The Tech Champions Manifesto has been launched!

On November 4th is the official presentation to Minister Beljaarts

Download Manifest

About

We are 10 CEO/Founders of leading Dutch scale ups that mirror the 10 key technologies of the National Technology Strategy (NTS) that are essential for the future Dutch economy.

Scale-ups are crucial in the development of these technologies but find it difficult to grow to in The Netherlands to full commercial companies. We create a voice for Dutch scale-ups to provide a sounding board to government policy making with the aim to develop new sustainable industries to improve our economic competitiveness and secure our societal welfare.

10

Key Technologies

10

Leading Dutch Scale Ups

Our Ambition:

Build at least one ASML-like company based in The Netherlands in each of the 10 key technologies by 2038 (height of Dutch aging population).

Launch of the Tech Champions Manifesto:

Collaborating for the Future of Dutch Technology

At the launch of the Tech Champions Manifesto, we hosted an inspiring event with a diverse and influential audience, including representatives from pension funds, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and Members of Parliament from VVD, CDA, SGP, Volt, and PVV. Led by Constantijn van Oranje, our plans were met with enthusiasm, featuring powerful contributions from Ingrid Thijssen and a panel discussion with Tjark Tjin-A-Tsoi (TNO), Onno van de Stolpe (Galapagos), and Gert-Jan Vaessen (Invest-NL). Journalists from outlets like FD, BNR, and MT/Sprout amplified the message, while various VCs, scale-up CEOs, and entrepreneurs joined to support our vision.

The manifesto calls for a national strategy that enables the growth of deeptech companies, safeguarding prosperity for future generations. With the official presentation to Minister Beljaarts on November 4th, we are taking a critical step together toward a sustainable innovation climate in the Netherlands.

“A thriving start-up and innovation ecosystem is key for the future success of our economy, and it’s also essential to address our societal challenges. The Dutch technology strategy identifies clear focus areas and it’s great to see that each of them are covered well by leading start-ups and scale-ups.”

Tech Champions proudly presented our vision for the future of Dutch technology to Minister Beljaarts of Economic Affairs at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven. This meeting marked a key milestone as we handed over our Tech Champions Manifesto—a strategic roadmap for making the Netherlands a global leader in tech innovation.

Minister Beljaarts’ visit included a tour of the High Tech Campus, where he met with leaders from pioneering tech companies and saw firsthand the latest Dutch advancements in AI, photonics, and semiconductors at Smart Photonics and Axelera AI. These demonstrations provided an up-close look at how cutting-edge technologies are driving the future of Dutch innovation.

“Engineering based innovation is crucial to address our societal challenges, and to safeguard our earning power. Next to existing industry, the Netherlands needs to make sure that start-ups and scale-ups can thrive, supported by excellence in technical and applied sciences, a world class research and development infrastructure, and an investment climate supporting entrepreneurship. This is what the Netherlands Academy of Engineering stands for.”

At the heart of the visit was a roundtable discussion following the official handover of our Manifesto. Crafted by the ten NTS Tech Champions and incorporating insights from our launch event guests, the Manifesto offers a hands-on perspective from leaders who live and breathe tech innovation. The minister praised the authenticity of the document, appreciating that it reflects the real-world experiences of scale-up leaders rather than a consultancy’s viewpoint.

Minister Beljaarts emphasized the critical role of SMEs in the Dutch economy and acknowledged the urgency to act on tech scale-up support, seeing this as a necessity, not a question. He shared the cabinet’s view on practical approaches grounded in speed, shared risk, and policy consistency. In his words, the minister encouraged, “Help me to help you,” inviting the Tech Champions to continue sharing insights that can shape effective policies.

This meeting established a strong foundation for ongoing dialogue between the NTS group and the government, aiming to create a supportive ecosystem where Dutch scale-ups can thrive and lead globally.

“As a leading European technology company, we value a strong technology ecosystem in our region. We therefore warmly support a vibrant innovation network in the Netherlands where start-ups and scale-ups can grow to achieve their full potential. The focused approach of the National Technology Strategy can help to leverage this growth and nurture the potential of these technologies.”

Our Agenda:

Scale-ups are different to SME’s and have the following specific needs to grow.

01 CONSISTENT POLICY

Scale-ups have a long growth journey that requires consistent policy to develop supportive ecosystems. 

It is imperative to embed the NTS in the Coalition Accord, give scale-ups a structural seat at the table of developing industry policy to secure long term policies that promote scale-up development.

02 SPEED

Scale-ups need to go fast to overcome the period of more cost than revenues. 

We need a ‘fast lane’ for governmental approvals and priority access to public infrastructure.

03 RISK

Scale-up take on a lot of risk that pay-out to society only much later. 

Government should share more in this risk by providing funding, stimulating scale-up products in public tenders and offering guarantees to allow scale-up to compete with corporates.

Our Commitment:

You can expect from us that we represent broad inclusive technology categories for current and future scale-up generations to create new Dutch based industries with positive societal impact.

” We must recognize these scale-ups as an important new voice. The new technologies they bring are key to solving current challenges.”

Eline founded the TUDelft spin-off NightBalance in 2009, which Philips acquired in 2018. She is now CEO of Hybridize Therapeutics, developing RNA-based kidney disease therapies. Additionally, she is a Venture Partner at Thuja Capital, Treasurer for the Netherlands Academy of Engineering, and a member of investment committees for the Deep Tech Fund, Graduate Entrepreneur Pre Seed Fund, and the Supervisory Board of Livassured.

Our Key Technology Champions

Learn more about our Key Technology Champions

Get in Touch

techleap@lubbersdejong.nl

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