Pole Position: Navigate Critical Challenges in Deeptech

 

Join the leading programme to drive your deeptech from breakthrough towards global impact!

Apply Here

Pole Position in short

Scaling a deeptech company poses unique challenges: developing complex technology, navigating a complicated ecosystem, understanding your critical value chain, secure growth funding , and maintaining team morale. Success demands vision, focus, and endurance.

Pole Position is Techleap’s flagship programme for high-potential deeptech companies. We dive with you and your peers into this critical growth phase to sharpen the vision, enhance market access strategies, tackle leadership and funding challenges, and accelerate growth.

Deeptech Founder Journey

Are you an ambitious deeptech venture ready to accelerate and get in Pole Position ?

Techleap and Pole Position is all about founders for founders, so you’ll also be challenged to the bone and gain insights from founders and CEOs of leading companies.

Participating in this programme will also give you access to the power of the Techleap brand and community. We will invite you to meetings and events where you’ll have the opportunity to connect with top international founders, industry leaders, government, and deeptech investors.

Apply Here

Who is the programme for?

We’re seeking the most ambitious Deeptech ventures with global impact potential and scaling ambitions. Our next cohort focuses on ‘Future of Compute’ – breakthrough products & services combining advanced hardware and digital technologies.

Minimum requirements (Criteria):

 

  • • Netherlands-based
    • Led by a dedicated full-time founder team and minimum 10+ FTE
    • Have a Problem Solution Fit (PSF), progressing towards or secured Product Market Fit (PMF)
    • Initially funded (min. €4.5M), seeking significant capital
    • Developing breakthrough Deeptech (scientific or technology-based)
    • Aligned with the cohort’s theme
    • Driven by a founder mentality (growth mindset, ambition, willingness to give back and be challenged      by peers and seasoned entrepreneurs)
    • Ready to transition from successful pilot to commercial deployment or already commercially active

  

Applied Nanolayers

“The Pole Position programme allowed me to connect with other deep tech founders about common challenges we all share even if the technology we work on can differ wildly. I highly recommend the programme as I had many useful takeaways on team growth, funding, pitching, and scaling.”
– Applied Nanolayers

CarbonX 2

“If you enter the Pole Position arena open-minded, ready to receive “tough-love”, magical things happen – leaving you with new ideas or new things to doubt, finally creating a no-nonsense and razor-sharp action plan”
– CarbonX

VSParticle

“So far, the most insightful time and effort I’ve spent on learning how to successfully scale our organisation and connecting with fellow deep-tech entrepreneurs.”
– VSParticle

Quinteq Energy

“Participating in Pole Position has taken us to that edge with new insights, knowledge and most of all a network of peers and experts that challenged us on our direction and decisions and will remain part of the QuinteQ Energy journey for many years to come.”
– Quinteq Energy

No Palm Ingredients

“The Pole Position programme has forced us to increasingly move between day-to-day focus and a helicopter view, allowing us to plan further ahead than we would otherwise have done.”
– No Palm Ingredients

Nostics

“From the beginning on I had the feeling that I was in a safe space where I could speak up and discuss my challenges.”
– Nostics

CarbonX 1

“It is rare in the world of entrepreneurs to get the chance to take a step back… do a full-360 degree review on your business and beliefs, together with peers, challengers, and seasoned industry leaders.”
– CarbonX

Thorizon

“During the programme, we received invaluable feedback from an ambitious and supportive peer group, and from experienced deep-tech entrepreneurs. As a result, we increased the ambition level of our funding strategy, leading to a much better understanding of the business case and roadmap needed to realize our mission.”
– Thorizon

Programme Structure

Meet our Pole Position alumni:
Trailblazers in Deeptech

Challengers & Experts
from previous cohorts

Harrold

Dinko Valerio

Founder & former CEO of Crucell

Hamed Sadeghian

CEO Nearfield Instruments

Corinne Vigreux

Co-Founder TomTom 

Arno van Mourik

CEO Airborne

Fabrizio del Maffeo

Co-Founder & CEO Axelera

Eline van Beest

CEO Hybridize Therapeutics

Olivier Heyning

Co-Founder & former CEO of Lumicks

Tim Knotnerus

CEO AgomAb

Soukaina Adnane-Murphy

Founder Onera Health

Jos Burger

Founder Ultimaker

Krijn de Nood

Harrold

Richard Visser

Founder SMART Photonics

Harrold

Susanne Schorsch

Partner Amadeus Capital

Menno van Dijk

Harrold

Lise Rechsteiner

Gen. Partner VSquared Ventures

Rene de Vries

Founder Aito

Harrold

Johan Feenstra

CEO Smart Photonics

Ton van ’t Noordende

Meet the team

Coffee Bean

Lech Bakhuizen van den Brink

Programme Manager

Coffee Bean

Iris Visser

Project Manager

Coffee Bean

Peter Maarten Westerhout

Director Deeptech

Coffee Bean

Annemieke Wisse

Deeptech Capital Lead

Any Questions? - Contact Us
How do I apply

To apply, fill in the application form.

Once you submit your application, your candidature will be thoroughly reviewed by a group of experts. Eventually, we will select fifteen ventures that will be invited to pitch and do a Q&A in front of the selection committee on October 8th, 2024.

Application deadline September 23rd 2024.
Selection day October 8th 2024.

You will get an answer on their decision ultimately on October 9th.

What are the costs?

We do not seek equity. There are no participation costs involved besides your full commitment. We aim to build a thriving (deeptech) startup & scale community and therefore we do ask you to give back. For both Pole Position and this community, we believe that the more effort you put in the more you will get out of it. Let’s make an impact together!

What is the selection process?

Once you submit your application, your candidature will be thoroughly reviewed by a group of experts. Eventually, we will select fifteen ventures that will be invited to pitch and do a Q&A in front of the selection committee on October 8th, 2024.

You will get an answer on their decision on October 9th 2024. Once selected you will be part of the greater Techleap community of serial entrepreneurs, investors and other ecosystem stakeholders.

What is Pole Position’s added value?

With the Pole Position Programme we will help you, as a deeptech venture, to bridge the so-called 'valley of death' with its complex obstacles. This includes expert support, peer-to-peer and role-model learning (with tough love) and access to an extensive and (sector specific) relevant network including great (intern)national exposure. Summarised:

  • The benefit of getting challenged by experts and experienced founders that are already ahead of the race.
  • The benefit of Techleap’s network of high quality experts, including policymakers, top-notch entrepreneurs and other ecosystem stakeholders.
  • You will gain (facilitated) exposure for your company on Techleap's channels. 
  • You’ll learn from like-minded entrepreneurs through our peer-to-peer sessions, ignited by theme specific role models.
Do you run the Pole Position initiative for startups from all industries?

Yes, however, we focus on specific themes to create added value among peers and address similar challenges. The upcoming (7th) theme will be focused on the 'Future of Compute'.  

In case you are interested in joining the initiative but do not fit our upcoming batch, please contact us via deeptech@techleap.nl

In case you are interested in contributing with your knowledge and experience (as a entrepreneur) feel free to reach out to our Programme manager via lech@techleap.nl

Still more questions?

We are happy to answer them!

For general questions reach out via deeptech@techleap.nl For specific questions reach out via lech@techleap.nl.