There is a new player in town: PortXL, a startup accelerator in the Rotterdam harbour area. Today the Port of Rotterdam announced the 100-day programme for ten startups in transport/logistics, energy, chemical/refinery and the maritime industry.
Today, PortXL has opened applications for the programme, which starts March 2016. Application deadline is February 15 2016.
PortXL
The programme will be “mentor driven”, and consists of the typical parts in an accelerator: learning lean principles, team dynamics and pitching. Of course the startups must deliver some business models, customer validation and traction, etc.
PortXL offers “€15K of Pizza Money”, an estimated €450K in sponsored services and direct access to launching customers for a 8 percent stake (common shares) in the company – a lot like the Startupbootcamp formula.
Attendees of PortXL work at two locations: at RDM (harbour) and the recently opened Cambridge Innovation Centre (centre of Rotterdam).
All the partners of the programme make an impressive list: EY, Rabobank, Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship, Heineken, Boskalis, Vopak, Damen, E.ON, Count/First Dutch, Van Oord, Innovation Quarter and CIC/The Venture Café.
Port Innovation Lab
Rotterdam’s harbour is one of the biggest in the world, so it’s no surprise startups are settling here in this innovation hotbed. Earlier this year, a cooperation between Port of Rotterdam and YES!Delft came to this area with the Port Innovation Lab.
Photo by Moyan Brenn (CC BY 2.0)