From research to entrepreneurship Every year, about 10 Wageningen scientists launch a start-up or a spin-off. WUR aims to double that number. But how do you get from an idea to a business, and how do you get it financed? Four entrepeneurs describe their journey from dreams to entrepreneurship. TEXT TANJA SPEEK
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nnovations only prove their worth when they are put into practice. Which is why Wageningen University & Research invests about 1.5 million euros a year in courses and programmes on entrepreneurship, in support to spin-off development programmes, and in grants. WUR students, PhD researchers and recent graduates are also welcome at StartHub, a programme for the development of entrepreneurial competencies, among other things. Researchers can get support from StartLife, a national programme for new and established entrepreneurs in the food and agriculture sectors. Every year, dozens of students, PhD candidates and other researchers approach one of these programmes with their ideas. Nevertheless, start-ups often get stuck in the phase of developing their idea into a working prototype
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or service concept. The problem is often lack of financing: they are not yet of interest to investors, who prefer to invest in companies with impressive results. ‘It proves to be a challenge for start-ups to find financial support in the earliest ideas phase,’ says Lies Boelrijk, director of University Fund Wageningen. ‘It’s difficult to get a loan, or your company is not interesting enough for investors yet. We want to help by offering a donation or a loan from a new fund that’s going to be established.’ This fund is intended to help in the early stages, to enable a start-up to fine-tune the business model, for example, or to gather knowledge. Four entrepreneurs talk about their ambitions and how they realized them. www.wur.eu/entrepreneurship
FUND FOR FRESH IDEAS University Fund Wageningen aims to launch a fund in mid2024 to help start-ups in the early stages. Lies Boelrijk, director of University Fund Wageningen: ‘We are keen to talk to readers who would like to contribute to this fund, either financially or with knowledge and experience.’ www.universityfundwageningen.eu