Press Release: Founded in the North Launch

Region-wide cooperation boosts success of Northern Dutch Startups ‍
Northern Netherlands, September 19, 2024 — Startups and scale-ups in the Northern Netherlands receive a significant boost with the launch of the new Founded: a partnership of regional governments, knowledge institutions, support programs, business and investors. With a integrated and data-driven approach, Founded combines the forces of all key players in the region to support and grow innovative startups and scale-ups. For this, you receive Founded 4 million euro European grant from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and 4.8 million from a regional coalition of governments, knowledge institutions and the business community.
‍

Mission and Goals
Founded believes in the entrepreneurial power of founders. That's why Founded van Noord-Nederland wants the create a place where startups and scale-ups work on global challenges of today and the future. Where a highly connected network works together based on shared goals, data and monitoring to increase the effectiveness of the northern ecosystem. This should result in a structural increase in the number of new startups and a larger number of startups that continue to grow to scale-up in the Northern Netherlands.

‍
Unique collaboration
In the northern Netherlands, numerous initiatives and organizations are active in the startup and scale-up ecosystem, but that's also why there is fragmentation. Founded wants to prevent this fragmentation so that there is clarity arises for (prospective) entrepreneurs about what support options there are during all phases of life from startup to scale-up. This makes it possible to offer a wide range of inspiration programming for students and researchers, acceleration programs, facilitation of the founder community to investment programs with VCs from outside the region.
‍

Willemien Meeuwissen, Drenthe deputy: “Support for broad SMEs was already in place Drenthe, but we had no specific ones for the innovative and dynamic start-ups and scale-ups guidance. With Founded, we offer entrepreneurs who are starting or want to scale up, practical knowledge and help to set up or expand their business. This is important for both the development of new solutions for the future as well as for the region's broad prosperity.”
Friso Douwstra, deputy of Fryslân: “Founded is a joint and integrated plan to create North-To make the Netherlands the place where startups and scale-ups work on today's global challenges and the future.”

‍
Joint launch with Future Tech Ventures
During the launch of Founded at the Startup Festival, the Future Tech Ventures (FTV) fund is also launched. Future Tech Ventures is a new proof-of-concept investment fund, which will cover the next five year will supervise and finance high-tech startups in the northern Netherlands. This joint launch strengthens the collaboration between the two initiatives, with Future Tech Ventures providing the required financial resources and business development for startups and Founded the supporting provides infrastructure for startups to grow. The FTV and Founded initiatives stimulate the innovative strength and economic growth in the region. Both projects receive European funding for this purpose through the Northern Netherlands Partnership (SNN) to achieve this.