Turning Start-ups into scale-ups so everyone prospers

Summer holidays are over. Time to get busy building the next stage of the booming start-up ecosystem in the South-East corner of StartupDelta. Here’s your insider’s guide to what we’re up to and why.

Just over a year ago, this place was one of only two European research centres described as an "Innovation District" in a ground breaking study by Bruce Katz and Julie Wagner of the Brookings Institute. In short, the US researchers detected a trend.

"Rather than building on green-field sites, companies in knowledge-intensive sectors are locating key facilities close to other firms, research labs, and universities so that they can share ideas and practice "open innovation. These districts are geographic areas where leading-edge anchor institutions and companies cluster and connect with start-ups, business incubators and accelerators.

That’s a concise description of exactly what’s going on now in Eindhoven. TechCrunch also recently called it the "centre of deep-tech entrepreneurship". I like that phrase.

From talk to action

Innovation is not something you can order from a menu or invent with a factory mindset. Our full support of initiatives like Startupbootcamp HighTechXL is a deliberate part of our growth strategy here at the Campus. Startups are realizing they cannot scale if they stay in the garage and tweak something. They need to mingle with other entrepreneurs and have efficient access to everything from legal advice to sophisticated lab equipment. And if they grow, we grow, so it’s win-win for everyone.

Advantages for Pioneers of Open Collaboration

Since we have started with Startupbootcamp HighTechXL, we’ve learned never to underestimate the power of peer-to-peer contact between startups and corporates. Great things happen a lot faster once trust is established. Informal networks are crucial to getting things done.

Of course, the magic is amplified because of the more than 10,000 very bright people who are busy here. Many are developing technologies that are already impacting our world. They form part of a unique and vibrant ecosystem of established global brands, leading research institutes, fast growth enterprises, high-tech startups and service companies. And if each of those people knows just 100 people, just think of the power that international network of expertise brings to the Eindhoven region.

On the right path to success

Of course, we need to continually show others that this open approach works. Luckily, independent evidence is beginning to emerge. I recommend reading the recent findings on collaborative innovation from the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. Their new report draws on more than 80 interviews, and includes findings from several CEOs of large multinationals and start-ups. The author, Lilia Planiyan states that corporate and startups need to cooperate much more for Europe to improve its competitiveness. We have clearly made a start. But so much more needs to be done.