A great way to enter a new market: BOSteRDAM
BOSteRDAM Cleantech
BOSteRDAM Cleantech
What is BOSteRDAM?
The BOSteRDAM Cleantech Link is a Market Expansion Program for cleantech entrepreneurs and companies from the United States and the Netherlands. InnovationQuarter and Greentown Labs developed a 2-week program to facilitate a soft landing for Dutch entrepreneurs with an interest in the Greater Boston Area, and American entrepreneurs with the ambition to do business in the Netherlands.
If you decide to participate, you will be closely accompanied by one of the organization’s representatives for the duration of the program. This close collaboration enables a tailor-made program in which local market knowledge, connections, and a temporary office space will facilitate the realization of your market entry strategy. An example of the two-week program can be found under the ‘Sample Schedule’ tab on the left.
The program is open from October 18th 2018 to July 1st 2019 and applications are already open! Any type of cleantech startup or scale-up is encouraged to apply!
Why should you participate?
BOSteRDAM offers you:
- a program tailored especially for your specific wants and needs
- a full immersion into the overseas ecosystem: spend two weeks engaging with locals as a local
- personal support in developing a foreign market entry strategy
- tailor-made programming, including relevant connections to companies, government organizations, and useful networking opportunities
- full access to office space in the partner country
- support in accessing financial resources, and engaging strategic partners
What is a Market Expansion Program?
A ‘Market Expansion Program’ is, broadly speaking, an exchange program for entrepreneurs and companies with an international ambition. The program is specific to a certain sector and region that is of interest to the participating company. Through a close collaboration with a partner on the ground, we are able to provide participants with a wide range of services to make a foreign market entry smoother and less complicated.
Supporting partners
BOSteRDAM cleantech link is supported by YES!Delft, Buccaneer, CIC, ACTION Innovation Network and MassCEC.
How does it work
About the Program
Dates
The program is open from October 18th 2018 to July 1st 2019. Interested in participating? Take the following steps:
Dutch Companies
- Fill in the sign-up form under the ‘Sign Up’ tab on the left side of this page. When asked, ensure to note that you are a Dutch company;
- InnovationQuarter will contact you to schedule an intake;
- After the first intake, a consultation session will take place with Greentown Labs and InnovationQuarter to start working on your Market Expansion Program.
Participation costs for a Dutch company are a flat fee of € 1.000.
American Companies
- Fill in the sign-up form under the ‘Sign Up’ tab on the left side of this page. When asked, ensure to note that you are an American company;
- Greentown Labs will contact you to schedule an intake;
- After the first intake, a consultation session will take place with Greentown Labs and InnovationQuarter to start working on your Market Expansion Program.
Participation costs for a US company are a flat fee of $ 1.200 dollar.
All prices are excluding VAT. Not included in these prices are flight tickets, hotels, and out-of-pocket costs.
Why Greater Rotterdam?
Why Greater Rotterdam?
The Netherlands as a Delta region
The Netherlands’ geographic location and rich history in water management have fostered its natural specialization in water, maritime, offshore and (industrial and medical) biotech. West Holland, also known as the delta region, is the region where all of this comes together as an extensive industrial cluster. Universities such as TU Delft, testing facilities like the Test & Demonstration Area Port of Rotterdam, the Bioprocess Testing Facility, Green Village, and Plant One, and leading companies such as DSM, Du Pont, Cargill, Eneco and Siemens make West Holland the landing spot for cleantech companies that are ready to enter not only the Dutch, but European market in its totality.
What is the Greater Rotterdam Area?
The Greater Rotterdam Area is located in the province of Zuid-Holland (West Holland), and encompasses the cities of Rotterdam, Delft, and The Hague, as well as 20 other municipalities in the region. The region is part of a larger urban area called the Randstad. The Randstad is a megalopolis consisting of the 4 largest Dutch cities, and is home to 8.2 million inhabitants, making up almost half of the Dutch population. Among others, it contains the Port of Rotterdam (the largest seaport in Europe) and Schiphol Airport (third-largest European Airport). This makes the region extremely attractive for foreign businesses, as it provides a gateway to not just the Netherlands, but Europe as a whole.
Sustainable Energy in 2050
The Netherlands has set a goal to have an almost complete supply of sustainable energy in 2050. In order to reach this goal, investments in Solar, Off- and Onshore Wind, Bio Energy, and sustainable heat are now being implemented, as well as loading infrastructure for EV, autonomous transport, and intelligent traffic systems. The Netherlands is focused on sharing pragmatic solutions through international collaboration.
Want to get to know the region? Check the video:
Why Greater Boston?
Why Greater Boston?
Massachusetts is a global leader in clean energy, biotechnology, engineering, higher education, finance, and maritime trade. As the number one state for education, the strong foundation of talent and knowledge makes Massachusetts an economic powerhouse and a progressive, innovative state for the many industries that make up its economic landscape. Massachusetts ranks as one of the best states to live and visit, and easily accessible to Europe, making it an east coast gateway for foreign businesses.
The Massachusetts Ecosystem
Massachusetts’ progressive clean energy, innovation, and education policy environment and unique concentration of research and development, universities, innovation, and startup excellence have created the ideal environment for the world’s leading corporates, academics, and innovators to thrive. The state has set the gold standard for energy efficiency and ranks first in Bloomberg’s Innovation Index, as well as in per-capita early-stage clean energy venture investment, and the number one state in the US by U.S. News & World Report. Boston has been named the most energy efficient city in the nation four years in a row and is the number one city for startups according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Clean Energy in Massachusetts
The Massachusetts clean energy sector now employs more than 109,000 workers across the Commonwealth, up by 81% since 2010. Clean energy is an $11.4 billion industry in Massachusetts and represents 2.3 percent of the overall Massachusetts economy.
Sample Schedule NL - US
NL – > US
Day One
Introduction and tour to Greentown Labs
- Overview of Greentown Labs
- General introduction to the ecosystem
Day Two
Lunch with Greentown team
- Overview of Greentown resources
- Connections to business development, operational resources, and networks
Day Three
Investor Breakfast and pitch practice
- Pitch support
- Connection to multiple startups
Day Four
Targeted meetings with relevant startups in Greentown portfolio
- Meetings with startups in similar industries
- Q&A session with later stage startups about their growth
Day Five
Introduction to government partners
- Market and policy introduction with MassCEC, MassDev
- Funding opportunities with MassVenture
Day Six
Introduction to corporate sponsor and partner
- Targeted introduction to relevant stakeholders active in Greentown ecosystem
Day Seven
Introduction to corporate sponsor and partner
- Targeted introduction to relevant stakeholders active in Greentown ecosystem
Day Eight
Introduction to local manufacturer
- Enables startup to talk through manufacturing needs and early quotes
Day Nine
Networking event
- Attend event with Greentown team member to act as liaison
- Targeted event with relevant stakeholders, industry experts, and other potential partners
Day Ten
Final meeting with Greentown project manager about next steps
- Lay out next steps for international expansion
- Continued business development support
Sample Schedule US - NL
US -> NL
Day One
Introduction at InnovationQuarter
- Overview of InnovationQuarter
- Lunch with the IQ team
- Individual consultation session
Day Two
Introduction at local incubator
- Overview of local incubator
- General introduction to the ecosystem
Lunch with local incubator team /member companies
- Overview of local incubator resources
- Connections to business development, operational resources, and networks
Day Three
American breakfast and pitch practice
- Pitch support
- Connection to multiple startups
Day Four
Targeted meetings with relevant startups in local incubators’ portfolios
- Meetings with startups in similar industries
- Q&A session with later stage startups about their growth
Day Five
Introduction to government partners
- Market and policy introduction with InnovationQuarter / RVO/ CIC
- Funding opportunities with InnovationQuarter
Day Six
Introduction to corporate sponsor and partner
- Targeted introduction to relevant stakeholders active in InnovationQuarter ecosystem
Day Seven
Introduction to corporate sponsor and partner
- Targeted introduction to relevant stakeholders active in IQ ecosystem
Day Eight
Introduction to local manufacturer/test site
- Enables startup to talk through manufacturing needs and early quotes
Day Nine
Networking event
- Attend event with local incubator or InnovationQuarter team member to act as liaison
- Targeted event with relevant stakeholders, industry experts, and other potential partners
Day Ten
Final meeting with InnovationQuarter team about next steps
- Lay out next steps for international expansion
- Continued business development support
Sign up
Sign up
Contact Us
Get to know more
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Get in touch with our program managers!
The Netherlands:
Anne de Vries, Project Associate Internationalisation at InnovationQuarter
+31 6 2254 6065 / anne.devries@innovationquarter.nl
The United States:
Benny Kim, International Partnership Fellow at Greentown Labs
+1 661-878-3766 / bkim@greentownlabs.com
Organised By
Organised By
Founding organizations
InnovationQuarter (IQ) facilitates (international) collaboration between innovative entrepreneurs, knowledge institutes and government. InnovationQuarter’s mission is to strengthen the regional economy in West Holland by supporting and stimulating the innovation potential of this unique delta region. In close co-operation with all large corporations, educational and research institutions – like the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, the Delft University of Technology and Leiden University – and government organizations, InnovationQuarter supports technological developments with social impact, encourages entrepreneurship and invests in fast-growing companies.
Greentown Labs is a community of bold, passionate entrepreneurs creating game-changing energy technologies that transform the way we live, work, and play. Located in Somerville, Mass., and founded in 2011, the Greentown Labs Global Center for Cleantech Innovation is the largest cleantech incubator in the United States, operating a 100,000 sq. ft. campus that enables entrepreneurs to solve today’s biggest energy and environmental problems. Its mission is to enable a vibrant community of startups to realize their visions by providing access to the resources, labs, and funding they need to thrive.
Supported by
A leading complex tech incubator that brings your product to the market as fast as possible. Focus areas are Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, CleanTech, MedTech, Aviation, Robotics, and Complex Technology. YES!Delft guides you through the whole life cycle: pre-acceleration, acceleration, and growth. YES!Delft differentiates itself in the incubator market by dealing with complex products in challenging markets.
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) is a state economic development agency dedicated to accelerating the growth of the clean energy sector across the Commonwealth to spur job creation, deliver statewide environmental benefits and to secure long-term economic growth for the people of Massachusetts. MassCEC works to increase the adoption of clean energy while driving down costs and delivering financial, environmental, and economic development benefits to energy users and utility customers across the state.
ACTION Innovation Network is a collaborative network of technology business incubators and other entrepreneur support organizations. Together they promote the growth and success of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, share resources and best practices, strengthen technology clusters, and contribute to economic improvement. The network of incubators provides diverse resources and a highly- supportive hub in which entrepreneurs, business leaders, government agencies, community leaders, investors, universities, and other interested organizations can collaborate toward the successful commercialization of technology enterprises that will build a prosperous economy, improve quality of life and sustain the health of our environment.
CIC provides a home from which to work, allowing innovators to easily access resources and create substantive, positive global impact. At CIC, you focus on growing your business while we take care of the rest. We provide high-quality, flexible office and coworking spaces, as well as stocked community kitchens, unmetered access to conference rooms, enterprise-grade internet services, printing and copying, phones, high-end furniture, operational and technical support, concierge services, perks and wellness offerings, and much more. Clients have access to hundreds of diverse entrepreneurs, service providers, investors, and mentors, while CIC-supported events draw thousands of innovators from across the global startup community to CIC.
Buccaneer Delft is an accelerator for young technology companies active in the energy and offshore sectors. Their mission is to enhance and fast-track young companies’ commercial success. Their program offers concrete growth support, focused on bringing young entrepreneurs in contact with experts and each other to exchange knowledge and ideas. The companies they serve are ambitious, have an innovative technology product for the energy and/or offshore sector, and have a scalable business model.