ACE, the Amsterdam Center for Entrepreneurship, is preparing to launch a fund worth €150mn later this year in order to extend its assistance to startups that emerge from academia. The incubator was founded in 2008 and has four academic stakeholders: the University of Amsterdam, the Vrije Universiteit, the University of Applied Sciences, and Amsterdam UMC. Its primary objective is to help students and academics establish their own companies. To achieve this, ACE offers two types of programmes: the Explore Programme, which teaches the basics of business and entrepreneurship, and the Incubator Programme, designed for early-stage startups that are prepared to grow and require the necessary tools to do so.
Oscar Kneppers, the CEO of ACE, described the Explore Programme as being similar to PhD students experimenting with the essentials of entrepreneurship. He expressed that the hope is for these individuals to eventually decide to start their own companies and move on to the Incubator Programme. Kneppers acknowledged that Amsterdam has thousands of researchers, yet very few of them end up establishing their own companies. To address this issue, ACE is evolving and rebranding itself as Cæmpus, with “æ” representing “academic entrepreneurs.” Kneppers’ vision is to unite all the various initiatives from the four universities under this single brand, with the goal of creating an integrated entrepreneurship programme across all campuses in Amsterdam.
It is important to note that at present, ACE does not provide investment to the startups it supports, nor does it become a shareholder. However, Kneppers intends to introduce a €150mn fund to invest in these startups on behalf of Amsterdam and as part of Cæmpus. This fund will also be structured as an evergreen fund, where any profits made will be reinvested into the next generation of startups and will benefit the city as a whole. Kneppers is motivated by the desire to make it more appealing for people to consider starting their own companies.
Moreover, ACE encourages those who are interested in learning more about their future plans to listen to the full interview. Overall, ACE’s commitment to supporting and nurturing startups emerging from academia in Amsterdam is evident through its expansion efforts and its ambitious plans for the future.