The weather may not be perfect — windy, cold and above average rainfall — but the Dutch city of Eindhoven is fast becoming Europe’s ideal location for high-tech start-ups.
Okay, in a recent Financial Times survey of European cities of the future it came third after London and Helsinki, but for its size Eindhoven has more semiconductor, nanotechnology, advanced material research, health tech, and general internet related organisations than the other two put together.
So what makes this particular corner of Holland so attractive? Here are eight good reasons:
- The High-Tech Campus: Considered to be the smartest square kilometre in The Netherlands and quite possibly in the whole world. With more than 125 companies and 10,000 researchers, developers, and entrepreneurs, everyone in the High-Tech Campus is working on developing future technologies and products. It is also home to the Startupbootcamp, the biggest network of technology startup accelerators in Europe.
- It’s the most inventive city in the world, an accolade recently confirmed by Forbes magazine. Based on patent density, the most commonly used way of mapping the geography of innovation, Eindhoven produced 22.6 patents per 10,000 residents, outpacing San Diego as its nearest rival, which only recorded 8.9 patents per 10,000 residents.
- The number of big tech manufacturers: Eindhoven is the home of Philips — the name is everywhere — but Philips is not the only original equipment manufacturer in the city. ASML, the largest supplier in the world of photolithography systems for the semiconductor industry, also has its headquarters at Eindhoven. And so, too, does NXP, a global leader in semiconductor production and sales.
- Eindhoven attracts talent from all over the world, and not just for its first division companies. There are scores of smaller research and development and supply firms feeding the big names, all of which need skilled scientists and engineers. One recent survey claimed the city had the highest cross-section of nationalities than anywhere else in Europe.
- The Technical University of Eindhoven, in the heart of Eindhoven, is considered to be one of the best technical universities in Europe for master’s courses — contributing even more to the local talent pool.
- The Netherlands is the most entrepreneurial country in Europe according to the 2012 global Entrepreneurship Monitor survey. Around 7.2 per cent of Dutch people between 18 and 64-years-old own or are planning to start a new company. And compared to Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Germany, France, and Belgium, the Netherlands regularly records the highest media coverage for entrepreneurial affairs and boasts the lowest fear of failure among its business owners.
- Location: Geographically, Eindhoven is considered to be at the centre of Europe. London is an hour’s flying time away. Brussels, Paris and most German cities are a comfortable train ride away. If you must drive, Eindhoven is within minutes of Europe’s motorway network.
- And if you still need persuading, here’s the clincher — nearly every one of its 220,000 residents speaks perfect English.
Photo by Metro Centric (cc)
