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Startup Amsterdam
StartupAmsterdam is a public-private partnership initiative launched in 2015 by the City of Amsterdam.
What are the main aims and objectives?
StartupAmsterdam is aimed at strengthening and supporting the startup ecosystem in the Dutch capital. Its main objectives include fostering innovation, improving the regulatory environment, and promoting international collaboration for startups and entrepreneurs. The program focuses on five key pillars essential for startup growth: access to capital, launching customers, talent acquisition, creating a startup-minded environment, and providing online and offline content. StartupAmsterdam works to connect public and private stakeholders, empowering local entrepreneurs, attracting international founders, and creating opportunities for underrepresented groups in the entrepreneurship world. The initiative also aims to simplify administrative processes, facilitate valuable connections within the ecosystem, and position Amsterdam as a leading European startup hub.
How does the program work?
StartupAmsterdam brings together public and private sectors to foster innovation, improve the regulatory environment, and promote international collaboration for startups and entrepreneurs.
The program operates by focusing on five key pillars essential for startup growth: access to capital, launching customers, talent acquisition, creating a startup-minded environment, and providing online and offline content. StartupAmsterdam works to connect various stakeholders, including city officials, businesses, startups, investors, and academic institutions, to create a thriving ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship.
One of StartupAmsterdam's flagship initiatives is the "Startup in Residence" program, which allows startups to collaborate directly with city officials to develop innovative solutions for urban challenges. This program exemplifies the initiative's commitment to transparency and co-creation in policymaking, ensuring that startups' needs are considered when designing policies.
StartupAmsterdam is responsible for over 40 projects, initiatives, and campaigns that create impactful synergies within the ecosystem. These include organizing networking events, workshops, and conferences that bring together entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts. The program also provides access to funding opportunities through partnerships with local and international investors and works to attract international talent by offering support with visas, housing, and integration services.
To facilitate connections and provide resources, StartupAmsterdam has developed tools such as the Amsterdam Startup Map, which showcases the ecosystem's stakeholders and allows entrepreneurs to search for companies, investors, and resources. The program also maintains a comprehensive startup calendar that lists all startup and tech-related events in Amsterdam, helping entrepreneurs stay connected and informed.
What is the overall cost?
There is currently no available information on the running costs of StartupAmsterdam.
How was it implemented?
StartupAmsterdam was created in 2015 as a public-private partnership initiative launched by the City of Amsterdam. The program was born out of a collaborative effort between the municipality and key stakeholders in the startup ecosystem.
The genesis of StartupAmsterdam can be traced back to a crucial meeting where the local government gathered important players in the Amsterdam startup scene. During this meeting, city officials posed a critical question: "What can the local government do to help Amsterdam's startups, scaleups, and the ecosystem as a whole?" This dialogue led to the creation of the StartupAmsterdam action plan, which aimed to transform Amsterdam from a city with isolated pockets of entrepreneurship into a well-connected hub with a robust startup culture.
The initiative was designed to address several key pillars essential for startup growth: access to capital, launching customers, talent acquisition, creating a startup-minded environment, and providing online and offline content. By focusing on these areas, StartupAmsterdam set out to strengthen the connections between public and private stakeholders, empowering local entrepreneurs, attracting international founders, and creating opportunities for underrepresented groups in the entrepreneurship world.
Timeline
In 2015, the City of Amsterdam teamed up with the private sector to devise a broad, cohesive policy focused on startups, scale-ups and initiatives that would accelerate their growth. Upon conducting an extensive literature review and talking to more than 250 stakeholders, an ambitious new action programme – StartupAmsterdam – was born.
Driven by a desire to strengthen Amsterdam’s startup ecosystem, StartupAmsterdam has launched and co-launched over 35 initiatives, supported numerous projects, events and campaigns and generated momentum that put Amsterdam on the global map of startup hubs within just a few years. The speed at which this has transformed Amsterdam’s economy proves that we are on the right track.
Having been extended for a new term (2019-2022) in January 2019, StartupAmsterdam is set to continue creating a well-functioning ecosystem that serves innovative companies wishing to grow sustainably in continued collaboration with public and private stakeholders.
What impact has been measured?
StartupAmsterdam has launched over 40 projects, initiatives, and campaigns to support startups, scaleups, and talent growth
Notes + Additional Context
Amsterdam's startup ecosystem has shown impressive results since the program was launched:
- The combined value of startups founded in Amsterdam since 2000 has grown from €10 billion in 2015 to over €86 billion in 2020.
- Amsterdam now ranks as Europe's 3rd largest tech ecosystem by total value, behind only London and Berlin
- Amsterdam-based startups are responsible for over 49,000 jobs in the city, adding more than 16,000 new jobs since 2017
- Foreign startups contribute an additional 23,500 jobs, bringing the total to around 72,000 jobs in the ecosystem
- Amsterdam now generates more startups per capita (1.10 per 1,000 residents) than any other European hub
