Constantijn van Oranje has given the start signal for Amsterdam Venture Studios at Science Park Amsterdam. During the opening ceremony, the five Venture Studios at the Amsterdam Science Park (UvA), the VU Campus, the Amsterdam Health & Technology Center (AMC), the City Centre Campus UvA (Humanities Lab) and Amstel Campus (HvA) were opened simultaneously. From now on, students and researchers from the Amsterdam knowledge institutes can benefit from additional support when starting their own business and increasing the chances of success of their startups.

Constantijn van Oranje during the opening: “Cross-pollination between different disciplines and diversity of entrepreneurs helps to come up with new ideas. I believe in shared facilities, as much input as possible, as much diversity as possible. Amsterdam knowledge institutes can build a strong Amsterdam brand. Within all the institutes, there is a lot of capacity which is really impressive, this has now been made visible.”

Amsterdam Venture Studios offer more than just a working space. Users can follow a joint program to increase the chances of success of their knowledge-based and (high) tech startups. Training and mentoring and access to the networks of knowledge institutes, investors and companies helps them to transform ideas into successful new innovative businesses. The campus locations provide easy access to high-quality research facilities and laboratories. In addition, the proximity of talented and ambitious students (more than 100,000 throughout Amsterdam) is a big advantage for startups.

Successful startups
Several successful startups have originated from the Amsterdam knowledge institutes: Metrica Sports was started by PhD students. Their software FootMapp enables coaches of professional football clubs to analyze games in detail and give feedback to players. FC Barcelona was their second customer. Optics11 was started at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and develops measurement technologies based on optical fiber technology, to measure vibrations, accelerations and acoustics in challenging environments. With the support of the University of Applied Sciences (HvA), Mr.Prezident was founded, a presentation design agency and Prezi reseller, helping companies in storytelling and transforming their basic presentations into an appealing one. After six months, Mr.Prezident already has impressive customers worldwide.

For more information about Amsterdam Venture Studios take a look at the film.