The first Dutch Startup Conference 2022 is a fact. On September 29th, in an imposing Zuiderkerk ⛪️ (anno 1612) in Amsterdam, we enjoyed our drinks, listened to great stories. And of course, we did a lot of networking....

Co-hosting along Startup Network Europe, we welcomed over 600 people, half Dutch and half internationals. The event highlighted the strong presence of immigrants as entrepreneurs, with amazing speeches given by Rinke Zonneveld, Adam Fulham, Reinder Lubbers, and more!

After the talks, the 'split the room' gamification approach was applied, as we walked from left to right and back again through the church with some 500 founders and VCs to vote we 'agree' 👍🏼 or 'disagree' 👎🏼 with several statements. For example: “The Netherlands is an excellent country for startups” Everyone walked back and forth to give their opinion, but in the end the score remained 50/50 😏

It was a wonderful night with a golden lining, even after the bar closed we kept chatting until everyone finally left for nearby Nieuwmarkt for the afterparty 🍻

Many thanks to special guests Rinke Zonneveld (Invest-NL), Reinder Lubbers (No Such Ventures), Koen Stam (Personio), Tumelo Setlaba who pitched her question on stage, our church host, Gerrit Key and of course our presenters and hosts Adam Fulham (Startup Network Europe), Johan Schaap (Spirit of Enterprise) and Lucien Burm (Chair of Dutch Startup Association).

Pictures: Jos Hummelen

Video Editor: Kiara Khorram

Watch the recap video here!