Met een knapperig haardvuur op de achtergrond, zijn we in de prachtige Ridderzaal van Slot Doddendael gestart met het plenaire programma. Sjoerd Klabbers van BANN partner BDO leidde ons vervolgens soepel door de presentaties en pitch video’s.
De spreker was Ton Rosendaal van Whizzdom.Ton is één van onze leden en een ervaren angel investor. Hij vertelde over zijn praktijkervaringen met RVO’s Seed Business Angel regeling. Aan de hand van zijn eigen investeringen gaf hij ook toelichting over de voor-en nadelen van deze “Verdubbelaar op je eigen investeringskapitaal”. Meer informatie vind je via deze link. En klik hier voor de slide deck van Ton.
Vervolgens konden we kijken naar 4 nieuwe pitch video’s en volgden de rondetafel sessie’s waarbij angels en partners vragen konden stellen en pitchers (+ team) meer informatie konden geven over hun propositie. We sloten af met wederom een heerlijk culinair walking dinner met 5 gangen.
Pitchende startups De volgende ondernemers hebben gepitcht tijdens deze bijeenkomst:
When you hear the words ‘cocktail party’, all sorts of positive associations will probably start firing up in your brain. Unfortunately, not all of us feel this way. For people who suffer from hearing difficulties, the so-called Cocktail Party Problem, surrounding sounds blend into one big blur, making it very difficult to distinguish each individual sound and its source from other sounds. By looking at the way bees move their ears and perceive sound, startup BeephoniX may just have found a solution, says CEO Klaas-Jan Kakebeeke.
The bee’s knees
The inspiration came a couple of years ago when Martijn Agterberg, associate professor at Radboud University and audiologist, visited a beekeeper’s lecture. “There, he learnt that bees use their antennas as moveable ears, which enables them to trace the source of a sound”, explains Klaas-Jan. “Based on this mechanism, Martijn and technical engineer Patrick Wijnings developed a dynamic microphone that rotates and can determine the source of a sound.”
The Cocktail Party Problem can turn into a harmful problem. Despite all efforts from the industry, current hearing devices amplify all sounds and are not yet solving the problem. Because of this, people who wear them tend to avoid busy and noisy environments and larger groups, because they are unable to hear what others are saying. Not only does this increase the amount of stress put on the ear, but it also leads to uncomfortable feelings, and potentially, social isolation. This is a major problem, and an innovation that can solve this problem is important”, according to Klaas-Jan.
BeephoniX’s innovation may prove to be interesting for people who experience the Cocktail Party Problem. “According to the World Health Organisation, by 2050, one in four people will suffer from hearing problems to some extent. By placing our microphone into hearing aids, conversations will be easier in noisy situations.”
So, how does the innovation work? “Our technology consists of a moving microphone. When a speaker is talking from the direction of the movement, the microphone causes a Doppler effect. When a speaker is talking from the other direction, no Doppler effect occurs. This means that we can localise the position of the sound source by measuring the strength of the Doppler effects.”
Taking off
Klaas-Jan and Patrick joined the BeephoniX team a little over a year ago. They participated in the NWO Venture Challenge, where their idea earned them a respectable second place. They also received a take-off 2 loan from NWO of 250.000 euros, and additional funding of 190.000 euros. This paved the way for other collaborations.
BeephoniX’s prototype, the Beepod, has already gathered much interest from organisations such as the Ministry of Defence, which has offered BeephoniX a grant and wants to use the technology to detect drones. “We’re also talking to Holland Health and an Austrian company, who were blown away by our prototype. Currently, we’re working on version 2.0.”
Klaas-Jan: “Of course, our collaboration with Briskr has been great. When you are a startup in the world of health and high tech, investors can have trouble seeing the long-term goal. You often need a lot of investments. Briskr introduced us to promising business angels and continues to support us with services such as workshops and business valuation.”
Flying high
BeephoniX’s goal is clear, says Klaas-Jan. “Solving the Cocktail Party Problem, of course! If we succeed, we have realised something beautiful. We’ve gathered the first critical funding, and now we need to make sure we keep up the pace and realise our ambitious goal.”
“It would be fantastic if our microphone ends up in hearing devices. We’re very excited to see where the journey takes us.”
Wilt u duurzaam innoveren, uw innovatie testen of demonstreren? Dan is nu een goed moment om de subsidiemogelijkheden van EFRO Oost te ontdekken en te benutten! Het Europese subsidieprogramma EFRO Oost 2021-2027 stelt ruim 40 miljoen euro beschikbaar voor innovatieve en samenwerkende ondernemers in Overijssel en Gelderland.
Twee mogelijkheden Het beschikbare budget is verdeeld over twee subsidieregelingen die mkb-bedrijven stimuleren tot productontwikkeling, digitalisering, duurzaamheid en/of het testen en/of het demonstreren van innovaties.
Innovatieprojecten Deze regeling is voor marktgerichte innovaties binnen TRL-niveau 4-8. Ondernemers met een slim en duurzaam idee die willen samenwerken met (andere) mkb-ondernemers, grootbedrijven en/of kennisinstellingen kunnen subsidie aanvragen. Voor deze openstelling is voor Gelderland en Overijssel samen een totaalbedrag van bijna € 34 miljoen beschikbaar. U kunt uw aanvraag indienen vanaf 1 februari 2024 tot en met 31 januari 2025 (zolang er budget beschikbaar is). Lees hier alle informatie over de regeling Innovatieprojecten.
Test- en demonstratiefaciliteiten Deze regeling is voor het demonstreren en testen van nieuwe toepassingen binnen TRL-niveau 6-8. Denk aan: innovaties die op lab-schaal zijn getest en gevalideerd en die u in de praktijk wilt demonstreren, activiteiten in proeftuinen met testmogelijkheden en living labs waarbij een prototype wordt gedemonstreerd. Doel is te zorgen voor een versnelde marktintroductie van producten of diensten. Samenwerkingsverbanden van mkb-ondernemingen, of van mkb-ondernemingen met grootbedrijven en/of kennisinstellingen die willen bijdragen aan een slimme en duurzame economische ontwikkeling van de regio kunnen een aanvraag indienen. Voor deze openstelling is voor Gelderland en Overijssel samen een totaalbedrag van €16,5 miljoen beschikbaar. U kunt uw aanvraag indienen vanaf 1 maart 2024 tot en met 31 januari 2025 (zolang er budget beschikbaar is). Lees hier alle informatie over de regeling Test- en Demonstratieprojecten
Goed nieuws Om meer mkb’ers in aanmerking te laten komen voor EFRO-subsidie is de ondergrens van de aanvragen verlaagd naar € 250.000. Daarnaast wordt de bovengrens van de subsidie verhoogd naar € 2.000.000. Het subsidiepercentage voor kennisinstellingen is verhoogd naar maximaal 50 procent. Daarmee is het gelijk aan dat van mkb-ondernemingen.
Procedure Voor de regelingen die worden opengesteld, kunnen het hele jaar aanvragen ingediend worden. Een regeling sluit echter op het moment dat het beschikbare budget op is. De subsidieaanvragen worden op volgorde van binnenkomst beoordeeld (first come first serve). Een projectvoorstel wordt beoordeeld door de deskundigencommissie om in aanmerking te komen voor subsidie.
Ondersteuning EFRO Oost staat klaar om met u te kijken naar de mogelijkheden en kansen van uw projectidee. Heeft u een idee voor een project en wilt u weten of het past binnen de subsidiemogelijkheden? Dien dan uw projectidee in of neem hier contact op met EFRO Oost.
Learn more about the the most innovative work locations in the East of the Netherlands, in our updated Science & Innovation Parks and Campuses brochure! We highlight 9 campuses and innovation parks focussing on agri-food, life sciences & health, high-tech and smart energy.
Download the brochure here. The Netherlands is among the top countries for research and development, with a unique mix of innovative businesses working alongside renowned knowledge institutes. In part these activities take place at central locations, stimulating collaboration and inviting talent.
Do you have an innovative idea, an entrepreneurial mindset and do you want to start your own business? Pitch your idea to one of our business coaches and together we will decide which track best suits your needs.
Discovery Track
Our Discovery Track is a 6-step programme that supports future entrepreneurs, like you, in the important first stages of starting your own business. The programme is based on the Lean Startup method and guides you through the most vital steps of discovering your customer segment, value proposition, business model and first prototype. You will get all the necessary strategies, tools and support to make sure that you achieve your problem/solution fit. Do you have that million dollar idea? Don’t miss our next edition.
Our Venture Track is a 6-step programme that supports future entrepreneurs like you in really starting your own business. The programme is based on the Lean Startup method and guides you through the most vital steps of creating competitive advantage, get your first customer and set up your financials & funding strategy. You will get all the necessary strategies, tools and support to make sure that you achieve your product/market fit. Do you have that validated innovative idea? Don’t miss our next edition.
Our Advance Track is a custom made programme that supports entrepreneurs after the Venture Track (or similar programme of startup phase). The Advance Track is for startups which have a support request. Together with a business coach, the startup will formulate a clear goal to be achieved. Based on the goal, a custom made programme will be made.
Are you a Company, Start-up or Public Administration and in need of high performance compute power?
The purpose of this Call of EuroCC Netherlands is to offer access to High-Performance Computing, Machine Learning (or general Artificial Intelligence), and Data Analytics resources (consultancy and infrastructure) to commercial partners (SMEs or corporates).
Deadline: the open call applications will close on Dec. 31, 2023
The Call for Proposals is continuously open, with a reviewing period of maximum two (2) weeks and immediate access to resources upon successful evaluation. The allocations are granted for one (1) year with the option for projects to apply for a continuation.
This continuation shall be duly justified, limited to a maximum of one (1) additional year, and will depend on an assessment of the ongoing awarded project.
Applicants can only have one Regular Access awarded at any given time.
The computer system provided for the Regular Access call by EuroCC Netherlands is Snellius, hosted by SURF in Amsterdam.
This Regular Access mode offers three distinctive application tracks:
Technical Consultancy
Access to HPC infrastructure
Both Technical Consultancy + Access to HPC Infrastructure
Shipping companies all want to become more sustainable, but the question is: how? Dirk Degroote of the Nijmegen-based company Cognauship inspires captains to reduce their emissions and costs by mapping out the fuel consumption of ships. “Using energy more sparingly is the only real lifeline we have left to reach the short term climate targets.”
The demand from the market was clear: tugs want to sail more sustainably and more cost effective. But they often struggle on how to do it. In his previous job, Dirk noticed the demand, but couldn’t offer an easily applicable solution. So, he decided to set sail for new horizons. Together with Noud Seegers, he founded the company Cognauship. “My work comprised of many meetings, away from home, long days and regularly travelling. I wanted to get my hands dirty again, and at the same time, spend time with my family.”
And that is exactly what he got, albeit in a different way than he anticipated. “In February 2020, we officially started working at the Noviotech Campus. That lasted for about a month, and then we went into lockdown. When everything came to a halt, my thought processes continued. Of course, it wasn’t what I had in mind, but it gave me the time and space to spend time with my children without responsibilities to an employer. It also allowed me to think long and hard about how to realize the solution I had in mind. All in all, it was exactly what I needed.”
Sailing sustainably
All the thinking led to a unique Internet of Things (IoT) solution, based on monitoring and thoroughly analyzing the movements and exhaust sounds of the ships’ engines, resulting in the identification of potential savings. It sounds simple, but behind the scenes there are a lot of steps to be taken, as it is a long way from sensor data to insights. “Think of data like Lego blocks. When the data comes from the ship, the blocks are scattered all over the place. I use specially developed algorithms for ships to sort them by size and color and then use these blocks to build a house that fits the customer’s needs, which is easy to understand and provides actionable insights. They just see the house, but it took a lot of steps to get there.” We distinguish ourselves by covering this complete path, where most of the competition just offer the raw data and the platform. Let’s say they provide the box of Lego, whether sorted or unsorted, but the customers have to figure out themselves how to build the house. And they lack the personnel and experience to do that.
“It’s no longer about a lack of desire to become more sustainable. Companies often just don’t know how to go about it or cannot figure out a solid business case. We don’t do it for them, but we empower them to become more sustainable and determine the business case, so they can move on. For most ships, it’s not even a major intervention. A few small changes can improve operational efficiency with fuel consumption savings of 10 to 30%. This often involves sailing at lower speeds or adopting different sailing techniques, but also logistic integration and optimization. A few years ago we had this campaign for more sustainable driving in The Netherlands; Het Nieuwe Rijden, which can be seen as a similar solution. But we focus on water.”
Important connections
Dirk was already quite knowledgeable in his field, but starting a business is a different ball game. “In the early stages, I benefited from Briskr’s help in finding other entrepreneurs and experts to exchange ideas with. A critical, outside view can help so much. It’s a reality check: is what we’re doing really relevant? When the answer is ‘yes’, it boosts your confidence to keep on going.”
Dirk is well-known in the towage industry, so his first assignment was with an important player. “We were able to test our prototype at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. And when that went well, other companies were inspired, too. The Municipality of Nijmegen also made enquiries about our services to get a better understanding of emissions of ships passing The Waal in Nijmegen and wanting to boost a Nijmegen-based company.”
The municipality’s investment turned out to be worth its weight in gold, as many other companies followed suit. “The events of Briskr and Oost NL and our offices at Noviotech Campus contributed to success as well. This is where we can build our network.”
A sustainable future
“We are quite the odd one out at the Noviotech Campus. Before we arrived, there were no companies representing the maritime industry, even though the industry is quite present in Nijmegen. We started with tugs and now, due to market demand, we also help inland vessels. In our backyard, The Waal, some 300 ships pass by every day, making our work highly relevant here.”
As far as Dirk is concerned, his job is not meant to be relevant forever. “My dream is that everyone in the barging and towing industry becomes aware of how to sail sustainably and act on it by 2030. Preferably with our help, because that would mean we can make impact. If everyone chips in, the climate goals for our sector will be within reach. And that is the goal right now.”
BANN is een business angels netwerk in de regio Nijmegen bestaand uit meer dan 70 angels. Drie keer per jaar organiseren we een (besloten) bijeenkomst op Slot Doddendael waar elke keer drie a vier door ons geselecteerde startups (sector Health of High Tech) kunnen pitchen voor investeringen door van angel investors (https://briskr.nl/business-angel-network-nijmegen/). De volgende bijeenkomst is op 12 maart vanaf 15:00 met een diner na afloop.
Voorafgaand aan de bijeenkomst informeren we altijd in ons netwerk of er ondernemers zijn die interesse hebben om te pitchen. Bij interesse kun je contact opnemen met bart.heuts@oostnl.nl. Wat verwachten we van jou als je geïnteresseerd bent?
Info aanleveren
We ontvang graag vóór maandag 15 januari de volgende informatie op basis waarvan we de eerste selectie kunnen maken:
• Een concept investor pitchdeck gericht op het verkrijgen van financiering.
• Een A4 met antwoorden op de volgende vragen:
• korte intro van jouw bedrijf,
• korte intro van jouw product/dienst,
• hoe ziet het huidige team eruit?
• hoeveel geld wordt gezocht en tegen welke condities (vorm, waardering etc)?
• welke aanvullende kennis zoeken jullie in een angel investeerder?
• hebben jullie al externe investeerders/convertible loans?
Daarnaast nodigen we jou graag uit voor de workshop op dinsdag 16 januari a.s. van 14:00 tot 17:00 uur op Noviotech Campus te Nijmegen. We hebben deze opgezet samen met Oost NL, Poelmann van de Broek Advocaten en BDO waarderingen. Doelstelling van de workshop is om voor jouw bedrijf helder te krijgen hoe de potentiële deal met een angel investeerder er globaal uit kan zien. We hebben gezien bij eerdere pitches dat het goed helder hebben van waardering en de te stellen voorwaarden, sterk helpt bij het tot stand komen van tot een deal. Deze workshop helpt jou om dit helder te krijgen voor de pitch. Je kunt je hier aanmelden.
Selectie
Op 5 februari worden uit de aanmeldingen de 4 pitchers gekozen voor de aankomende bijeenkomst.
Verplichte pitchtraining
Met de 4 startups die uiteindelijk gekozen worden om te pitchen, gaan we een voorbereiding in met een ervaren pitchcoach (via www.best3minutes.com) en wordt uiteindelijk een videopitch geoefend en opgenomen. We tonen deze video pitches tijdens de BANN bijeenkomst en delen ze nadien in de online community. De pitch voorbereiding is intensief, maar ondernemers die jullie hierin voorgingen, waarderen deze training steevast met een zeer hoog rapportcijfer.
De geplande data (onder voorbehoud) voor deze pitchtraining zijn:
Week 19 – 23 feb: Script submissions and fine-tuning
Week 26 feb – 2 maart: Werken aan video pitch
Week 4 – 8 maart: Video week met pitch coach
8 maart: Deadline inleveren pitch video
Er is daarnaast ook de mogelijkheid om je te laten adviseren door onze partners:
EP&C Patent Atterneys (IP scan)
Qserve (CE/ISO certificering)
Poelmann van den Broek advocaten (term sheet)
BDO (bedrijfswaarderingen)
Ook hiervoor geldt dat een goed gevalideerd verhaal helpt om tot financiering te komen. Gezamenlijk kijken we dan naar de beste aanpak om tot een succesvolle pitch en daaropvolgend financiering via het angel netwerk te komen!
BANN bijeenkomst 12 maart 2024
De bijeenkomst vindt plaats op Slot Doddendael te Ewijk. Pitchers dienen vanaf 15:00 uur aanwezig te zijn. Het programma omvat 4 pitch videos & 1 spreker. Tijdens het programma worden jij/je team kort voorgesteld door de dagvoorzitter en daarna starten we jullie pitch video op. Het gaat vrij vlot en er is geen tijd voor vragen, deze kunnen namelijk tijdens de rondetafel sessies gesteld worden.
Na het plenaire gedeelte worden de angels & Briskr partners opgesplitst in 3 groepen (ieder een eigen zaal/kamer). Jullie zullen iedere ronde een andere kamer bezoeken. Er zijn 4 pitchers en 3 kamers dus om de beurt hebben jullie even een ronde pauze. We zijn zeer strict qua time-management en we begeleiden jullie van/naar de kamers.
We sluiten af met een culinair walking dinner met veel ruimte om te netwerken met de angel investeerders die interesse in je product/dienst toonden.
Join next week The Health & High Tech Square In the centre of Nijmegen and help raising money for ALS IntoNijmegen.
This square is part of the “Kom in actie” from the Health & High Tech organizations within the city. Together we are committed to raising as much money as possible for the ALS Hope Foundation, and in doing so we will show what we are doing in Gemeente Nijmegen in relation to the ALS disease and the people around them.
As a “kom-in-actie”, the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour presents fascinating talks on Sunday December 17 about ALS. Wednesday December 20 about the brain, computers and your voice. Also, don’t miss the pop-up Donders Citylab at the Mariënburg library on December 20th, where everyone, young and old, can learn about brain research in an interactive way.
On Wednesday evening we show a special film “The Theory of Everything” at LUX, the proceeds of which will be donated. Outside on the square you will find portraits around Nijmegen ALS patients and a Walking Forest.
Finally, in the Mariënburg Chapel you can admire the Expo on the history of the computer chip in Nijmegen. Let’s join and come to the Health & High Tech Square (Mariënburgplein, Nijmegen) on Monday, December 17th or Wednesday, December 20th.
If you are a startup, scaleup, or grownup in healthcare and high-tech, then Nijmegen is the ideal location for you. Boasting a workforce with 30% employed in healthcare and a thriving semiconductor sector that started back in 1955, Nijmegen has extensive experience in these industries, as well as in the creation of innovative companies.
Briskr is the entrepreneurship network for health and high-tech in the Nijmegen region. With a small core team but a vast network, we support innovative entrepreneurship in healthcare and high-tech (with a focus on the semiconductor industry).
The founding partners of the Briskr network are, amongst others, Radboudumc, Radboud University, University of Applied Sciences Arnhem-Nijmegen, the regional development agency Oost NL, Health Valley, Kadans, and HightechNL. All of these organizations work together within the Briskr network to support innovative companies in achieving success. We offer various programs related to financial and entrepreneurial support.
Entrepreneurship
The region boasts several universities and an academic medical center, creating significant potential for innovation. However, sound ideas and patents alone are insufficient to bring innovations to scale.
Impact = science * entrepreneurship.
In addition to cutting-edge science, entrepreneurship must be at the core of any approach. “Impact is science * entrepreneurship” means that highly cited papers alone are not enough to create an impact in people’s lives. Entrepreneurs are necessary to bring research to implementation on a global scale. To this end, we support scientists in understanding what is required to implement science, develop entrepreneurial skills, and build companies. We offer over 30 workshops in partnership with our network of supporting partners, which currently includes Poelmann van den Broek (lawyers), EP&C (patent attorneys), JLABS (J&J accelerator), Catalyze (non-dilutive funding), QServe (medical certification and clinical trials), and others. Topics range from building your team, defending patents, valuation of your company, pitching your proposals and much more. When necessary, we connect scientists and startup entrepreneurs with experienced entrepreneurs from our network with a proven track record.
Financial
For financial support, we have Startup Fund Gelderland, which offers soft loans (max. 250K) to help startups move from initial concepts to prototypes and market validation. Early Phase Financing Gelderland provides loans (max. 350K) aimed at helping companies get past the valley of death and reach the point where venture capital is interested in making serious investments. Through our Business Angels network, we provide startups with the opportunity to pitch to a network of 100+ business angels interested in investing early seed money and their expertise. Through our network of venture capital and family funds, we connect top scientists, startups, and investors annually at our Radboudumc Investment Day.
We believe that the Nijmegen region is an excellent place to start companies in health and high-tech. Not only is it the most beautiful part of the Netherlands, but we also have the ecosystem needed to succeed on a global scale.
Do you want more info or make an appointment to help you further developing? Please fill in the contactform.
