(Editor’s note: We started the Eindhoven Business Briefing in 2017 because we had more news in our headquarters city – which has a huge expat population – than we could possibly post. The future really is being invented here. Send your news to: [email protected])
The big news this week is the number of Eindhoven-based startups off to CES Unveiled in Amsterdam. The 17 October event is a prelude to Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas scheduled for 7 thru 10 January 2020. The summit draws about 180,000 attendees from 160 countries over the course of four days.
CES Unveiled is billed as “a showcase of the latest technology from around the region.”
Industry categories for 2019 include:
- artificial intelligence (AI)
- AR/VR
- enterprise solutions
- health and wellness
- resilience
- smart cities
But here’s the very weird thing … when we ran into the teams who’ve been chosen for Unveiled, the response was, “We can’t confirm or deny we’re going because (organizers) told us not to say anything.”
Except all the exhibiting startups are listed right on the internets for all the world to see.
Why this is supposed to be top secret, we have no idea. We think this is something to celebrate.
Of the 40 or so announced startups chosen for Unveiled, at least five are based in Eindhoven or have operations here. Our sources tell us we need to be there because some big announcements will indeed be unveiled. So much secrecy!
Startups from Eindhoven include:
AirBliss+ makes smart air pollution masks. This is a HighTechXL alumnus.
Incooling is developing a high-pressure two-phase cooling system for data centers. Incooling was part of HighTechXL’s first deep-tech cohort.
Lightyear just introduced its solar/plugin family car this year. Lightyear came out of Technical University of Eindhoven’s push to developer solar technology for cars.
Microsure is a Technical University of Eindhoven spinout that builds robot systems for micro-surgery.
Plasmacure uses cold plasma – a state between solid and gas – to heal chronic wounds.
LeydenJar Technologies is a startup developing technologies to boost the energy density of Li-ion battery cells used in consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and residential energy storage.
Other Dutch startups include:
• HyrdaLoop based in Leeuwarden
• Lightwell in Amsterdam
• Meds2Go from Nordwijk
• Nowi-Energy from Delft
• Pact Care based in Amsterdam
• Pandora Intelligence based in Amsterdam
• Pyour Audio/Absolute Audio Labs from Hilversum
• Th3rd creative based in Amsterdam
• SoundEnergy based in Eschede
The Dutch startups are in good company at CES Unveiled along with startups from Australia, Belgium, Slovenia, Russia and the United States, specifically Stanford University. So, august company, indeed.
What amazes us is how a Dutch tech startup scene that was nascent only three years ago is now producing promising startups and maturing scale-ups that compare to any in the world … and lots of them.
China-Europe delegation
This is late notice, but the 2019 China-Europe Smart Tech & Creative Industry Delegation is boarding soon. The CESTCID is an expenses-paid, nine-day trip jam-packed with presentations, 1-on-1s and exclusive site visits to China’s business and innovation centers.
For startups that make it through the selection process, this is a chance to meet potential customers, partners and investors. Destinations include Jinan, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Wuxi, Shanghai, Nantong and Beijing.
Yuzin Huan at Outpie Partners, which has offices at HighTech Campus Eindhoven and other Dutch accelerators, is the organizer. We know at least two Eindhoven-based startups including CADChain that are contemplating making the trip, so more as we know more.
Mobility as a service
Eindhoven has pioneered so many technologies in the past 30 years that this post could be about nothing but that. But the latest and most visible revolution is mobility as a service, or MaaS. (Get it? Like SaasS, or software as a service.)
Amber Mobility was there years ago with their pick-up and drop-off electric BMW i3 cars. There were app-based bicycle rentals even before that. Now, lime green e-scooters are turning up everywhere on High Tech Campus and around the city.
GO Sharing scooters cost about 29 euro cents per minute to rent, and all you need to do is download their app and plug in your credit card details. There will be 200 total distributed around the city over the next few weeks, according to media reports.
From the GO Sharing website:
GO Sharing is a start-up with big ambitions. We want to become the ultimate electric scooter subsystem of Europe. We did not start for nothing in Eindhoven, the city with the fastest growing economy of all Dutch cities. Soon you will see our e-scooters in the Netherlands!
So voilá, from Eindhoven to the world.
The truth is, Lyft and other companies are rolling out MaaS internationally and Eindhoven is in the middle of it.
A roundtable event held here in Eindhoven last month by SmartCitiesWorld in partnership with ReachNow (a joint venture between BMW Group and Daimler AG) was meant to map out how the industry will develop, including figuring out how all transportation modes will be linked together.
Lyft’s app, for example, lets users switch between tabs to choose the best ride option for them, according to the SmartCitiesWorld post.
Which makes us wonder how long private ownership of vehicles, other than for car aficionados and collectors, will even be necessary for residents of Europe’s large cities.
The next SmartConnect is 7 October
They say nothing in life is free, but we beg to differ. We invite startups of all shapes and sizes to #SmartConnect, an evening of free advice, feedback and wisdom.
Startups in all phases of development will get face-time with experts who will give you detailed feedback about where you are in the process of building your company.
SmartConnect is scheduled for 16:00 to 18:30 on Monday, 7 October at Building 17 on High Tech Campus Eindhoven.
If you have a startup – anything from an idea to a team with an MVP – you are invited to HighTechXL for SmartConnect, our way of reaching out to startup teams who can use some expert advice, direction, fresh thinking or maybe a bit of encouragement.
The HighTechXL team and community experts include:
- Emma Palmen on storytelling and pitching
- Eric Broekhuizen and Guus Frericks on business plans
- Betsy Lindsey on finance (investor relations)
- Pete Pollard on protecting your intellectual property
- Maron Galama on trademarking
- Terry Boyd and Cheryl Boyd from Dispatches Europe on marketing and social media
While HighTechXL now focuses on deep-tech venture building, we’re happy to talk with all flavors of startup teams during SmartConnect. HighTechXL executives and team members have decades of experience building businesses. They’ve seen it all and done it all … and they’re giving all that institutional knowledge away. For free!
The roundtable format gives each group about 20 minutes with each expert panel.
It’s free (with beer!), but please register here so we can get a head count and plan for all contingencies.
About HighTechXL:
HighTechXL is the Netherlands’ premier deep-tech accelerator. HighTechXL is an initiative of the Eindhoven Startup Alliance with ASML, Philips, NTS Group, High Tech Campus Eindhoven, Technical University Eindhoven, ABN AMRO Bank, Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM) and EY/HVG as its founding members.
