Getting started in business
Delft University of Technology has always been an entrepreneurial university. Over the last 180 years, many inventions and ground-breaking research found its way from the laboratory to society. Large companies originated from a student from Delft with a good idea. Take Exact for example, the software company that was founded in 1984 by five students from Delft. Nowadays, the company is active in more than 20 countries.
Large corporations start small and Delft University of Technology takes pride in the number of spin-outs that originate here. Every year, dozens of businesses are started by (former) students and researchers, based on a patent of our university.
To transfer new technology into valuable products and services from which society benefits, entrepreneurship is very important. Delft University of Technology stimulates entrepreneurship in a number of ways: by investing in start-ups, by offering education programmes focused on entrepreneurship and by coaching starting companies, among others with the incubator YES!Delft.
Opportunities for entrepreneurs
Delft Enterprises invests in spin-outs of Delft University of Technology. It offers advice and funding for students and employees of the university who want to start a company.
The mission of Delft Enterprises is threefold: to connect innovation (promising ideas sprung from the university) with entrepreneurship (ambitious students and employees) and financing.
Beside funding, the companies from the Delft Enterprise portfolio get access to the extended network of Delft University of Technology. Starting entrepreneurs are supported with administrative, legal, fiscal and financial advice.
The transparent deal term principles are used for the transfer of intellectual property to university spin-offs.
More about Delft Enterprises.
YES!Delft is the business incubator of the Technical University Delft in The Netherlands. YES!Delft believes in the impact tech companies can have, because they provide a crucial contribution to the innovation of our economy and society.
YES!Delft programs turn promising ideas and teams into solid startups and grow them into successful companies. YES!Delft provides tech entrepreneurs with guidance and support in their startup journey. Since 2005 YES!Delft offers entrepreneurs access to mentors, experts, investors and corporate partners who share their know-how, network, and experience. YES!Delft currently has 200+ tech startups in their portfolio and is accepting new applications for their programs.
More about YES!Delft.
RoboHouse was founded in 2015 to drive technology transfer in the field of robotics. RoboHouse's mission is to make the Delft area (and the Netherlands) leading in the next generation of intelligent robots. For this purpose, RoboHouse deploys a number of activities, aimed at entrepreneurship and creating a knowledge platform for robotics.
RoboHouse offers an accelerator programme for start-ups, it develops a smart industry fieldlab where SMEs can become acquainted with the possibilities that robotics offer and funding is available via the Chryslalix RoboHouse Investment Fund.
In all these activities, RoboHouse closely collaborates with TU Delft Robotics Institute and different public and private partners.
More about RoboHouse.
The Delft Centre for Entrepreneurship (DCE) is part of the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management. The vision of the Centre is to be a global leader in entrepreneurship and innovation research and education. DCE provides education programs at bachelor and master level and contributes to PhD training and other teaching programs.
The programs serve approximately 750 students across the faculties of TU Delft with a goal to increase their entrepreneurial activity and, eventually, the start of new technology-based firms or venture projects within established organisations.
More about DCE.