Let’s be honest: entrepreneurship isn’t only about wins, milestones, and celebrations. It’s also late nights, tough decisions, and unexpected roadblocks. That’s why, last Friday, our Up!Rotterdam team hosted the Friday afternoon drinks for the YES!Delft community with one clear theme: overcoming obstacles, where we asked 6 YES!Delft startups about their toughest obstacles and how they overcame them.

1. Magneto – Making the impossible material

How do you make a brittle material both stable and magnetic? For Magneto, this wasn’t a textbook problem, it was countless rounds of trial and error.

“We failed more times than we can count, but every failed test taught us something. That’s how we finally got a material that works.”

The result? A promising material that could redefine what’s possible in their field.

2. Lyla – Beating the clock

For Lyla, time was the biggest obstacle. Launching a product at one of the world’s biggest fairs meant every second mattered.

“The timeline was brutal. But the support we got from the community and our team made all the difference.”

They made it to the finish line turning a race against the clock into a moment of pride.

3. Renset – Building the first five

Producing their very first pieces took three intense weeks. With no prior experience to lean on. Stijn, Frank, and Jeroen had to rely mostly on their gut feeling.

“We hit problem after problem, but every time we asked ourselves: do we stop, or do we push through? We pushed through.”

By motivating each other and finding balance in the extra hours, they delivered.

4. AgriData Innovations – Convincing the angels

Raising funds wasn’t just about numbers for ADI. They had to craft a detailed pitch deck, create rigorous spreadsheets, and meet with potential angel investors again and again.

“We knew if we couldn’t explain the numbers clearly, we’d lose them. So we obsessed over every slide, every formula.”

Persistence paid off: they convinced the right people to believe in their vision.

5. DeNoize – 70 Investors a Day

When DeNoize entered their first investment round, they had just one month to raise most of their funds. The founders hustled hard: contacting up to 70 investors every single day.

“It was exhausting. But if you don’t hustle, the money doesn’t come. Period.”

Seven months later, the deal was closed without venture capital involvement.

6. Praxa Sense – Pivoting with persistence

As the founder put it: “your job is to overcome obstacles.” For Praxa Sense, the biggest hurdle was navigating the fragmented care market while building an expensive product.

“The care market is hyper local, but we had to think global. That pivot was terrifying, but necessary.”

It took persistence and maybe even “stupid persistence”, but it worked.