology
• Not invented here, but tested : we like living labs