Eight teams are admitted to the accelerator program High tech XL. Read all about their plans here. E52 will be following their progress closely during the coming months. On top of the eight winners of last Friday (April 29), a wild card went to Kitesim, the kite surfing simulator by Robert Hoogendijk.
Kitesim formally isn’t part of High tech XL, but Guus Frericks and his team chose the startup “to be prepared for participation in the next round.”
According to Hoogendijk, Kitesim is mainly looking for ways to start upscaling his startup. “So I don’t have to keep running from one exhibition to another all by myself anymore to make people enthusiastic for kite surfing.” Also, though Kitesim is already fully usable as it stands now, he wants to further develop the software.
Hoogendijk says that Kitesim is an accessible and safe way to get acquainted with kite surfing. “But also for professionals it’s an ideal device to improve your technique with. Whether you live by the sea or not, you can always start kitesurfing.”
Freriks also sees a lot of potential. “My daughter of 11 would also like to go kitesurfing, but as a father I find that just a little too dangerous. This might be the perfect solution.” No wonder ‘security’ is #1 on Hoogendijk’s list of Kitesim’s benefits. “With the Kite Simulator you can learn to control the kite in a 100% safe environment. Consequences of your actions are seen and felt without hurting yourself or someone else. This allows users to be more relaxed, a key factor in learning to kitesurf.”
Hoogendijk also sees benefits because of the time aspect. “People often have a demanding job or a family that requires attention. And just when you would like to go kitesurfing, there might be too little or too much wind to give a good and safe lesson. After this happens a number of times, a student must sometimes wait for a long time for the next lesson. Thanks to the Kite Simulator this is not necessary anymore.”
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