Mentoring: indispensable for a successful startup

The importance of a mentor

One startup after another sees the light of day in the Netherlands. Good ideas are put into the market in an attempt to grow into the next multinational. There are also plenty of funding options, so a lack of money need not stand in the way of growth. A bigger problem is the lack of experience running a business. Even if you already have years of work experience, running a startup may still disappoint you. That's why it's helpful to invest in mentoring. With a mentor, you confide in someone who has the experience you lack. There are a number of reasons why some form of mentoring is indispensable if you want to grow a business.

Different view

A mentor gives you insights you wouldn't have come up with on your own. Not only do they simply know more thanks to their experience, but they also look at the same problem in a different way. So they can help you make your business, product or service better and more future-proof.

Less stress

Running a business can be quite stressful. Especially if you don't have much experience. A mentor can support you during tough times and show you that it might not be all that bad. Stress is a factor not to be underestimated when it comes to failing or growing a business.

Valuable relationships

A good mentor not only helps you run your business: you also get access to his network. And in that network might just be the launching customers or financiers that give you that final push towards success!

Government supports: Techleap

The Dutch government thinks it is important for the Netherlands to have a healthy startup climate. That is why, for example, they have put a substantial amount of money into Techleap.nl. Over the next 4 years, Techleap.nl may spend 65 million euros to help technology companies move forward, including through mentoring. NOM is a committed partner of Techleap.

They do this in part by focusing on 3 key pillars: access to capital, the right markets and talent.

Capital

If you want to grow, you need money. Techleap wants to ensure that startups and scaleups in the Netherlands have access to the best possible investors and funds. This is how they help companies grow and scale up.

Markets

Together with relevant partners, Techleap is building the best connected and supportive international ecosystem to make the Netherlands the perfect starting point for rapid growth.

Talent

There is a lot of talent in the Netherlands, but you have to be able to find it. Techleap provides the necessary tools and knowledge to scale-ups in the Netherlands to bring in the talent they need to grow.

250 spots in the Access program

One concrete form of mentoring offered by Techleap is the Access program. In it, the 250 most promising startups in the Netherlands are taken by the hand to grow into companies that play a significant role internationally. This is done through expert sessions, making contacts with other scale-ups and various meetings with investors, partners and local networks around the world, among other things.