“Imagine an entire country working together to organize the biggest startup festival on the planet.”
Neelie Kroes, Special Startup Envoy
On May 25, 2016, Water Tech Fest will be organized in Leeuwarden as part of the national Startup Fest Europe. Startup Fest Europe is a nation wide festival of events that help startups grow faster by bringing together founders, investors, business leaders and developers around specific themes.
These week long match making activities are a joint effort of startup hubs in the cities of Amsterdam, Arnhem, Delft, Eindhoven, Enschede, Geleen, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Wageningen, Zwolle and Leeuwarden.
At the physical hotspot for innovation in water technology, WaterCampus Leeuwarden, the spotlight will be on entrepreneurs and their innovative products and ideas. WaterCampus will be the meeting point for entrepreneurs, start-ups, scale-ups and investors focusing on water technology and crossovers in Oil & Gas, Food, Delta, Cleantech and Energy.
Irrigating the valley of death
“Water is the single most important shared resource across all supply chains, and wastewater is the largest untapped waste category—as big as all solid-waste categories taken together—it is the natural starting point for the circular revolution.” (Stuchtey , McKinsey company). Therefore we need radical new technologies to provide new solutions. However experience shows that especially in the water sector the so-called “valley of death” is drier than in other tech sectors. Water fulfills a basic need and should therefore be available at low costs. This makes it difficult to have quick returns on investment and calls for coordination between public and private funding to irrigate this valley of death. Water Tech Fest kick starts the irrigation together with you!
About the event
A full day program will offer the floor to inspiring success stories, but above all to matchmaking between entrepreneurs, investors and end-users. Discussions and negotiations are initiated to stimulate the development of breakthrough water technology. A “High-Rollers Stage” will show the absolute top in Water Tech.
For who
– Start-ups and scale-ups in Water Tech and the above mentioned cross overs
– Secondly, we intend to stimulate matchmaking with investors (venture capital as well as public capital) that want to invest in promising Water Tech
– Corporates and end-users that can offer possibilities to act as launching customer for new technology
– Other parties interested in entrepreneurship and financing of technology
Preliminary program
For details see: Program Water Tech Fest
Registration
1. I am start up or a scale up, considering to actively pitch and participate in de matchmaking program. Click here for the registration form.
2. I am interested to learn more on the financing of water tech and want to attend Water Tech Fest: Click here for the registration form.
Organization
The organization of Water Tech Fest Leeuwarden is a joint effort of:
StartupDelta, DoeFonds, Fsfe, Startup Europe, Netherlands Water Partnership, partners of WaterCampus Leeuwarden; Water Alliance, Wetsus.
Water Tech Fest is supported by FB Oranjewoud, the Province of Fryslân and the City of Leeuwarden.
DoeFonds
