Create new connections and make the network work for you

Connected ecosystems are the strongest ecosystems. That’s why Up!Rotterdam facilitates regional and global peer networks and events to accelerate the growth of local startups and scaleups.

There is enormous change-driving power in the collaboration of the 23 local authorities from the Rotterdam The Hague metropolitan region (MRDH). The local authorities,  startup and scaleup founders, investors, corporations, and ecosystem builders work together to improve accessibility and strengthen the economic business climate of the region.

Our mission is to help build a thriving startup ecosystem by connecting people and companies around the world who are passionate about entrepreneurship and helping them build successful businesses. 

To help us achieve our mission we are always looking for new partners who share our passion for building strong ecosystems. 

Whether you are a founder or an investor, whether you are based in Rotterdam or abroad – if you have an interest in supporting startups and scale-ups then we want to hear from you. 

Startup Community – Join the Ecosystem 

The Startup Community of Rotterdam is an initiative of Up!Rotterdam and its partners. It is a network of people and organizations that are committed to the growth of startups in the greater Rotterdam Area. Together, we support startups by helping them with introductions, and participation in events, activities, and local partnerships.

Furthermore, we collaborate with a wide range of partners – incubators, accelerators, workspaces and more. 

Do you need help finding your way? Join Rotterdam startup and scale-up ecosystem by introducing yourself via the form below.

Rotterdam Founders Dinner during Upstream Festival 2022.

Scale-up Founder Community 

Scale-up Founder Community is a peer-driven community for founder CEOs of tech-driven scale-ups.

Up!Rotterdam and partners regularly invite a curated group of founder CEOs to bespoke gatherings. Those are not part of any accelerator or incubator program – this is a peer group where members share the learnings and challenges they’re facing while growing their companies.

This community is by invitation only, for tech-driven scale-ups with 1MM in revenue or funding, 10FTE.

Our goal is to create an environment where you can exchange ideas with other founders who share similar challenges and opportunities as you do. We want to give you the tools and trusted network of partners that will help you weather every storm. 

In addition to our meetups, we also run workshops on topics such as fundraising, hiring & culture fit or scaling your team. 

For more information about the events and how to join the Scale-up Community please use the Introduction Form below. 

Investor Community – Deal Sourcing

With over 1600 startups and scale-ups in the Greater Rotterdam area, we can help you to find investment opportunities across all sectors and the companies’ growth stages. 

Both national and international investors are welcome to request a call with our team.

Meeting corporate partners during the Growth Day – Upstream Festival 2022.

Corporate Innovators Alliance

With open-to-innovation corporate partners, our local startups and scale-ups can not only grow faster but also adapt their solutions and processes to suit corporate clients when needed. 

We invite all bold corporate innovators to connect with our ecosystem. 

Startup-corporate collaboration is important for all of us, for the quick introduction of new solutions to build a better economy and contribute to the changes that we all want to see faster. Reach out to us to know more. 

Rotterdam Ecosystem Community Introduction

Ecosystem participants can introduce themselves and join the Rotterdam startup and scale-up Community.