With formation talks finally having started, very important times now lay ahead. Dutch Startup Association is still very actively monitoring - and intervening if necessary - the formation process. We are doing our best to make sure the new government understands the importance of a thriving start- and scale-up ecosystem by arranging working visits with MP’s, organizing events, sending out papers, and discussing the importance of start- and scale-ups for the Dutch economy with MP’s and digital spokespersons from various parties. 

Our main issues include challenges such as the lack of tech talent in the Netherlands, encouraging investment in start- and scale-ups, and expanding share options to employees. We express our thoughts on these issues in the various meetings we are having with various MP’s. Some time ago, Dutch Startup Association and Techleap also sent an open letter to informateur Mariëtte Hamer as a call to the next cabinet to include these issues in the Coalition Agreement. In addition, we are organizing several working visits with relevant MP’s, where we will have discussions on these topics together with start- and scaleup founders. After successfully hosting Pim van Strien (VVD) at TNW Amsterdam, we will visit PLNT Leiden with Mustafa Amhaouch next week. Two weeks later we will return to TNW Amsterdam together with Lisa van Ginneken. We will keep organizing these fruitful visits and discussions in the coming months. 

Also, we worry about new European legislation that could potentially have serious consequences for start- and scale-ups. That’s why we hosted our event The future of tech development and government policies in September, where we discussed the impact of future government policies on the Dutch startup ecosystem with David Niemeijer (AssistiveWare) and Mark Jager (Ticketswap). In particular, we worry about the Digital Markets Act. For this reason, we hosted an additional event in October, called Digital Markets Act: The end of the startup runway?, where we discussed the impact and consequences of the Digital Markets Act with Geert Moelker (Ministry of Economic Affairs), Lotte de Bruijn (Managing Director, NLdigital) and Eli Bressert (CEO & Founder, Origin). To get to know more about our concerns regarding the Digital Markets Act, read our blog here. 

Overall, we are hitting our mark on our core business - lobby for startups in the Netherlands. We are organizing our own events, and speaking on other events, for example, the Dutch Startup Conference, where our Chair Lucien Burm was invited to speak on behalf of DSA. More importantly, we are talking, along with our allies, to leading figures in the negotiations for the new government. On exactly the points startups need to succeed: better fiscal climate (share options and more attractive seed investing), more tech talent in the Netherlands and from abroad, and more opportunities for diverse entrepreneurs. We are doing our best to make sure the Dutch startup ecosystem is as successful and innovative as it could and should be.