Entrepreneurship comes with many ups and downs. Founders have a better chance of success through connection, support, and advice from their peers – people going through similar challenges, at the same time.
There is a direct correlation between strong founder-led communities and flourishing startup ecosystems. Most top startup ecosystems have a vibrant community led by founders. Further, the very best startup communities in the world started with a small number of top founders who got involved, built connections, gave back, became mentors, and led by example.
Based on the interactions we’ve had with almost 100 scaleup founders, who’ve participated in Techleap.nl’s programmes and initiatives over the years, the need for a stronger community of founders has been clearly validated.
Such a founder-led community will allow us to accelerate the growth of our tech ecosystem as a whole, by providing top Dutch leaders in tech with valuable connections, and insights, which serve as catalysts for growth and empowerment.
On May 12th, 2022 we are officially kickstarting ‘BOLD’ (now ‘Techleap for Scaleups’) – a hand-picked community of Dutch scale-up founders and CXOs who are committed to helping each other grow, supported by top leaders in tech, who want to give back to the ecosystem.
The BOLD Community Kick-off event will gather 300 top tech founders in the Netherlands. This curated, invite-only event will include valuable networking opportunities, high-profile panels, and discussion tables, as well as content that will inspire founders to think bigger and aim higher.
BOLD aims to:
As well as the Kickoff event, BOLD will run a series of curated sessions throughout the year, where founders will have the opportunity to learn from world-class thinkers, builders, and leaders in tech, such as Reid Hoffman and Corinne Vigreux. The following types of sessions will be provided:
#Boost: In-depth, practical, 2.5-hour sessions on key topics such as fundraising and recruitment, led by experts.
#Ask: ‘Art of Scaling’ story sessions with top founders who’ve grown their companies successfully. A unique opportunity to ask questions to the best experts in the industry.
#Connect: Curated one-on-ones with (inter)national entrepreneurs. A chance to get advice or feedback from world-class players via regularly bookable calls.
#Meet: Inspiring in-person events where you can meet the whole BOLD community twice a year. Top-level speakers and engineered serendipity.
Last but not least, being part of BOLD gives scaleups priority access to our Global and Rise Programmes.
The BOLD community will only officially launch on May 12th, during the BOLD Community Kick-off event. As we are currently in the very early stages of shaping BOLD, the applications for joining the community are invite-only for now. That said, once we transition into a growth phase, we will open applications on our website. If you’d like to be informed firsthand when the applications open, please subscribe to our newsletter: SUBSCRIBE NOW
In the meantime, we will share key learnings and the most exciting founder stories from the BOLD sessions with you, so keep an eye on the newsletter and on our social channels.
Some of our hard & soft criteria:
‘Giving back’ is one of the core values that will define BOLD. We strongly believe that those who selflessly give back, and help level up our ecosystem are the real changemakers and deserve to be widely acknowledged and celebrated.
Therefore, we’re launching the Techleap.nl ‘Giving Back Award’. Do you know a Dutch founder, investor, philanthropist, mentor, or other role models who deserve to be acknowledged? Send in your nomination for our shortlist below.
We will announce the winner on May 12th as part of the Bold Community Kick-off.
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Techleap is a non-profit organisation, funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, helping to quantify and accelerate the tech-ecosystem of the Netherlands. Constantijn van Oranje is Special Envoy of Techleap.
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