Posted by James van Thiel, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Google
Enriching Dutch Startups Together With The Next Web
Last night in Amsterdam, we celebrated a new partnership with The Next Web to bring Google for Entrepreneurs to the Netherlands. In the unfinished space at Singel 542 in Amsterdam, within a stone’s throw of the city's famous Flower Market, The Next Web shared their inspiring vision for the project, called X, which we expect to open to more than 150 Dutch startups in the first half of 2016. We have a very clear goal for this unique partnership in the Netherlands: to further strengthen local entrepreneurship in the heart of the city. We know the startup scene in Amsterdam is a vibrant one--but we think X will cut through the noise of a buzzy ecosystem that’s been missing a physical center, something research tells us really matters for startups. At X with TNW we’ll be able to offer our local mentoring program and initiatives like demo days with international guests, global exchange programs and training sessions designed to help Dutch startups grow.
“The Dutch startup ecosystem is flourishing and new initiatives that empower the growth of startups are sprouting,” says Dutch Startup Envoy Neelie Kroes. “‘X’ contributes to this energetic scene by connecting players with global networks like The Next Web, Google, KPMG, ABN Amro and Booking.com that can offer the next growth step for startups.” One thing’s sure: this isn’t our first rodeo. Through the Google for Entrepreneurs network, we have 25 tech hub partners around the world, plus five Campus spaces we offer ourselves--in Tel Aviv, London, Seoul, Madrid and Warsaw--all sharing know-how and content to help new and fast-growing businesses do more. Members of X here in the Netherlands will have access to that global community and world class network of physical spaces and programming. Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, CEO of The Next Web says that building X together with Google and other partners that include Booking.com and ABN-AMRO is “a dream come true” for the company. “Joining the Google For Entrepreneurs network not only makes sense for X but even more to the X residents who can instantly reap the benefits of this amazing global network to scale their businesses even faster.” But why make this kind of investment in startups in the Netherlands? It’s pretty simple. Google began in a garage, and we remain a startup at heart. Because of that, we’re committed to supporting next-generation entrepreneurship across Europe and around the world. It’s the same reason we recently launched the Digitale Werkplaats in the Netherlands with a goal of bringing digital skills to 30,000 Dutch entrepreneurs and independents to help them grow their businesses online, part of our greater efforts to show how Google can be a Growth Engine for all of Europe.