On april 19th, 2018 Arnhem will be the epicenter for startups to meet everyone that make the Netherlands the startup country of Europe. At the StartupDelta Summit, the Dutch ecosystem comes together with as goal to create new connections and strengthen the position of the Dutch innovation ecosystem as ‘single hub’. The StartupDelta Summit 2018 was launched by Constantijn van Oranje (Startup Envoy StartupDelta) and the host of the StartupDelta Summit 2018, Michiel Scheffers (deputy Economy and Innovation, Province of Gelderland) during the StartupFest Europe closing party.

The Netherlands belongs to the top of innovation ecosystems worldwide. In 2017 the Netherlands is ranked 4th of the most competitive economies worldwide. Besides that, 13 Dutch universities are part of THE World University Ranking, making the Netherlands part of the scientific world top. The Netherlands functions as a gateway to Europe by its geographic position. Together, these factors greatly contribute to the fact that the Netherlands is one of the best places for entrepreneurs to start a company, grow and go international. StartupDelta has a mission to strengthen this position by removing the growth barriers together with the government, businesses and innovation hubs by providing startups with the key elements to grow: capital, talent, network, expertise and market. At the StartupDelta Summit, the entire innovation ecosystem comes together to jointly work on this mission.

From Rotterdam and The Hague to Gelderland as regional innovation hotspot in The Netherlands

Every edition the StartupDelta Summit takes place in one of the regional innovation hotspots in the Netherlands. Formerly known as the How To Get There Summit, it was hosted by Rotterdam in 2015 and The Hague in 2016. This year, the Province of Gelderland will host the StartupDelta Summit and will welcome the entire Dutch innovation ecosystem. Michiel Scheffer, deputy Economy and Innovation of the Province of Gelderland: “The Province of Gelderland wants to be the greenest and most sustainable province of The Netherlands. We are looking for new solutions for the challenges of tomorrow. Therefore, we actively stimulate startups and scale-ups with knowledge, networks and money. This results in the growth of Smart Industry, Food, Health, Cleantech and Energy. As an important ‘hub’ towards Germany (Nordrhein-Westfalen), the Province invests in a close relationship with German partners and investors.”

Organisation

The StartupDelta Summit will jointly be organised by all Dutch innovation hubs with the Province of Gelderland as host and Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECE) as head organiser. Visit www.startupdeltasummit.com to stay updated.

For more information, please contact Jurgen Nieuwenhuijsen (nieuwenhuijsen@ece.nl / 06 53606123), project leader StartupDelta Summit.

Want to know more about the role of the Province of Gelderland? Please contact Michel Hulsink, spokesman of Michel Scheffer (06 52801813)