The Netherlands operates, mainly due to the activities in and around Eindhoven, at a global level in the area of high-tech hardware. The many awards and honorable mentions in recent years gave full expression to that fact. And still, our country could take big steps, if we would be working on a more coherent and focused image abroad.
Guus Frericks, the absolute winner of the High Tech Peak Awards for his outstanding contribution to the innovative ecosystem in Eindhoven, is convinced that much more can be done to acquire recognition – and funding. In an interview with Jonathan Marks, Frericks points at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. “There were some great Dutch startups at CES but it was not a consistent presence. We can learn a lot from our French counterparts. ”
The French had done everything to gain attention, Frericks says. With the result that the French startups were all over the media – and they gained the interest of the big investors. For the Dutch startups this wasn’t the case. Frericks:
“It Began with a firm commitment from Fleur Pellerin, the then French Minister for Innovation and the Digital Economy. She said she would do everything to Improve the Impact of French startups abroad. They invested something like € 15 million to do so. And she succeeded in putting French technology just behind the US in terms of dominating the headlines at this year’s show. “
According to Frericks Netherlands should use the 2017 CES to show it can do better. “The Netherlands puts on a great show at the Hannover Messe each year. So why not prepare for a stronger, more unified Dutch tech presence at CES 2017? Because the global impact of our high-tech nation is important! I’m willing to take an active lead on this.”
Read all about the Eindhoven input at CES 2016