Brabant ecosystem introduces award for best tech startup in Benelux

After two successful editions in 2022 and 2023, the organisers of LEVEL UP are gearing up for the third. It is an initiative of The Gate, BOM (Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij) and Braventure and will take place on Monday 30 September, just like last year at the Evoluon in Eindhoven.

During the event, startups will have the opportunity to strengthen their businesses with new knowledge and the experience of other founders. With a focus on the Benelux, LEVEL UP is also looking more explicitly across borders for the first time.

Keynotes

As in previous years, the event features a mix of keynotes, workshops, panel sessions and networking opportunities. The first keynotes have been confirmed: Rina Joosten-Rabou (authority on the landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) and co-founder and ceo of Pera) and Krijn de Nood (co-founder of cultured meat startup Meatable). New this year is an award for founders of tech startups in the Benelux region: the LEVEL UP Awards.

Startup award

With the LEVEL UP Awards, the organisation puts the spotlight on the most innovative tech startups from the Benelux region. The Benelux region (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) has developed into an important ecosystem for startups in Europe. It is characterised by sectoral diversity, tech-driven institutions and a network of international talent.

In the past decade, more than 15,000 startups have been founded in the Benelux region. The Netherlands and Belgium score above average in terms of the number of startups per million inhabitants compared to other European countries. The Netherlands in particular excels with 2.6 times as many startups per million inhabitants as the European average (a total of some 11,000 startups employing 145,000 people). This puts the Netherlands ahead of the UK, Germany and France.

Driving innovation

‘LEVEL UP brings together international startups, investors and other stakeholders in a unique setting,’ says Brigit van Dijk-van de Reijt, ceo of BOM. 'It is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the importance of tech startups. They make an important contribution to solving social issues, are at the basis of future earning power and drive innovation. The LEVEL UP Awards are the icing on the cake. With these, we reward the best tech startup in the Benelux'.

Professional jury

The award consists of a public prize (by public votes) and a jury prize. This year, the professional jury consists of Kathleen Philips (imec), Jeroen van Glabbeek (CM.com) and Simone Brummelhuis (Borski Fund). The winner will receive eternal fame, a beautiful award and media exposure. You can apply here.

This article is brought to you by LEVEL UP 2024