Becoming an entrepreneur without money or concrete idea, while applying for your own company. So before it is known what this company will do. It may sound strange, but it works.
The person is central
As a first step, young talents talk to recruiters and the partners of Holland Startup about their personal motivations. The person is therefore central, not the idea, starting capital or a revenue model. “The fact that you don't have to take your entire piggy bank with you and don't even have to have a concrete idea is special and lowers the threshold for entrepreneurship,” says René Roskamp, chief operating officer of Holland Startup.
Participate in the Pressure cooker
These conversations provide a character sketch. After which people who agree with the Holland Startup vision are invited for an assessment at the office, where a so-called 'Pressure Cooker' takes place. This is a multi-day assessment in which talents go through various (group) simulations and receive workshops about entrepreneurial skills.
People who have a lot of potential then continue in the Holland Startup program as entrepreneurs in residence, with 'Ideation' as the first phase. In this phase, the talents look for business problems for which they can develop a startup concept. And they are brought together with an appropriate co-founder.
The pressure cooker shows which skills someone can use in the program. For example, a strong knowledge of a certain industry, technical knowledge, or a strong entrepreneurial instinct. “We have knowledge about which team compositions can be more successful than others and can therefore give advice. But entrepreneurs have the freedom to make their own choices in this regard," says Roskamp.
All entrepreneurs in residence receive a basic income so that they have the time to focus on the problem. They then pitch their best idea to Holland Startup. Is there a match between the co-founders and the problem: Go! If not, back to the drawing board.
In this series of articles we explain how Holland Startup builds talented companies step by step, in its own way. Curious about part 2 of the series? Then click here
Would you like to know more about starting with Holland Startup? Come to our free webinar Meet Holland Startup!