Business

Final call for 12 Sept. Eyes Wide Open startup capital event in Eindhoven

Consider this the last call for our big Eyes Wide Open event at High Tech Campus in Eindhoven as we near our sell-out limit.

Our Tech Sister Cities initiative is bringing private equity investor Jonathan Blue, chairman of Blue Equity in the United States, to the Conference Center at High Tech Campus on 12 September. (We recommend parking in PO, which puts you on the far west end of the Strip. Parking is free at High Tech Campus.)

All the details are set. The main event will be 15:00-17:00 with networking, snacks and drinks afterward at HighTechXL offices at High Tech Campus 1, The Strip, from 17:00-18:00.

We’re going to talk about the sexiest, most exciting topic there is – capital – and how to get it. This event will be an introduction to the American investment approach by a private equity player who’s done deals all over the world including with Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim and Paris-based media conglomerate Lagardère group.

Jonathan will open the event with a brief intro about his private equity firm and some of his standout deals. Then he’ll share his insights into how American investors see the current landscape.

Get ready for some great give-and-take from the biggest names in Eindhoven’s tech and startup ecosystem.

For instance, we’ll have Jeroen Wijering via video asking Jonathan for his advice as JW Player moves toward an IPO.

We’ll have HighTechXL CEO and founder Guus Frericks and Betsy Lindsey, formerly of Silicon Valley Bank and currently manager of investor relations at HighTechXL, discussing trends in the Netherlands and the United States. Finally, we’ll hear from local entrepreneurs and startup veterans.

We’ve been pitching this event to various startup groups and the question we always get is, “So, why are you doing this?”

It’s simple: Business and capital are increasingly globally-focused. But early stage risk capital is difficult to find in the Netherlands. Worthy Dutch startups shouldn’t be dying on the vine because of lack of funding, which is too often the case.

We started putting together our Tech Sister Cities initiative back in 2016 to link worthy Eindhoven startups to more risk-tolerant investors in the Midwest, specifically St. Louis, Louisville, Nashville and Columbus.

In turn, those Middle American cities will benefit from the incredible tech and startup talent Dispatches covers in Eindhoven.

We anticipate some startups here will follow Shapeways and JW Player to the United States, where investors are more risk-tolerant, while keeping R&D and other operations here in Eindhoven.

And we anticipate that some American tech talent and investors might see opportunities here in the Netherlands they’re not seeing in the Midwest.

Bottom line: Everyone wins. And Dispatches is all about the global mobility of talent and capital.

Your startup might not be ready for private equity, but successful new businesses have a habit of growing faster than you planned. So, this will be your chance to understand what getting a serious investment entails, and what the trends are in PE.

Come be part of the first event as Tech Sister Cities connects the world.

This inaugural event is funded by a grant from the U.S. Embassy in The Hague. Other sponsors include HighTechXL, High Tech Campus Eindhoven and the Eindhoven Airport.

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