Dutch private and public sector organizations form alliance to support high-tech hardware accelerator programs at HighTechXL.

EINDHOVEN, the Netherlands, May 25 – A group of leading Dutch companies and public sector organizations today announce the formation of the Eindhoven Startup Alliance, intended to support startup accelerator HighTechXL in its mission to create at least 20 high-growth hardware companies by the end of the decade.

The members of the alliance are ABN AMRO, ASML, Brabant Development Agency (BOM), Brainport Development, EY and HVG, High Tech Campus Eindhoven, Municipality of Eindhoven, NTS Group, and Philips. They have agreed to fund and/or support the incubation and acceleration programs of HighTechXL for the coming five years.

HighTechXL will create an incubation space for early-stage startups, and work in close collaboration with Bright Move – the early-phase incubator of the Technical University of Eindhoven. HighTechXL will run a series of six-month acceleration programs that cover the phase from prototype to market entry, followed by additional support throughout the scale-up stage.

HighTechXL is uniquely positioned to do all of this from its prime location on the High Tech Campus Eindhoven - a global benchmark for Dutch high-tech innovation. The campus has been called the “smartest square kilometre in Europe”, and is home to over 140 companies and 10,000 researchers, developers, and entrepreneurs who are collectively responsible for nearly 40% of all Dutch patent applications.

HighTechXL plans to accelerate at least 100 high-tech hardware companies by 2020. From those 100 companies, it aims to produce at least 20 to 30 that get on a high-growth curve and become the next original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), hoping to create hundreds or even thousands of new jobs in the Eindhoven region and beyond.

The alliance members intend to support startups in the program, for example through mentoring. If applicable, they could also work directly with startups to help solve some of their challenges, connect them to other companies in their supply chain, or become launching customers.

Guus Frericks, founder and CEO van HighTechXL: “We need to be more active in helping young technology companies to develop throughout the complete cycle: from idea to startup to scale-up. An accelerator alone doesn’t cut it, we need to get every local initiative to work more closely together so we can achieve our common goal. I am very pleased that, next to the large OEMs, we have NTS-Group participating.’’ Marc Hendrikse, CEO of NTS-Group, adds: “NTS-Group has been supporting several high-tech startups. Regional successes are Phenom World, SoLayTec, and Additive Industries. Based on the desire to create more high-tech OEMs in the region, we wholeheartedly support the HighTechXL initiative.”

Peter Wennink, CEO of ASML, said: “In its turbulent early years, ASML experienced first-hand how important a support system is for a young company. Supporting HighTechXL is our way of giving back to the community. In addition, we have the experience that these young companies can contribute: startups are a great source of ideas. Strengthening the high-tech hardware ecosystem, finally, is in our interest because we rely on a network of innovative suppliers and technology partners to continue our technology leadership.”

“125 years ago, Philips was itself a startup. We stand for innovation and entrepreneurship and believe that the future of successful innovation and growth lies in the collaboration between corporations and startups. There are many ways in which young and established companies can complement each other, and HighTechXL offers a great platform to do just that. Along with the other members of the Eindhoven Startup Alliance, we can give a push to innovation, and thus invest in the future growth of the region,” added Hans de Jong, CEO of Philips Benelux.”