During the online Groningen OPEN event on Wednesday, April 7, five matches were announced: Antea Group is starting a collaboration with Mindhash, Bossers & Cnossen with Young Heroes, Boom publishers with Hihaho Interactive video, Cosun Beet Company with Cellugy and Nijestee with Researchable and Hanzenet. During the event, the six larger companies presented themselves and the challenge they had formulated for Groningen OPEN. Then the 10 selected startups gave a short pitch, presenting their solution(s). The six startups that have a match with a larger company will start a pilot project together.
The aim of 'Groningen OPEN' is to connect established companies and startups in the region in an accessible and effective way. Groningen OPEN is organized by Campus Groningen, Founded in Groningen, Founded in Friesland, VentureLab North and Flinc (part of NV NOM). Groningen OPEN is made possible by the Groningen Agreement.
The event on April 7 was opened by Koen Schuiling, mayor of the municipality of Groningen. In the studio, host Suzan de Grijs talked to Sieger Dijkstra of VNO-NCW Noord and Emile Stuy of Anker Stuy Verven B.V. about the importance of innovation by (SME) companies and cooperation with startups. Emile Stuy emphasized the importance of a good short pitch for startups with a good idea. "I notice that the generation below me sometimes has trouble making calls. My advice: pick up the phone and just call a company or potential customer. Entrepreneurs often actually enjoy hearing your idea and thinking with you." Sieger Dijkstra adds: "You actually have to get other entrepreneurs or potential customers in the thinking chair. Be critical, experience and learn. And you will see that you will end up somewhere different than you had thought of. Because your idea also needs to be fine-tuned by other people and practice."
Announcement match Bossers & Cnossen
Start collaboration process
For this second edition of Groningen OPEN, six companies from the Northern Netherlands formulated challenges: Antea Group, Bossers & Cnossen, Boom publishers, Cosun Beet Company, Intergas and Nijestee. Five of the six companies announced a match with a startup during the Groningen OPEN Event.
So Mindhash will work with Antea Group to develop a tool that provides insight into movement flows in public spaces. Cellugy will work for Cosun Beet Company (formerly Suiker Unie) on new applications from sugar beet, such as products for personal care and household products. And Young Heroes will investigate for Bossers & Cnossen whether there is room in the market for the Nextcloud product and the shell around it consisting of Bossers & Cnossen's services.
The five matches start a pilot process of 6 to 12 weeks. If the company then agrees with the startup's proposal/prototype, the actual collaboration starts. The partners of Groningen OPEN will support this pilot process.
OPEN for innovation
Established companies wishing to participate in a future edition of Groningen OPEN can contact us via the details on the website
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