Applications Open for Techstars' Arcadis City of 2030 Accelerator

Jul 29, 2019

Located in central Amsterdam, the Arcadis City of 2030 Accelerator, Powered by Techstars will start on 2nd of March 2020 and Demo Day will be on 28th May 2020. We are looking for exceptional founders, thought leaders and tech innovators addressing Smart City applications, in the broadest sense of the word. Patrick van Hoof, Arcadis Global Director Digital Innovation, and I are pleased to provide the following information about the ongoing program.

After a successful inaugural program in early 2019, we are excited to proceed with our second year. 10 companies from across the world participated in the first year of the program and are now driving innovation worldwide! Throughout Europe, Asia and North America, these companies continue to grow, establishing customer relationships with global leaders such as Arcadis, Airbus, and Mitsubishi,  and are participating in large infrastructure projects with municipalities across the world including Amsterdam, San Antonio, TX and Abu Dhabi. We are excited and anxiously looking forward to inviting the next group of 10 promising entrepreneurs into our second class of the Arcadis City of 2030 Accelerator, Powered by Techstars!

Our corporate partner Arcadis is a global leader in design and engineering for natural and built assets, and is leading the sector in digital innovation. The Arcadis City of 2030 Accelerator, Powered by Techstars, is part of Arcadis’ Digital Innovation Hub in Amsterdam, where new digital solutions are being developed. For this year’s program, we are specifically interested in founders using leading edge technology in the following areas in the Smart City sector:

  • PLACES ”Belong”:  Developing and regenerating neighborhoods, facilities and workspaces to create a thriving and sustainably built and natural environment. 

  • MOBILITY/ ”Move”:  Designing and orchestrating the enabling infrastructure, transportation and logistic networks of the future.

  • RESILIENCE/”Protect”: Protecting and recovering from existing emerging risks – human and environmental – to safety, security and business continuity.

  • RESOURCES/ ”Live”:  Empowering cities and entrepreneurs to close resource loops across energy, water, food and air (reducing pollution and waste), responsibly producing and consuming goods and services and protecting the environment.

Meet the Team

We are holding office hours in Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Washington DC, London, Berlin, Munich, Singapore and Sydney, and remotely via video conferences. Submit an application to get started engaging with the team. Applications close on October 13, so be sure to schedule a time before the calendar fills. 

We also recommend you follow us on Twitter for specific updates, events and announcements.  Connect with us here: @ArcadisGlobal@Techstars@davethevc@patvanhoof

Why apply to the Arcadis City of 2030 Accelerator, Powered by Techstars?

The best way to find out about our program is to speak with those who have gone through it. Several of our first program founders have made themselves available to tell you about their experiences. Please reach out to any of the following Arcadis City of 2030 alums:

Reason #1:  Access to Amazing Mentors

Our program is mentorship-driven and we find the people that have the network and expertise to help you succeed.  The mentors are comprised of global Smart City professionals within Arcadis, as well as mentors in the local and international entrepreneurial community with subject matter expertise ranging from marketing, sales, technology, fundraising, communications, HR, legal, finance and other basic building blocks for startups. Additional resources come from different areas of Arcadis, and many, like the Global CEO of Arcadis, Peter Oosterveer, the Group Executive of Innovation & Transformation, Stephan Ritter, and Patrick van Hoof himself, spend time with the companies throughout the program to provide the highest level of guidance and access to Arcadis businesses and customers worldwide.  Other key mentors such as Adam Chassin (former executive from Uber, AOL, Yahoo! and Amazon) and Mary Francia (international technology executive, formerly with Alcatel-Lucent and Philips) provide an external perspective on global business development.

Reason #2:  Grow & Accelerate your Business

We help the companies in our program make tangible progress and accelerate their business.  Historically, many of our companies enter Demo Day with a slate of multiple pilot projects as well as commercial agreements with Arcadis and other global enterprises that were established through program efforts.  

Reason #3:  Successful Fundraising

The program culminates with Demo Day where founders present their progress and accelerated businesses to a curated group of investors, customers, partners and ecosystem leaders. This opportunity creates the momentum your startup needs to kick off a successful Seed or Series A funding round. Check out our first program’s demo day!

Reason #4:  Gain Access to a Network, For Life

Combined, Techstars and Arcadis’ networks provide access to an extensive network of entrepreneurs and SmartCity innovators around the world.  When you join Techstars, you join Techstars “for life”. Joined with the relationships you’ll establish with Arcadis’ businesses worldwide, you become part of a network that will help you go faster and accelerate your current and future businesses.

Reason #5:  Be at the centre of one of the fastest growing innovation epicentres in Europe

Amsterdam has always been one of the most welcoming cities in Europe, and recently the city has become one of the most important startup hubs in Europe.  Many multinational corporations like Arcadis call Amsterdam home, and many other enterprises are establishing a presence in this vibrant city. The City of Amsterdam is also a friend of Arcadis; the highest city officials and other senior leaders have visited the accelerator program to meet the companies, subsequently kicking off conversations for a number of projects. 

We hope you apply to join us in this journey towards the City of 2030!

Sincerely,

David & Patrick!