City of The Hague challenges innovative startups

As part of the Startup in Residence project, the City of The Hague invites innovative and ambitious startups to work on various complex social issues. For a four-month period, selected startups will not only be given the opportunity to participate in training sessions and masterclasses and to cultivate their ideas with clients, but they will also receive investment to develop prototypes and perfect their solutions.

Startup in Residence is part of the City of The Hague’s ‘Impact Economy’ startup programme, which aims to provide a stimulating environment for entrepreneurs who are focused on social and technological innovations with international impact.

The third edition of Startup in Residence launched on 10 April. Entrepreneurs have until 22 May to submit their best ideas. Startups each receive €7,000 to build an initial prototype. A development phase will then follow (depending on the prototype), with an investment of at least €20,000. If a solution proves successful, the City of The Hague has the option to act as launching customer.

Social issues
To qualify for participation, startups must be working on solutions for one of the following social challenges.

• No lunch to waste: finding a way to reduce food waste at organised lunches, starting with the municipality.
• Upcycling electronic waste: creating new products by using old, discarded computer components.
• Easy pay for parking: developing innovative, low-threshold payment methods for paid parking.
• Easy access: finding new ways to help local business owners maintain customer numbers, even following road closures.
• Smarter on the grid: designing a smart system for monitoring and managing heat pump installations.
• The numbers tell the tale: developing a system to accurately measure visitor numbers (both The Hague residents and tourists), especially to free events in the city.
• The hybrid worker: formulating smart combinations of people and technology solutions that enable benefit recipients with physical disabilities overcome challenges and enter the labour market more quickly.
• Uber-fantastic transportation: developing an Uber-like solution for transport options for residents with disabilities.
• Voting without borders: coming up with a secure way to send ballot papers digitally so that voters overseas are assured of receiving their voting documents.
• Go for social return: developing social return applications that are more convenient and attractive for entrepreneurs.

In June 2018, an expert jury will choose a select group of startups to participate in an exclusive training programme, following which they can pitch their ideas. After the pitches, the winning startups will have the opportunity to take part in a four-month project that involves a training course and masterclasses.

Information session on 26 April and registration
If you have any questions about the third edition of Startup in Residence, you can attend the information session on Thursday, 26 April. The session will be held at The Hague Humanity Hub from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. You may register via the Eventbrite website or by sending an email to startupinresidence@denhaag.nl.

For more information and details about how to sign up and apply, visit: https://startupinresidence.com/the-hague/.