OSF, together with four other parties, namely Innovationlab Thialf, AISS (Amsterdam Institute of Sport Science), imec.istart and Olympic Training Centre Papendal, has submitted a project proposal to improve the ecosystem around start-ups and scale-ups in sport and to work together more intensively. Recently, the partners received a confirmation that the application has been granted by RVO. From 1 January 2023, the parties will start creating an accelerator program for sports-related start-ups and scale-ups, SportUp Boost NL!
The application has been approved within the “One Single Hub” program of RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency). Through the OSH program, the successful SportUp Boost support programme from Belgium is being prepared to be rolled out in the Netherlands to four accredited Sports Innovation Valorisation Centres in the Netherlands.
- Innovation lab Thialf – Heerenveen
- Amsterdam Institute of sport Science (AISS) – Amsterdam
- Olympic Training Centre Papendal – Arnhem
- Orange Sports Forum Foundation – Eindhoven
The supervision of the upscaling takes place by SportUp Boost Belgium and by the imec.istart program of imec. With the participation of IMEC NL, the imec.istart support program is also involved, the number 1 university business accelerator in Europe and the number 4 in the world on the UBI Global ranking.
The innovation centres will recruit and guide start-ups with an early stage business idea. The startups go through a pre-accelerator phase supported by SportUp Boost NL and are being prepared to participate in the imec.istart.nl support program. If they are selected for this program , they can work on the development, roll-out and upscaling of their sports & vitality business proposition. They can also immediately valorise their proposition in a sports innovation environment. Finally, funding of € 100,000 to € 250,000 is available for the selected start-ups.
Through OSF’s Start-up Facilitator Program, the program will also be accessible to foreign start-ups. The international character that this adds to the program offers great ways for an early international strategy among the participants and many opportunities with regard to scaling up the start-up and the business worldwide.
The Netherlands is one of the frontrunners in the field of sports technology and sports innovations. The demanding nature of top sport and the additional extreme attention to detail makes top sport, just like space travel, a breeding ground for technological innovations. With the SportUp Boost NL project, the project partners expect to be able to give a huge boost to the startup ecosystem in the Netherlands by introducing the successful SportUp Boost Belgium program linked to the Sportinnovator centers and imec.istart.nl.
