[ad_1]
It was seen through the eyes of His Royal Highness, Prince Constantijn.
I’ll find something. Amazing about royals working to expand a startup scene for a particular country.
In a beautifully candid conversation, I spoke with HRH Prince Constantijn, fourth in line to the throne of the Netherlands, at CES earlier this month. We discussed the Dutch ecosystem, the government’s role in fostering innovation, and the challenges the country faces in taking companies from startups to the next level.
[Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]
TechCrunch: Why are you here at CES?
HRH Prince Constantine: I think I can help. I would like to continue to build a relationship with CTA [the Consumer Technology Association, which organizes CES] And help promote some of these companies to corporations.
“[The Netherlands] It is a country that would not exist if it were not for innovation. About a third of the country [was] in the water, and created itself into existence. HRH Prince Constantine
Some companies only contact me for selfies. That makes me think, “Maybe cut the crap; I know what you want, so let’s take the picture and pass it on.”
Overall, I’m here to support companies. In the Netherlands, we have support programs for scale or companies that are a little bit more advanced, so a lot of what we do is build relationships, introduce them to founders or investors in the Bay Area, support them in many ways, like me. can And [CES] It’s just one of those outlets.
Why is CES important to the Netherlands in general?
The Netherlands is a small market, and Europe is very fragmented. The United States is an important market. Most companies – depending on the sector – will have to move to America at some point. The US is the biggest health market, for example, so for most companies, it’s important to get there early and build some relationships. The US is probably the largest automotive market. CES is important to us because it’s so big and brings so many different industries together. Most of the big players are here.
CES is not the bull’s eye of some of the companies we have, especially software companies, but because of the concentration of tech companies here, you’ll find that the relevant connections are very high. So that is very important.
It sounds like you are interested in the Dutch startup ecosystem. Why is that your focus?
[ad_2]
Source link
