The second edition of the Validation Track of the NOM Startup Program is also nearing completion, and supervisor Niels Palmers is positively surprised at the level of participating startups. 'In this group are startups that have a chance to make it, he says. 'What is especially striking is how eager to learn and open the founders are. They listen carefully to feedback, and translate it directly into action. You see that at the next meeting. That makes this group special. They immediately put theory into practice, and that's exactly how you move forward.'
IonIqs
Jasper Zuidervaart may have gold in his hands with his Groningen startup IonIqs. Or at least lithium. It's all about recovering that critical metal - especially for batteries - from wastewater around lithium mines. 'That, and we save an incredible amount of fresh water thanks to our patented electron membrane technology.' The principle works in the lab, a larger-scale pilot should take place next year and in 2028, according to the plan, global rollout will begin. The founder is by no means unfamiliar with making a startup big. In recent years, Zuidervaart has helped startups and collected 61 patent families himself. For me, not all the material in the Startup Program is new, but it is worthwhile as a whole. I especially found the section on team dynamics valuable again.'
AI Foundation
A one stop shop for the broad SME to get started with digital technology. This is how Quinten Mulder defines his startup AI Foundation. "We screen a company to identify opportunities. So we do consulting, but we also have a technical team behind us to get started right away. That can mean deploying AI, but also simply starting with automation. He sees demand for his solution. 'This is something many SME entrepreneurs don't get around to doing themselves, even though they see the value.' One risk is to want to go too fast with his startup, Mulder realizes. 'That's something I took from the Startup Program yes. You already want to be working on step 3, while 1 and 2 are not yet properly completed. It's important to focus and properly identify the customer problem first, and only then develop a product that offers a solution. I did a good job with that, and because of the program - where you also meet a lot of other entrepreneurs - I now have a lot more tools.'
MicroHealth
The bacteria in your gut have a huge impact on how you feel. Yet the importance of that microbiome is far from always recognized. And that's actually crazy, thinks Arezoo Shajiei-Schootsman. "I had it myself. I had little energy and just didn't feel good. I tried everything, until the microbiome was pointed out to me. Since then everything has been different. And I wish the same for other people. That is the basis of MicroHealth. Her startup provides personalized advice based on artificial intelligence and scientific insights. 'We have a test kit that allows us to analyze your gut microbiome in the lab.
Because we also send along a questionnaire, we get insight into your way of life. Together with our AI, which is trained with data from LifeLines, among other things, we can give personalized advice on what you should eat more or less of.' The Startup Program brought her a lot. 'For example, the insight that it is essential to validate my product. I got the courage to interview a lot more people about what they're up against and how we can help.'
Egridz
Wind farms, solar farms, battery projects. All kinds of things are happening everywhere, it seems. But what exactly is going on where? For entrepreneurs who want to get involved in (green) energy projects, this is very valuable information. And that's what egridz offers. 'I call it an online market information platform,' says founder Anu Mahabir. 'We clearly map out where these projects are being developed, what stage they are in and who is involved. That gives a more reliable and up-to-date picture of the landscape than what you would normally have to gather through scattered sources.'
The Startup Program came at just the right time. "We have been in business for a year, deep in product development. We hit the brakes because of the program. We started to look more intensively at what the market really needs and put much more focus and priority in our approach. You are supported step by step in validating your problem definition and learn how to retrieve objective data from the market. The program gave us a professional push: go outside, into the market, have conversations. And daring to choose on that basis.' That approach paid off. Meanwhile, the first product is live and interest is growing from investors, project developers (even international ones), energy storage suppliers and partners.