Why the Netherlands is the new Silicon Valley

Every day we keep reading about the astounding progress in the world’s high-tech leader, San Francisco’s Silicon Valley. Yet, there is something we are missing. A rather small country geographically is gradually transforming into the new power in tech innovations. With its everyday top-notch scientific and technological advancements and highly qualified workforce, the Netherlands is steadily becoming the new Silicon Valley.  

With a #1 startup business climate in the European Union, a highly educated pool of tech-savvy experts, and an open corporate business culture, the homeland of Philips has shaped a rare startup ecosystem on the continent.

Although comparing a whole country with an individual city might seem groundless, I will tell you something: it isn’t. Simply because it isn’t about comparing. The new Silicon Valley is bigger in terms of geographical size, population, and disruptive innovation and entrepreneurship.

Unlike the other two major European leaders in science and technology – UK and Germany – the Dutch technological prowess is not concentrated mainly in its capital city. You will find numerous booming tech hubs all over the Netherlands. The Dutch startup ecosystem spreads out from the south to its very north, and its scientific and tech achievements can undoubtedly surpass those of the current high-tech backbone: San Francisco’s Silicon Valley.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam, or the startup capital of Europe’s west coast, is a magnet for tech-savvy talent and growth. The city’s programs StartupAmsterdam and TechLeap help startups strengthen, connect and grow. Amsterdam houses Amsterdam Science Park, which is a juncture of high-quality technical facilities, research institutes, and science and business database, and Startup Village, a coworking space for innovative high-tech and science based startups.

It was in Amsterdam’s startup ecosystem where the unicorn FinTech company Adyen was born. Adyen is now evaluated at $2.3 billion and provides payment solutions for Netflix, Uber, Spotify, and Airbnb. Besides, many Silicon Valley companies have headquarters in the city, including Google, Uber, and Cisco.

Eindhoven

Eindhoven, the birthplace of Philips, is also home to  “the smartest square kilometer in Europe”: High Tech Campus Eindhoven. The business park was originally the place where Philips Research (the NatLab) was located. Now it is a melting pot of tech-savvy talent where more than 140 high-tech companies and institutes are located, such as ASML, IBM, Philips, NXP, and Intel, to name but a few.

The city has a vast network of academic and R&D facilities including the Eindhoven University of Technology. Thanks to its exceptional high-tech and design climate, the city has also attracted the Silicon Valley-based Singularity University to open an innovation hub there. The mission of the innovation hub is to bring together industry leaders from startups, research institutions, businesses, and the government to create and apply technology “to address humanity’s grand challenges.”

Groningen

Groningen, famously known as the City of Talent has the largest number of successful startups after Amsterdam, according to Deloitte Fast50. The ranking lists the 50 fastest growing Dutch technology companies; in 2016 twelve companies were based in Amsterdam, followed by seven in Groningen. Moreover, last year the Internet giant Google opened its second data centre in Eemschaven in North Groningen.

Groningen houses “the most ambitious business accelerator for startups and existing companies in the Northern Netherlands”: VentureLab North. At the same time, the portal Founded in Groningen connects, supports and promotes startups with an impressive background of 435 companies Founded in Groningen.

Delft

Delft, the manufacturing base for the famous Delft pottery, is home to the country’s largest tech university: Delft University of Technology. It is also one of the most famous student cities in the Netherlands, with students comprising 10%-15% of its roughly 100,000 inhabitants. This vibrant city is all about high-tech innovation; engineering and hardware are among the strongest focuses in the city.

The city’s high-tech ecosystem is also where the startup incubator YES!Delft was born. With already 12 years of experience, the YES!Delft ecosystem has supported more than 200 technology companies: “from inkless printing to cutting edge laser technology.”

Utrecht

Utrecht is not only home to cutting-edge innovations but also to one of the healthiest and most sustainable living environments in the world. The city houses Utrecht Science park which is the country’s heart of regenerative medicine, 3D-bioprinting, stem cells and organoids, cancer research and cure, and smart sustainable cities. The Utrecht Science park has over 80 organizations and businesses with a workforce of 22,000 employees, which is roughly 21% of the entire population of the city.

In addition, Utrecht’s ecosystem conceived one of the 10 best incubators in Europe: UtrechtInc. Last year the incubator officially opened its UtrechtInc Garage, which is a creative hotspot for sustainable startups.

The Hague

The Hague, the International City of Peace and Justice, is the backbone of security businesses in the Netherlands. The city houses “the leading security cluster in Europe”: The Hague Security Delta Campus.  It supports cyber security startups and together with businesses, governments, and knowledge institutions work on innovations in the field of cyber security, national and urban security, protection of critical infrastructure, and forensics. The HSD Campus is also one of the 10 places in the Netherlands that have been appointed by StartupDelta as major hotspots for startups.

The Netherlands: the new Silicon Valley

It will be unfair not to mention some of the other booming tech hubs in the Netherlands:

• Rotterdam and its Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC)
• Leiden and its Bio Science Park
• Wageningen and its StartLife, fostering entrepreneurship in Food and Agri
• Twente and its Novel-T Accelerator Program.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the Netherlands has cultivated an exceptional ecosystem of disruptive innovation and development in high-tech and science, talented information technology workers, and aspiring entrepreneurship which makes the country a worthy bearer of the name “the new Silicon Valley.”

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Should we start calling the Netherlands the new Silicon Valley? Share your opinion in a comment.

Featured image: High Tech Campus Eindhoven.