We believe in you.
So we invest in you.
Imec.istart.nl, imec’s open accelerator program, offers tech startups pre-seed funding and tailored support to succeed and grow globally. We have the ambition to support at least 15 high-potential startups per year in the Netherlands. As an investor, we’re in it for the long run. Together with the imec.istart alumni network, we continue to help founders on their entrepreneurial journey … and beyond.
Let’s accelerate your business
Let’s face it, building a company is tough. Especially in the beginning, with limited resources and support. When all you have is you, your co-founder, and your belief that you’re onto something. That’s where we come in: to invest in your company. And more importantly, to be there for you. As a scalable tech company with a working proof of concept, you have a natural fit with imec.istart.nl. We prep you and your product for the market, growth, and investors. Our ultimate goal? To get you into the scale-up club. To help you earn your alumni badge, get lifelong support, and give back to our vibrant community.
Benefits of joining the program
Access to coaching
- Personal coaching by your contact person and sparring partner on a day-to-day basis;
- A broad range of workshops and one-on-one follow-up tracks, conducted by top notch external experts;
- Our in-house developed Innovatrix, the tool to monitor your progress;
- A diverse network of 100+ experienced mentors.
Access to finance
- € 100,000 pre-seed funding (devided in €50,000 for 6% equity and €50,000 as a convertible loan), and you can apply for up to € 250,000 in extra investment;
- A “funding need” assessment and financial scenario built to target and address the right investor type;
- Present your solution and financial needs to our broad investor ecosystem, comprising over 100+ different investors and financiers in the Netherlands and abroad;
- A financial roadmap for the next five years – with the right investments in mind – and become ‘investor ready’.
Access to technology
- Access to world-leading research and innovation institutes and hubs, for state of the art technology in the field of nanoelectronics, nano and bioscience, robotics, and digital technologies;
- Easier access to the expertise and technology portfolio of over 5,000 bright minds from over 90 nationalities and numerous research partnerships with local and global players;
- The opportunity to pitch your solution to a panel of judges of imec experts who will advise you on the most relevant technology, services, and knowledge.
Access to community
- Establish long-term relationships and partnerships;
- Around 260 startups providing you with the chance to share best practices, experiences, and the know-how to tackle specific problems;
- Become part of our alumni network and continue to participate in specific programs and events;
- A number of innovation services at a reduced price provided by our international partner network;
- Support to expand internationally in a more advanced stage of your imec.istart.nl trajectory.
Access to talent
- Support to find the right talents (both junior and senior) for internships, Expert-in-Residence roles, and vacancies;
- Access to the Global Accelerator Network (GAN,) which is a network of independent start-up studios and accelerators around the world;
- Support on the human aspects of entrepreneurship: create, strengthen and reinforce successful team dynamics, like shared leadership (vision, norms, cooperated goals), constructive conflict, and psychological safety.
Access to market
- Follow all the necessary steps to realize a successful product launch within different markets or regions, together with the imec.istart.nl coaches. Including product-market fit-gap analysis, market landscape analysis, barriers to market entry, etc.;
- An international network – allowing you to connect with international partners and investors, attend the most interesting events, do business in specific target markets and attract your first international clients, and set up a remote office;
- Soft-landing programs to gain relevant market insights and information and international deep-dive missions towards specific markets to enable market entry.
What are we looking for?
Want to make sure that you fit in our premium tech accelerator program? Let’s see if you are imec.start.nl ready and tick all our boxes. We’ll give you a little head up:
- Tech product;
- Working proof of concept;
- Complementary founding team (minimum of 2 complementary profiles);
- Company based or founded in or connected with The Netherlands.
Find out more on our FAQ page!
Combining the strengths of imec.istart and Novel-T
These startups already joined the imec.istart.nl program:
Get in touch with one of our venture acceleration managers
Got questions? Book an appointment right away with our coaches.
Meet our startups
