Startup Talents Brainport proves that you can’t learn how to grow a start-up from a book
How do you conduct a performance review if you’ve never done one before? And how do you approach a conversation with a colleague when you see things slightly differently? Young professionals in a start-up come up against situations like these all the time, but there’s no handbook. So who teaches you the finer points? Startup Talents Brainport provides that opportunity. For a year, young professionals from start-ups and scale-ups in the Brainport region work on their personal development, alongside participants facing similar challenges.
Jasper Ebus knows all about it by now. He is co-owner of Univia in Eindhoven, which develops solutions for process improvement in the manufacturing industry, ranging from automation to AI challenges. He set up the company whilst studying at TU/e. It has since grown into a team of nine, and Univia is now based at the High Tech Campus Eindhoven. When Jasper decided to devote himself fully to the company after graduating, he found that personal development easily fell by the wayside. ‘There are hundreds of other things that take priority. Personal development tends to be put on the back burner at first.’
He wanted to change that. He set out to find a programme suited to the start-up world and came across Startup Talents. Maijke Receveur is one of the trainers. As a freelancer, she works in complex and dynamic environments. She also knows the start-up world from the inside: she started as the second employee at Lightyear and helped guide the organisation’s growth to 650 staff. That experience became a key motivation for her to become a trainer. ‘Thanks to my previous experience in consultancy, I knew how valuable guidance can be for personal development. When I started at Lightyear, there were plenty of challenges to help me develop, but I lacked the guidance and focus. It was precisely that guidance I would have liked to have had myself at the time.’ “That’s why I thought: ‘Let’s make something great out of this.’ Now, alongside her freelance work, she mentors young professionals. ‘I just want to give people who are doing something worthwhile a little nudge in the right direction.’”
Trust is the foundation
The programme lasts a year and combines personal leadership, coaching, peer review and company visits. But first, something else needs to happen: the participants must become a group that truly dares to trust one another. That is why the programme begins with an intensive introductory session and a two-day outdoor activity. During that outdoor session, they share personal stories. Jasper found that took some getting used to. ‘You go in as a stranger and come out with a group of people to whom you can tell anything, without being judged.’ According to Maijke, it is precisely this foundation that is needed to be able to learn together later on. ‘If you want to develop yourself and learn together, you have to dare to be transparent.’
That openness comes in very handy later on. During one of the sessions, for example, the participants practised with actors. Jasper brought up a situation from his own work. He noticed that he regularly found himself going along with a colleague’s ideas, even though he wanted to take a different approach. The actor stepped into that colleague’s shoes. ‘Two minutes later, the actor was sitting opposite me, fully in character. It was a strange sensation, but it helped enormously. I was able to consciously choose how to approach the conversation. The outcome was actually perfect.’ Jasper now also sees himself in a different light and dares to open up more. ‘I used to just keep that door to my inner self firmly shut. Thanks to the programme, I’ve opened that door.’ The exercise with the actor helped, as Jasper’s colleague responded positively. And now other colleagues at Univia are also taking part in the Startup Talents Brainport programme.
Learning from one another and from feedback
According to Maijke, it is not her role as a trainer to dictate how someone should develop. ‘You can’t force people. But you can help to create a safe environment.’ She then challenges participants to look just a little further than they are used to. ‘You want people to step outside their comfort zone, but not into their panic zone. Because then there’s no room left to learn.’
The programme itself is also constantly evolving. After his cohort, Jasper suggested that the company visits could be improved. These are now a fixed part of the programme. Jasper: ‘So they really do act on the feedback. Another colleague is currently following the development programme; he’s also very enthusiastic and is making great progress.’
Young professionals from start-ups and scale-ups in the Brainport region can apply for the new cohort until 31 August 2026. For Jasper, the strength lies in the combination of personal development and a network of like-minded people. ‘You’re never fully prepared for this; you don’t know what the outcome will be. If you really want to challenge yourself and take that next step, you’ll benefit a great deal from this programme.’
You can register for the group starting in September until 31 August via this link.
The role of Brainport
Gijs Govers (Business Developer for start-ups and scale-ups at The Gate) and Veerle Hurks (Education & Labour Market Strategist) are involved in the programme on behalf of Brainport Development. They explain: ‘Innovative start-ups and scale-ups are indispensable to Brainport’s economic strength. Their success depends entirely on access to talent. At the same time, it is often difficult for these companies in particular to offer young professionals the same development opportunities as large organisations.’