Agreement between Startups Foundation and Eindhoven

By Bart Brouwers

The Eindhoven Startups Foundation and the municipality have decided to intensify their cooperation. They have signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” last week. No money is involved in the agreement, its primary goal is mainly in a better alignment of each other’s activities. Ultimate they want to strengthen the startup ecosystem in the Brainport region.

The agreement was signed last Tuesday under the watchful eye of Special Envoy Neelie Kroes of Startup Delta. Alderman Staf Depla (Economic Affairs) was there on behalf of the municipality; Ed Winkels and Victoria Martinez (the city’s startup officer) on behalf of the Foundation, which now has 540 Eindhoven startups associated.

Both parties have identified the importance of a good startup ecosystem or the city, but also see that the many (small) initiatives currently ask a lot of time and effort but yield to little avail. This has to change through better coordination of the activities.

The Foundation will try to join all the forces within startups and scaleups in the municipality of Eindhoven. The agreement: “At present there is no general partner or location for Startups and Scaleups in the city of Eindhoven, where initiatives and activities come together, regardless of the industry or sector. From now on, this will take place, including Brainport, High Tech Campus, Eindhoven 365, Holland Expat Centre, BOM, knowledge institutes and businesses.”

The Foundation will undertake the following initiatives:

1. The creation of new jobs in the region through start-ups, and teaching and guiding young entrepreneurs in developing their businesses;
2. Stimulating innovation as a key to faster and sustainable development;
3. Creating a Startup community, where every young company can find the resources and networks necessary when starting a business;
4. Increasing the number of new enterprises being created annually in the region;
5. Providing access to funds for start-ups through subsidies;
6. Encouraging and facilitating an entrepreneurial ecosystem in the province of Noord-Brabant;
7. The Foundation will ask Startups and Scaleups to act as ambassadors for Startup City Eindhoven;
8. The Foundation helps the municipality with national and international communication and promotion.

At least once a year, the Foundation will report the results to the local community.