Venture-builder HighTechXL and investment fund DeepTechXL hosted XL Day, an event to showcase, inspire, and connect with the world of deeptech in the Brainport Region. The happening, which took place last Friday at the High Tech Campus Eindhoven (HTCE) conference center, was a moment, through talks, panels, and pitches, to highlight the importance of deeptech.
Why this is important:
Deeptech is essential to solving the challenges of our time, from climate-related issues to health ones.
By definition, deeptech is cutting-edge technology rooted in advanced scientific and engineering innovations. Compared to traditional tech, deeptech takes more time and research, thus requiring highly skilled people and substantial investments. Examples of deeptech include technologies such as carbon capture and storage or innovative health scanners. Deeptech primarily develops hardware solutions.
HighTechXL is an accelerator that helps deeptech startups grow. Companies joining the venture-builder program take on a journey to mature themselves and attract funding. DeepTechXL is one such fund that gives startups the checks they need to expand.
Work done, work to do
It was up to John Bell, CEO of HighTechXL, and Guus Frericks, managing partner of DeepTechXL, to go down memory lane and look back on the years of work since founding the accelerator 11 years ago. At the time, no real startup ecosystem existed in the Eindhoven region. Part of the venture builder’s success lies in its founding partners—ASML, Philips, Brabant Development Agency (BOM), Dutch research institute TNO, and HTCE—and a wide network of experts and advisors. Hilde de Vocht, HTCE’s director of ecosystem management, also looked back on the early days of HighTechXL, emphasizing its positive impact on the campus.
In 2022, DeepTechXL came to life as a follow-up step to further strengthen the then-thriving deeptech ecosystem. Supporting companies addressing social themes such as the energy transition, health, and security is the fund’s mission, helping to bring impactful innovations to the market. “Developing hardware means a long-term commitment. If the companies we support are successful, we will be successful, and in the next ten years, we have to capitalize on the work we have been doing,” stated Frericks, looking ahead to the decade to come.
Energy transition keynote
Earl Goetheer, CTO of HighTechXL, gave a keynote on the energy transition. In addition to his job at the venture builder, he also teaches at the Delft University of Technology. A chemical engineer by training, he used to work as a scientist for TNO. According to Goetheer, similar to the radical shifts brought by coal, oil, and natural gas, we are on the brink of a new revolution: electrification.
“There are already the first signs; photovoltaics is now cheaper than fossil-based power. At the latest COP meeting, world leaders agreed on tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030. Renewables are getting cheaper, so it’s easy to commit. The challenge will be storing this power through the seasons. And also, how can we transport energy from the Middle East to the Netherlands? Solving these challenges will be part of unlocking the potential for renewable energy,” he underscored.
At the same time, Goetheer stressed the relevance of materials for the energy transition, possibly sourcing them from carbon itself. “We should talk about recarbonization, getting carbon back in the loop, and making materials out of it. Everyone has their man on the moon; mine is, can we make our materials out of thin air, just out of CO2, nitrogen, or water? Trees are doing so, and we can do the same thing, perhaps more efficiently.”
Panels
The program also featured room for panel discussions, with the first one centered on young talent. The panelists were Floor Anna van den Boom, innovation manager at InPhocal, Mihai Mihut, financial analyst at DeepTechXL, and Miriam Domingos Antonissen, marketing and communications assistant at Senergetics. The three of them shared some tips for managers to nurture young talent. Allowing youngsters to confront themselves with tough challenges, letting them fail, and, as older managers, including themselves more in the areas where young people are were some of the tips the trio gave.
Creating, building, and investing in the energy and material transition was the topic for another panel discussion. There, Veridis CEO Jeroen Glansdorp, Carbyon’s project manager Beatrix Bos, and Catalyzer’s cofounder Teun Brand chatted about the topic. From the discussion, it emerged how impact and a solid business case need to go hand in hand. Although the impact of a startup is certainly valued by investment funds, the business model is often the main discriminant.
HighTechXL’s deeptech startups
To Goetheer, startups are the key to bringing deeptech innovations to the market. During the event, some of the HighTechXL startups were also able to pitch themselves to the audience.
- Inner presented its technology for scanning electric vehicles’ battery packs.
- Sandgrain introduced its universal authentication platform for connective devices.
- Tomosono pitched its knee dynamic tomography solution.
- AVOXT unveiled its innovative hydrogen electrolyzer design.
- Senergetics pitched its monitoring solution for corrosion and leak detection in the process industry.
- VitalWear presented its technology for improved risk assessment and early detection of pressure ulcers.
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