Last week, we had our Startup in Residence information meetup. If you couldn’t make it, or if you’re interested, here are the questions other entrepreneurs asked, along with a few clarifications. Be sure to check our FAQ too.
How many challenges can I sign up for?
You can sign for as many as you like. Please bear in mind that being selected for multiple challenges also means having to spend more hours for the Startup in Residence program, so you should also be realistic. If you have an idea that would work for multiple challenges, that’s also fine.
Do I need to have a working prototype?
Not every startup is a tech startup of course. So being able to show a pilot project or detailed project plan also works for us. What we’re looking for is a reason to believe. In other words, you need to show us you have more than a spontaneous idea; you’re able and dedicated to turn that idea into an actual solution/product and that you’re already working with the people.
How many people am I allowed to have in my team?
The maximum size of your team should be no more than 10 salaried employees. However, this is defined as 10 FTEs. So technically speaking, someone working part time does not count as a full FTE of course.
Do I need to be registered at the Chamber of Commerce (KvK)?
Yes, according to dutch law, companies, entrepreneurs and legal entities have to be registered at the Chamber of Commerce. .
What about the program? Is it a full time commitment for 5 months?
No, on average the program is 4 hours to one day per week. Some weeks could be a little bit more, other weeks it will be a little less. This is also not totally exclusive, you’re more than welcome to work with other clients during those five months.
What will the program look like?
We want to make it as custom as we can, fully tailored to your wants and needs. In the first weeks September, we’ll start with a deep dive, so you can get a sense of the full scope of the challenge and goals are set and expectations are managed. You’ll have weekly meetups with the challenge owner, to talk about the progress and your needs. You’ll be assigned to a mentor, who will look at your strengths and weaknesses and based on that, will recommend you the most relevant workshops. You’re always welcome to join more workshops of course.
What guarantees do I have as an entrepreneur?
The City, Groningen Seaports and Campus Groningen have every intention to become your launching customer after the five month program, which is why they’re willing to invest 5 months of help and guidance to startups. But intention is not the same as promise, so selection for the program does not automatically guarantee customership. You will retain 100% ownership of your solution, whether the City buys it or not.
After the City, Campus or Seaports becomes my launching customer, am I allowed to work with other clients?
Absolutely! In fact, we’re going to help you with that, because the whole point of this program is to make your solution as scalable as possible. What works in Groningen can and should work in other cities.
Challenge specific questions:
Groningen Seaports challenge: Talent needed!
The challenge: Attract more technical/ICT talent to come work in our ports (Eemshaven and Delfzijl).
What is the size and urgency of the problem?
We need to fill 750 job vacancies within the next two years.
Which kind of technical jobs are currently open?
Especially the university and university of applied sciences (HBO) tech job openings are hard to fill.
Which organizations list these jobs?
Currently:
Uitbreiding Aldel Delfzijl
Uitbreiding BioMCN
Avantium Delfzijl
Akzo Nobel Delfzijl
Sector bouw, diverse bedrijven
Overige Chemiepark Delfzijl
Toekomst:
Van Merksteijn Eemshaven
Uitbreiding Google Eemshaven
Purified Metal Company Delfzijl
Teijin Twaron
Detact Diagnostics
Uitbreiding Holland Malt Eemshaven
Modular Steel Towers Eemshaven
Bek & Verburg Eemshaven
Sealane Coldstorage Eemshaven
Are these job openings currently listed somewhere?
At the aforementioned companies.
Are there already concrete ideas about the digital campus?
Not as of yet, but part of it is applying augmented reality and that we want to train people faster than the required 3 to 4 years. This allows us to use simulation training, so you can train people in 4 weeks for example.
Which target audiences does Groningen Seaports want to address? Such as adolescents, internationals etc.
Preferably young people studying at the University and University of Applied Sciences in Groningen. A lot of these students move to the Randstad area. Internationals become interesting for us if we can’t find well trained people in the Netherlands.
Are there currently people or companies working on solving this problem?
SBE (the association of cooperating companies Eemsmond) is currently working on this problem and recently launched the Chemport Europe Career Platform, an online career and matching tool for students and companies. More information: https://www.chemport.eu/talent
