VentureLab Twente Entrepreneurs

2012 volume 1

7Group

VentureLab Twente Entrepreneurs

volume 12012

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Solid entrepreneurship underpinning the economy

The Twente region is famous for its productive entrepreneurial climate. Many smaller businesses have survived the economic recession thanks to innovation and good entrepreneurship.

The huge number of spin-offs of the university does not in itself constitute a guarantee for sustainable business development. This [sustainable development] will only take place if the scientists concerned can acknowledge the value of the art and practice of entrepreneurship, alongside their own substantive expertise. Thanks to the worthy endeavours of the University of Twente, Saxion and Kennispark, a lot of effort has gone into boosting entrepreneurial skills over the past few years. VentureLab Twente has been contributing significantly in this respect since 2009. It has been the perfect way to put knowledge about success factors for businesses acquired by the researchers from NIKOS to good use. The results of this work are promising. The vast majority of the 120 entrepreneurs that completed the programme are managing successful companies.

Over the next few years, provincial, regional and local governments will be supporting entrepreneurs via investment funds and instruments aimed at network formation and training for entrepreneurs. The governments have chosen to join forces and share experiences. Businesses can apply for help through a single ‘Innovation Desk Kennispark Twente’. Resources will be deployed with a focus on using expertise from the High Tech and New Materials top sectors, which are based in Twente. The Desk will be established using products and services that build on the successful deployment of staff and resources in recent years.

These are uncertain times for VentureLab. It is not yet sure whether subsidy will be granted again at the end of 2012, and whether it will be able to continue offering its programmes for entrepreneurs. The basis of any such role lies in a good evaluation of the results of preceding years. Personally, I would like to stress that when organizing the innovation desk, more attention should be focused on helping medium-sized businesses expand into larger businesses. Whatever else, this report with the results of group 7 clearly shows that VentureLab has played an important part in boosting entrepreneurship in Twente. VentureLab has again demonstrated just how valuable it is to the economy of Twente.

Drs. Marijke A. van Hees

Alderman for economic affairs, innovation, resources & culture Enschede Municipal Authorities

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Foreword

Most participants say their participation exceeded their expectations. This is a good sign. It highlights the fact that we are contributing to their personal and business development, and confirms our view that we can make significant contributions to many more companies and departments.

As a successful entrepreneurial ecosystem, we are unique in the world. This is partly due to the collaboration with the Netherlands Institute for Knowledge Intensive Entrepreneurship (NIKOS) of the University of Twente and the incentive from the ‘Innovatieplatform Twente’, which helps start-ups to grow. Other essential elements are the generous subsidies from bodies including the provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel, the European Union, ‘Regio Twente’, Saxion University of Applied Sciences and the University of Twente. Together, these parties enable us to offer our programme at a relatively low price that is affordable for a large target group. As some of the subsidies will dry up at the end of 2012, we are now being forced to review our own revenue model. We have proved our added value; now we have to pave our own path to the future.

So to sum up: VentureLab continues to sparkle and inspire. All the proof we need is in the stories written by the participants of group 7, many of which contain remarkable ideas and superb examples of entrepreneurship.

Dr. Rob van Lambalgen

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Entrepreneurs think in terms of results. We at VentureLab do the same. After all, our programme aims to support start-ups and other businesses on their path towards high growth and business acceleration. And it is starting to pay off.

In this edition, we zoom in on the participants of group 7. On their potential, their ambitions and their plans. The first six groups resulted in 34 new companies, offering 450 new jobs. There will definitely be more, because their numbers include distinct candidates for growth in the coming years. In the meantime, we welcomed our 200th participant, a milestone towards realizing our ambition to lay the foundations for 3,000 new jobs by 2020.

Attracting foreign entrepreneurs is another of our achievements. We are proud that our Soft Landings International Business Incubator Designation has been renewed by the NBIA, the world’s leading organization in advancing business incubation and entrepreneurship. This underlines our reputation ‘as having specialized programs and/or facilities for helping companies break into new markets.’ In fact also one of the entrepreneurs in group 7 uses these facilities.

Developments like these help us to shape and reshape the support we offer. Our participants often point out that we keep them sharp. We repeatedly hear them say: ‘My coach taught me that I must focus’. Just like the need to create a well-balanced management team and to monitor the revenue model. Being sharp is a criterion for success. In spite of all its promise, ‘a good idea’ is in itself seldom sufficient. This factor is at best 20% of the success, while the other 80% is a matter of good entrepreneurship. ‘Just do it” was a comment heard from one of the participants. And another one: “Your belief in an idea creates a mood of ‘flow’. You must make it come true.” We take our participants’ observations and sometimes critical notes very seriously. Just like other information that we derive from the intake procedure and the participants’ logbooks. This enables us to build a database on entrepreneurship, which can be used for scientific research and to help our staff generate ideas for improving the programmes.

Message from the Programme Director

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This example shows that VentureLab is much more than an attractive research programme. Alongside interaction, it also offers a unique combination of group-based training courses, individual coaching, access to relevant funding and many opportunities in network brokerage. So we do not only support entrepreneurs, we also attract attention from new entrepreneurs and investors for the east of the Netherlands and act as a business incubator. We extend the circle by connecting with, or contributing to, the formation of other relevant networks. For example, IT Labs, a project being run by the European Institute of Technology, which connects good universities and IT companies. As part of the Entrepreneurial Support System project, we are conducting research into how cities and industrial zones can improve their facilities, particularly for this type of high-tech business. VentureLab is becoming a ‘best practice’ and a high-quality brand.

This last aspect is helping us to define our course for the future. We are proud to have supported some 200 entrepreneurs over the past two years, and we are now preparing for a life without subsidies. There are many options that will allow us to broaden our horizons even further and create new forms of collaboration. Examples

include Groningen, Wageningen, Nijmegen and the German border regions. We will reinforce the international character of VentureLab and specialize in areas such as energy, healthcare, water and smart cities. And all on the basis of a business perspective revolving around the outstanding technologies available in the nano, biomedical, water and IT research groups in Twente and elsewhere.

We intend to continue our pursuit of the ultimate goal, in which VentureLab successfully matches technology with entrepreneurial talent.

Prof. Dr. Aard J. Groen

Scientific Director of NIKOS and Professor of Innovative Entrepreneurship

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VentureLab’s chief asset is its position at the cutting edge of science and entrepreneurship. Thanks to the programme participants, we have built up an extensive database on the development of entrepreneurial competencies. ‘Our’ entrepreneurs are interviewed before they start and they keep a record of their progress towards entrepreneurship in a logbook. For example, how do they make initial contact with (potential) customers and how customer-friendly are they? Writing down their experiences at regular intervals enables us to monitor their growth and development in a working context. This makes our database unique, as became clear at a scientific conference in Perth, Australia, where one of the NIKOS (Netherlands Institute for Knowledge Intensive Entrepreneurship) scientists presented a paper about our data. It was received with great enthusiasm; apparently this kind of systematic collection of relevant data does not occur anywhere else.

This goes a long way to justifying our expectations that VentureLab will generate pioneering scientific insight about successful (and potentially successful) entrepreneurship. According to the more traditional theories, an entrepreneur is someone who dares to take risks and who is creative, innovative and extravert. However here at VentureLab, we see how some people need time to mature and develop, and sometimes need a bit of effective stimulation. We have even witnessed several examples of seasoned entrepreneurs whose companies made a successful transition to another business model, sometimes a different revenue model or organization model. This was partly thanks to input from VentureLab. Our data analysis is teaching us more and more about real entrepreneurial competencies and how to encourage them.

A fascinating interaction has come to light. Science benefits from VentureLab as a field lab. In turn, the programme benefits from its connection with science; the research findings are translated for practical use in supporting the participants. This explains why interest is growing, both from prospective participants and from scientists, entrepreneurs and other parties. To give another recent example, during a conference on ‘Entrepreneurial Universities’ in Moscow, I read about Twente, which is seen on a par with MIT in Boston, Imperial College London and Aalto University in Helsinki. I spoke about VentureLab and found myself talking to an investor with an interest in nanotechnology, a strongpoint in our region.

Message from the Academic Director

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Contents9

Page10-11 Vital lessons in entrepreneurship - Patrick Jansen

12-13 Virtual, yet almost real shopping - Seppe Meinders

14-15 More care, less time, at less expense - Filip van Dijk

16-17 Digital wound monitoring from product to business - Ton Franken

18-19 Attention App as new marketing instrument - Jeroen Luttikholt

20-21 Dynamic workflow & greater efficiency - Cor Lubach

22-23 Seeing is believing and perceiving - Henk-Jan Pool

24-25 Worry-free alternative to low-wage countries - Dino Basalo

26-27 Curriculum navigation system for education - Susan Gengler

28-29 Learning by watching - André Feenstra

30-31 Medicine with a warm heart - Mauk den Boer

32-33 i-Health: what your body needs - Liesbeth Schmitz

34-35 Smart filters for relevant entrepreneurial information - Rogier Gigengack

36-37 E-training to enhance humanity & self-leadership - Frank Rekers

38-39 Transparent matching for the technical job market - Mark Nieuwenhuis,

40-41 Next generation job portals for the Netherlands - Klaus Furtmüller

42-43 Intelligent remote monitoring for ships - René Ratering

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VentureLab has really proved its worth, says Jansen. Training courses, lectures and a coach have taught him the ins and outs of the various roles involved in his new position: those of entrepreneur, manager and leader. It has also boosted his insight into the financial side of the organization. ‘The advice about encouraging people to cooperate in change processes was invaluable. We have built up a reputation, but this generates expectations and obligations.’

And then there’s the contact with other entrepreneurs. ‘I spoke to someone here about QlikView. Together, we produced the ‘impact-monitor-supervision’ tool, an instrument that enables municipal authorities to assess the implications of taking on AWBZ care duties from the government. It’s now two months since the introduction in November 2011, and 120 municipalities are already using the tool. This is new to us: developing a product for the market without a prior commission. We would never have done this without VentureLab. It highlights how important VentureLab has been to us. Joint-owner Nico Dam has already signed up for the next group.’

www.hhm.nl

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Bureau HHM from Enschede has been a research and advice partner for ministries, care providers, municipal authorities, client organizations and healthcare insurers for many decades. Much has changed during the years in which this small venture expanded into a business employing more than thirty members of staff. ‘The market changes all the time; we have to respond. We have to develop business acumen. That’s why I went to VentureLab’, says Patrick Jansen, co-manager and joint-owner of the company.

‘Call me a starting entrepreneur. I started working at HHM in 1995, and took over the business with my colleague Nico Dam in 2009. From being employees, we suddenly became entrepreneurs and employers. That’s a big step, and one that doesn’t come naturally’, explains Jansen. He is referring to the changes in market dynamics since the fall of the last Cabinet in 2010, the credit crunch and its consequences. Faithful clients no longer commission the agency as a matter of course. They issue tenders, obliging HHM to compete with other parties. ‘These processes are impersonal and serve to increase uncertainty. We need to become more business-like.’

Vital lessons in entrepreneurship

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But there’s more. Meinders and the University of Twente are already working on another new application, which he´s keeping under wraps. ‘We think up and build creative, innovative internet applications. And we’re good at 3D animations. At the moment, we’re working on a car configurator for a new sports car manufacturer. It allows you to design and drive the car from your keyboard.’

He’s not only fascinated by technology; he is also a keen entrepreneur. Meinders used to own an IP telephony business, which he sold. He invested the profits in Ultimedia. ‘We really want to work with start-ups in IT that share our ideas. We could do this on a shared risk basis; we would build the site or application and they would be co-owners of the internet concept’, Meinders explains. ‘It’s all about believing in your idea. You get into a flow. You want to make it work! Obviously I want to make money, but that’s less important than the drive.’

Meinders thinks that his Ultimedia company has the potential to become a high-turnover business. ‘This demands focus, which is why I´m so pleased with VentureLab. The coach more or less instructed me to work on my plan. I’d focused too much on the technology. I came here to realize my dream. To get started and carry on, in surroundings where people share my passion.’

www.ultimedia.nl

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Virtual, yet almost real shopping

Online shopping, but as real as possible. Almost the same as physical shopping, except that you can’t feel and smell the goods. Seppe Meinders, managing director of Ultimedia web technology, has all but finished the plans and technology. His internet concept will go online this year. Consumers will see the clothes they want in 3D and practically be able to try them on. ‘I’m aiming for consumers; it’s not B2B.’

This may be just what we’re waiting for: a single platform where consumers can actually see what the clothes look like online. A webcam is used to register the customer’s size and display everything in 3D. ‘We’re developing technology for this. You won’t need a Kinect camera, a standard webcam will do’, explains Meinders. ‘We’re creating an overall platform, not a web shop with a limited range, so we aren’t tied to certain brands or shops.’

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A consultation with a doctor is always subject to time restraints. The doctor quickly absorbs all the information before responding with a lot more information. After the appointment, the patient remembers other things he forgot to say and forgets a lot of what the doctor said. The appointment takes fifteen minutes of the doctor’s time, but much more of the patient’s, who has had to travel to the hospital and often spend a long time waiting.

‘You can change this by asking patients to complete a digital questionnaire before their first appointment. This helps to streamline the consultation’, says Van Dijk. ‘Many check-ups can also be digitalized. The patient gives his details via the platform and the doctor answers the patient’s questions and asks any additional questions himself. Patients can be invited to webspreekuur.nl via e-mail or SMS. It’s incredibly fast and all the information remains accessible to patients and doctors. Instead of ICT, we call it ICD: information, communication and documentation.’

The neurologists are already using webspreekuur.nl in St. Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein. They claim to be saving a huge amount of time while improving the quality of the care they provide. 88% of patients are ‘satisfied to highly satisfied’ with the service. Van Dijk: ‘It’s more care at less expense. Patients are more central than ever.’

So PFO is ready for the market. ‘Here at VentureLab, I’ve learned that we really have to focus on this aspect now. Which choices should we make? What do we want to achieve and how can we plan for this? We would never have asked ourselves these questions without VentureLab. The programme is worth every penny.’

www.pfosystems.nlwww.webspreekuur.nl

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‘Care can be organized more efficiently, with more time and better quality for patients. This is what we call care profit.’ Filip van Dijk and his partners (both neurologists) thought long and hard about the name for their company: PFO Systems. The three letters stand for ‘Patient Friendly Organization’ and ‘Professional Friendly Organization.’ A web platform gives both categories more time, attention and information. Webspreekuur.nl is the proof.

‘We don’t supply software packages, but a communication platform’, says Van Dijk straight away. ‘Although patients and doctors communicate very swiftly via webspreekuur.nl, all the relevant information is recorded and remains available to both parties.’

More care, less time, at less expense

www.mact.nl

Ton Franken, managing director of Membrane Application Centre Twente (MACT), got involved with Diaderma when the initiators asked him to take care of the business development side. ‘That’s what brought me to VentureLab. It’s been a valuable experience; the coach alone, who kept asking about the revenue model, was worth his weight in gold.’

In the meantime, he has been approached by another company in his capacity as membrane specialist. This company uses innovative extraction technology to modify grass verge cuttings for use as fuel. ‘Grass verge is not suitable for hay and if simply burned, it produces unwanted by-products. You can get around this by extracting the minerals. The first installation is set to go into operation very soon; MACT is supplying the membrane technology. This is a highly innovative process, which can also be applied to other types of green waste. It has the potential to be huge.’

Franken’s involvement in this latter project has nothing to do with his time at VentureLab. ‘The opportunity just arose. But VentureLab has opened my eyes to new insight. I’ve learned to approach things from the revenue model angle instead of simply looking at the technology. I’ve had a great time here and would thoroughly recommend it.’

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Digital wound monitoring from product to business

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Dermonitor is a new system for the long-distance monitoring of chronic and persistent skin wounds. It allows doctors and nursing staff to monitor the healing process using lasers, photography and digital image processing technology. But this doesn’t mean that the Diaderma invention is ready for the market, says Ton Franken on behalf of the initiators: ‘Even a good product won’t sell by itself.’

The concept developed by Diaderma (the company bringing Dermonitor onto the market) is about the size of a tablet. ‘The system automatically records several pictures of the wound in a range of lighting conditions. They are automatically merged into one image in order to avoid reflection caused by discharge from the wound. You see the real colours, and the surface area is also recorded’, explains Franken. ‘The image is stored and compared with previous images so that changes are immediately made obvious. The software even issues a warning if the wound increases in size. The specialist can monitor the process from his/her desk and respond promptly if necessary.’

Jeroen has discovered that these traditional systems are not normally able to do this. He has implemented them on several occasions, as an employee and as an entrepreneur. ‘So I’m taking it a step further by developing new applications and possibilities. One of these is the Attention App, which I developed together with a gift supplier, The Present Tree. You get much more out of your customer relations if you send someone a card or a gift on their birthday or another special occasion. I’m working on systems that automatically detect these openings and spot new business opportunities.’

Thanks to VentureLab. ‘It was my coach who challenged me to think of something that would set me apart from the rest. He said I shouldn’t just stick with CRM; there are plenty of providers for this. I’m a qualified IT specialist so I already had the knowledge; all I had to do was combine it with my commercial experience. I’m also involved in setting up another technology company focusing on cloud computing.’ Jeroen thinks that he will eventually need to employ ten to fifteen people. ‘Maybe even more, but I’m not yet sure I want such a big company.’

He continues: ‘VentureLab has helped me in another way too. I might be eligible for support from the TOP-program [Temporary Entrepreneurial Position]. I would never have thought of that myself.’

www.lsales.nl

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The Attention App. It’s a totally new concept heralding the next step in CRM (customer relationship management). And also heralding new opportunities for optimizing and personalizing customer contact. Jeroen Luttikholt, managing-director of LSales, is firmly convinced that businesses will earn a lot of money with it.

He is quick to give the example of a car dealer, who has just watched a satisfied customer drive off in a new car. ‘He hopes that he’ll be able to sell this same man or women another car in three years’ time. So he sends the occasional card or a small gift to mark the anniversary of the sale. You make the contact personal. The Attention App, driven by the traditional CRM systems, sends reminders whenever special attention is required.’

Attention App as new marketing instrument

Lubach illustrates his point with a couple of examples. ‘Take dementia. By the time someone actually receives day care, he or she has seen about 25 different people. Using my system, the assessment process takes less time, is less expensive and the patient gets the right care a lot sooner.’ Or a municipal customer contact centre: ‘Citizens log in and ask for certain information. Everyone who needs to know is sent an automatic message.’ The transparency pays for itself: shorter processing times, lower costs, satisfied citizens.

‘Imagine the state palms off certain duties onto the municipal authorities to save money. The municipality suddenly has a big problem. My system allows much of the extra work to be dealt with, without changing the organization. And it works in any organization, anywhere in the world. The system is even suitable for the export market; that’s how unique it is.’

He and UT staff drafted the functional design in 2010. But they still need a launching customer. Lubach: ‘I spoke to various clients. They’re all enthusiastic, but they want to see a working system.’ VentureLab was unable to solve this. ‘But I enjoyed my time here. You learn a lot, particularly from swapping experiences with other entrepreneurs.’And few days after the interview he had some good news: ‘I’m currently in an advanced stage of discussions with Conclusion, a major software supplier.’

www.procef.nl

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Dynamic workflow & greater efficiency

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The concept is ready to roll. Organization consultant Cor Lubach and staff from the University of Twente have designed a new dynamic workflow system, which guarantees to give everyone access to the same information at the same time. Business processes are more efficient, customer service better and faster. ‘What’s more, it may help to fill the gaps on the job market left by the retiring baby-boomers’, he adds.

Lubach, who has owned his own organization consultancy Procef for many years, continues enthusiastically. ‘There are lots of workflow programmes, but the unique way mine records the processes makes it stand out. No information is lost and everyone gets the same data at the same time. As long as they all have the same user rights, of course. You can use the information to analyse and streamline the processes. Savings on wages can mount to twenty percent, while the processing times are shorter. Just imagine what this could mean.’

Aerial photography is another of Periview’s specialities. The tripod can extend to a height of 15 metres. ‘This literally gives another perspective. It enables estate agents to show their houses in the best possible light, and Tourist Information Boards and other clients to show off the landscape. It gives people a more realistic perception; people want to see things, and these photos show everything there is to see. They arouse people’s natural curiosity.’

But Pool’s ambitions go even further. ‘I want to expand the possibilities, with Wittec for example, the expertise centre for employment in innovation and innovative IT. I think that this will eventually make it easier for companies to record their own images in their own style. Franchise constructions are a real possibility. The Periview website would refer customers and interested parties to the nearest photographer using our technique.’

Pool is looking for a partner to help him fulfil his dreams. ‘A good company needs a good team; that’s what I became aware of at VentureLab. VentureLab gives you a network so you can find your team. What’s more, contact with the other participants is stimulating and invigorating.’

www.periview.nl

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Seeing is believing and perceiving

‘You see more and you can steer it yourself. Visitors stay on your site longer and are less likely to switch to your rival’s site. The hotels we work for have seen an increase in their bookings of up to twenty percent. Pictures appeal to people’s imagination and often give potential clients that extra encouragement.’ Henk-Jan Pool, who started his business Periview in the summer of 2010, is predicting a sunny future for 360° photography.

He slides a few brochures across the table, some of them with breath-taking photos. Photos of a ski slope under a bright blue sky and interiors of hotels, museums and exhibition halls. ‘My motto is: seeing is believing’, he says. ‘My customers include a lot of Austrian hotels. They are proof of how persuasive these 360° pictures can be. People steer the cameras themselves, so they get a better idea of height and depth and can look at the floors and ceilings if they want. This has many advantages: they spend longer looking, get into the mood and are keener to book. You can even incorporate film images into the photos so they really add value to your website.’

This will benefit businesses in the small and medium-sized sector. Some companies are looking for ways of bringing their new products onto the market at low investment costs; others want to outsource outside the European Union. ‘The companies I work with operate in B2B and satisfy all the criteria. One is a certified supplier in the medical sector, the other concentrates on the automobile industry. Thanks to them, I can deliver the goods (literally!)’

‘I take away the customer’s worries by supporting delivery’, explains Basalo. ‘Customers are then better able to decide whether to proceed autonomously or outsource. I give them advice and monitor quality and progress on location. Thanks to my knowledge of the language and culture, I can take care of much of the work. I see opportunities here for cheaper production in the industry. Customers can keep an eye on the specifications and quality at an economical price.’

Basalo is a realist: ‘I want to start gradually, and prove the value of my intercultural knowledge and experience. I came up with a lot of new ideas at VentureLab. The extensive feedback inspired me to modify my plans and refine my business case.’

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www.twengal.eudbasalo@home.nl

(from June 1, 2012)

Worry-free alternative to low-wage countries

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‘Worry-free’ is a key word that Dino Basalo uses when describing his future business, Twengal. He provides clients in the injection-moulding sector a reliable alternative to outsourcing to low-wage countries, and to high-quality but expensive production in the West. He can do this thanks to close contact with specialized companies in Spain and Portugal. Two of the companies he uses have already made their mark in the medical and automotive sectors.

‘Customers can rely on sustained quality, optimum delivery reliability, flexible series volumes and a large say in their orders’, explains Basalo. He describes his business as an agency in plastic injection-moulding products, for which he combines his knowledge of sales and quality cycles with his background. The entrepreneur grew up in Galicia but has lived in Twente since he was fourteen. He is therefore at home in both worlds and speaks both languages. As an ‘agent’, he intends to bridge the gap between the Dutch market and two specific companies in Spain and Portugal. ‘These are state-of-the-art companies, so they guarantee higher quality than low-wage countries and a lower outlay than they would be charged for the same product in North Europe’, he continues.

‘If you are being followed, you cannot overtake the person following you. You can’t go faster, and those that can’t keep up soon disappear from view. The system disheartens talented students and frustrates slower students, who have to wait until their programme restarts for a second attempt. Teachers and study advisors are faced with extra work trying to get the slower students back into the monitoring system. The curriculum navigation system doesn’t follow the students; it guides them. The biggest advantage is that students don’t have to wait anymore.’

This is also important at a time when more is expected of education. ‘Take the introduction of inclusive education in primary schools, the hope of reducing school drop-out rates or the ambition to raise the educational level in the Netherlands. The curriculum navigation system could play an important role in all these aspects.’

She came up with the idea while heading various projects exploring connections between curriculum, I’I’, quality assurance, policy and the practice of teaching at Saxion University of Applied Science. She saw the true potential of digital education. ‘Using a Launching Customer, at VentureLab I studied how students are informed digitally about the range of training courses and how they experience it. VentureLab is a prolific learning environment, offering countless opportunities. You learn to concentrate and focus so that you can turn ideas into products.’

www.leerplannavigatie.nl

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Curriculum navigation system for education

Institutes of education could be of much more help to students who get behind, drop out or want to accelerate their programme. The curriculum navigation system designed by education specialist Susan Gengler gives them a tool that would reduce drop-out rates and bring about huge savings. ‘Take higher vocational education, for example. 45% of all students that start on a programme never actually graduate. This is hugely expensive, both for them and for the institute. And it could be avoided.’

‘It’s brand new’, stresses Gengler. She describes her curriculum navigation system as ‘an innovation on the current study progress system, also known as ‘leerlingvolgsysteem’ or ‘studieplanningsysteem’. These are systems that follow students on their path through the education programme.’ The active (or pro-active) approach of the curriculum navigation system makes it different, as it focuses on the curriculum and managing learning processes.

But the idea had well and truly taken root. Contacts with various companies, including some via VentureLab, resulted in a request to compile a portfolio. ‘I predict intuitive systems in which speech also plays an important part. I know that education is slow to change, but we mustn’t lose touch with our students.’

So his next step was to contact publishers of school books which, as he knows, all struggle with business and revenue models. ‘Some students don’t want the entire book; they just need Chapter 2. If you download music, you choose the songs you want. Publishers are still a bit wary, but I’m trying to persuade them to try a pilot.’

In the meantime, he is still looking for other ways of linking education and IT. He worked as a consultant on a project at the University of Twente exploring the possibilities of a paper-free programme, whereby readers and other teaching material were only available on an iPad. It used cloud technology, to introduce the students to this too. ‘It didn’t all work out, but we came up with plenty of new ideas and insight.’

This is ultimately the sector he wants to start up in. He thinks that EduDynamics can potentially employ at least three people. ‘I went to VentureLab to see whether I’m enough of an entrepreneur. Affirmative!’

29www.edudynamics.nl

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Learning by watching

André Feenstra, teacher at ROC [Regional Training Centre] in Twente, had a vision. A digital platform with thousands of instruction films for students of various levels of vocational and higher education. ‘This generation doesn’t read; it watches. Education must tune into this.’ His first attempt at implementing the concept fell flat. But his latest venture, EduDynamics, has taken a different course. One in which watching and IT have been given a major role in the learning process.

He cites the example of long division. ‘Lots of students can’t do maths on paper. If you give them a sum, they panic. So we should make it visual; show them a film. YouTube is the search engine for young people. Why not use this for teaching?’ Feenstra now knows that his original plan was not feasible. There was no revenue model; young people simply don’t pay to watch films on YouTube.

i-Health is based on traditional Chinese medicine. ‘The Chinese see people as an entity’, he explains. ‘Every symptom has both physical and emotional components. Pain makes you nervous; being nervous exacerbates the pain. Connections can be found between physical symptoms, the activities of the internal organs and thoughts and emotions. According to the Chinese, the human body has 24 regulatory circuits, which can be gauged very accurately. This is what I focus on. A holistic approach, but when I say that, people accuse me of being too vague.’

This annoys Den Boer. ‘I want to prove that i–Health works. Our measurements are made via the body’s meridian network, using thermal imaging. I can’t influence these measurements; it’s anything but vague. I then decide on a course of treatment using small electric shocks, magnetic fields and light to boost the body’s self-healing mechanism. We monitor the extent to which this occurs. It may not be conventional medicine, but it’s still medicine. Innovation always begins with someone looking at things from a different angle.’

He claims that the results can be seen every day in the practices of hundreds of his clients. Countless physical and emotional problems are already being treated. Researchers from Wageningen University and in Switzerland are also coming round to his way of thinking, which is why Den Boer is keen to cooperate with western medicine, preferably through scientific research. ‘I had hoped to find ‘the’ contact here at VentureLab. I didn’t, but I still enjoyed the experience very much and learned a lot. It helped me decide on a new direction: I’m going to concentrate on marketing my simple hard and software modules.’

www.i-health.com

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Medicine with a warm heart

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Remedies for everyone, without the dreaded side-effects. This is how Mauk den Boer, managing director and founder of i-Health, describes his ambition. ‘Helping people with a warm heart’, he says. He has developed a new vision on health and remedies based on Chinese medicine and acupuncture. ‘I can turn any PC into a therapy centre.’

Den Boer is on the verge of expanding his company. He recently recruited retailers in Germany. ‘The telephone didn’t stop ringing. Representatives from large medical companies who all saw great opportunities.’ His product consists of treatment modules, measuring instruments and equipment that patients can connect to their own PC to continue the treatment.

She goes on to explain the link between certain conditions and disturbances in the energy in the organs. Skin problems and a poor immune system, for instance, can be symptoms of an imbalance in the lungs. ‘Once you know that, there’s a lot you can do.’ Problems like allergies also respond well to this type of treatment. ‘Much better than pills or an ointment’, in Schmitz’s opinion. ‘I’m currently treating a girl who is allergic to dogs but is desperate to own one. She’s nearly cured. Allergies are one of our biggest success stories, as are eczema and Lyme. And problems arising from stress and burn-out.’

It was these last two categories that put her on the trail of the business world. ‘I’d be happy to scan departments with high rates of absenteeism. People who become unfit for work are often trying to cope with an excessive workload or working in a bad environment. The opportunities are endless. I can’t wait to show how valuable the system can be by sorting out problems before they lead to absenteeism. I am absolutely convinced.’

She can see possibilities for expansion here. ‘I’m keen to take on the challenge, but I want to expand in a sensible way. That’s what brought me to VentureLab. The coach helped me to write a business plan. Now I want to prove that it will work, and that we can use the system to help a lot of people.’

www.praktijkschmitz.nl

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i-Health: what your body needs

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Liesbeth Schmitz explains the possibilities of i-Health meridian therapy with great enthusiasm. Testing your body’s energy paths (meridians) gives immediate insight into why symptoms develop. This makes the step towards natural and successful treatment a very small one. ‘You can achieve so much and tackle the root of a great many problems’, is her experience. She even thinks that businesses would benefit.

‘It’s a fantastic system. We test the energy flow in the body and organs using a gauge pen. It doesn’t hurt and within half-an-hour we can produce a graph of what your body needs. We then find the natural remedies that will help your body to recuperate. The results often far exceed expectation’, says Schmitz enthusiastically. ‘Obviously I can’t guarantee that we can solve every case, but I’m not afraid to promise improvement and relief.’

The information requirement obviously varies per business. ‘Our first job is to compile an analysis of what the entrepreneur considers important. Then we set up the filters so that he has a well-organized platform showing all the subjects he has selected. Per item, he can see the latest news and all the comments in the social media about his company. It’s like newspaper cuttings, but digital and personalized.’

But Gigengack expects even greater things. InFoCo is currently working on an even smarter filter system. ‘This is so intelligent; it will give the internet (and our company) new impetus and take the market by storm.’ Gigengack is currently a sole trader, but he works closely with two other self-employed partners, both of whom are programmers. He thinks that his system will eventually create a large number of jobs. ‘And I intend to set up a talent business. We want to invest part of InFoCo’s profits in other companies with the courage to think outside the box, and join them in developing promising new concepts. This will go some way to fulfilling my ideal that everyone in the world should be given the same opportunities. It will be a kind of VentureLab.’

He says this with respect. ‘I’ve learned here that some things take time. The business isn’t developing as fast as I am. I’m particularly impressed by the atmosphere here: everyone is passionate, ambitious and thinks along. No-one would dream of stealing anyone else’s ideas.’

35www.infoco.nl

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Entrepreneurs need a lot of information. Information about market and branch developments, ratings for their product, the position of the competition and much, much more. Internet is a godsend, but InFoCo goes even further by providing an up-to-the-minute platform featuring all the information relevant to any specific company. Founder Rogier Gigengack: ‘Our smart filter systems turn the world-wide web into a personal web. We are capitalizing on the innate potential of the internet.’

At InFoCo, ‘Information For Companies’, everything revolves around what an entrepreneur needs to know to make a success of his/her business. From details of his accountant to bloggers’ comments about his product. And everything in between. ‘It’s customized digital information, which keeps you informed and enables you to make the right strategic decisions at all times.’

Smart filters for relevant entrepreneurial information

This put him on the trail of a new initiative. ‘The current fast pace means that people don’t get enough time to learn. We’re going to use e-training to supplement our courses. A digital platform allows you to repeat the training in the form of interactive films. You have to make choices at various junctures in these films. You can only proceed if you choose correctly. We’re meeting a demand from the market.’

The aim of the CD about hospitality in the healthcare sector (due out this summer) is the same. ‘We are building a bridge to self-leadership: it’s all about taking and developing a sense of responsibility. We link this to the leadership skills displayed by managers and the Ubuntu philosophy: ‘I am because we are.’ We need each other to grow and thrive.’ Rekers came into contact with this philosophy via Mandla Mandela, the grandson of Nelson Mandela. ‘People are moved to the extent that they permanently change their behaviour.’

4Human is also working on this theme. ‘We want to help people excel by excelling ourselves. Practise what you preach. It enables us to serve our customers and clients as best we can.’ Participating in VentureLab is in line with this ambition. ‘I came for the training and the network. And for the coach, who made me take a closer look at my ambitions and asked me critical questions. This helped me to tighten up our strategy for 2014 and further into the future.’

www.4human.nl

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E-training to enhance humanity & self-leadership

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‘We intend to employ fifteen people by 2014. What’s more, we hope that by then, our easy-access programmes and long-term projects will be serving an international market.’ Frank Rekers, founder and managing director of training, coaching and advice consultancy 4Human has set out his course. The aim: the growth of his consultancy must also lead to enhanced humanity and self-leadership.

‘I want to help people master self-leadership, so that they can fulfil their potential and thrive both at home and at work. People often block their own development. I want them to let their energy flow’, explains Rekers. He and his staff of six help people to realize personal development, personal growth, self-leadership, energy management and hospitality. ‘We are experts in guest perception concepts in the healthcare system; we train nurses throughout the Netherlands to treat patients and visitors like guests.’

Dus Verbindt allows employers the chance to present themselves more fully. ‘They can show all the vacancies they have on offer, what they require, opportunities for a work placement and so on. They show their human side’, Nieuwenhuis explains. But virtually anything is possible: ‘Do you want to see all the reactions or would you like us to screen them first? And you can trace any information you want, including the top three candidates from previous appointment procedures so you can approach a suitable candidate the next time you have a vacancy. Or you can compile an exit profile to help other employers.’ And more facilities will be added in the future; for finding the right independent worker without employees, for example. ‘We are offering to remove all the worry and optimize job mobility.’

Nieuwenhuis aspires to serve the entire north-east of the Netherlands with Dus Verbindt. ‘The triangle between Hengelo, Zwolle and Arnhem. I don’t know if we’ll actually open branches there. We can already do a lot digitally; we use LinkedIn and Skype. We certainly won’t become a job agency with a branch in every town. We’re going to be different.’

Nieuwenhuis let VentureLab inspire him with his business concept. ‘The personal coach provides great support and sharpens your wits. And every day, you meet new people with new insight.’

www.dusverbindt.nl

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Transparent matching for the technical job market

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An intermediary for technical vacancies, which takes things a step further by establishing transparent connections and providing an above-average service. This is what Mark Nieuwenhuis, founder of Dus Verbindt, is aiming for: ‘I want to offer more than just the regular service; I aim to find the right employee for my customers, and the right job for employees. With savings for employers as one of the main spin-offs.’

‘Here in the Netherlands, we have lots of highly qualified technical staff, but an unprofessional matching system. It’s a pity, because when a person is not in the best job for him (or her), he will not fulfil his productive potential. This is where I come in; I aim to get the best out of my clients, as well as the job-seeker.’ Dus Verbindt uses advanced digital technology to update its information consistently. ‘My aim is to create the optimum combination of a transparent technical job vacancy department and a service-based intermediary. This means just one contact person for all job mobility.’

‘Two Austrian research grants enabled us to develop our technology. Our research led to various job portals for several different niche markets, including in the medical and technical sectors. Again and again, they have successfully generated exact matches between CV and demand’, continues Furtmüller. Using the expertise acquired from these projects, Epiqo is now working on a next generation portal. ‘We’re developing the technology in Austria before we start looking for partners here. That will probably be in late 2012, early 2013. We have nearly reached the point of being able to present a working prototype.’

He does not intend to set up a Dutch branch of Epiqo. ‘I would prefer close collaboration with local partners that have knowledge of human resources and social media. They understand the market and know what customers want. We would still own the technology, but our partners would be able to use it in exchange for a share of the turnover. We’d originally thought about selling the technology, but we’ve decided to continue expanding it ourselves.’

VentureLab was partly responsible for this last piece of wisdom. ‘The programme has proved its worth simply by providing such a huge network of potential partners. But it’s also taught me a lot more. I used to focus on the technology, whereas now I want to learn more about strategy and marketing. This will help with our expansion plans.’

www.epiquo.com

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Next generation job portals for theNetherlands

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Austrian entrepreneur Klaus Furtmüller has come to the Netherlands looking for new markets. His company, called Epiqo and based in Vienna, designs specialized job portals for niche markets. A new generation is about to hit the market, making this the ideal time to roll out the technology here. He wants to do this with local partners, whereby the primary focus is on job mediation for welders.

To Furtmüller, welders form a very interesting niche market. The list of welding techniques is infinite, making it difficult for companies to find precisely the man or woman they are looking for. ‘This is true in Austria, but equally true in the Netherlands, where there are many more welders and job mediation is already an accepted medium,’ is his explanation for his interest. Furthermore, he is convinced that he has something new to offer.

www.rrmaritimeengineering.com

ISIS is a very special system, says Ratering: ‘Suppliers of large ship engines have something similar, but only for their own product. What makes ISIS unique is the independent character of its hardware and our specific ship-building knowledge. The readings are shown on a convenient interface, which you can consult from wherever you happen to be. Historic data review is another distinctive aspect. The ability to compare the performances of several ships in a benchmark is yet another special feature, which allows you to apply insight into the effect of measures taken on one ship to another ship.’

In his experience, the market is ready for this innovation. More and more ship-owners are monitoring their ships from a distance. ‘We like to think outside the box. Innovation is vital in our sector. We’re already pondering the next step: at present, it’s just monitoring. But why not total control? Why do you need people onboard?’

And the market is vast. Tens of thousands of maritime ships sail across the global seas, and several thousand of them are sailing for Dutch and Northern German ship-owners. ‘We can make ISIS to scale. It doesn’t matter whether you monitor three ships or forty. This is partly thanks to VentureLab. I was looking for a coach, a sparring partner who wouldn’t be afraid to give me some serious criticism. He pointed out that we shouldn’t try to make ISIS too client-specific. We were happy to take his advice onboard!’

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Intelligent remote monitoring for ships

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The full name is ISIS: Intelligent Ship Information System. It enables ship-owners to read the Key Performance Indicators 24/7 and in real time, wherever their ships are sailing. The up-to-date information they collect can be used to take corrective measures that will prevent problems such as engines over-heating. ‘It allows you to enhance the performance of your ships. In principle, ISIS can monitor any system’ explains managing director René Ratering from RR Maritime Engineering.

The main advantage of ISIS is the fact that all relevant data is directly available. Sensors on the ships record the readings and send them to servers on shore. Ship-owners can view the performance analyses on their monitors and instruct the crew to take measures where necessary. ‘Like restricting fuel consumption, for instance, or checking certain parts of the system’, continues Ratering.

Contact VentureLab Twente

Please visit our website for more information, news and upcoming events.www.venturelabtwente.com

Visiting addressYou are welcome to meet us in person in the middle of an entrepreneurial ecosystem.The Corridor Hengelosestraat 525-5277521 AG ENSCHEDEThe Netherlands

Correspondence addressWe look forward to hearing from you.NIKOS / University of TwentePO Box 2177500 AE ENSCHEDEThe Netherlands

You may also contact us by e-mail at: info@venturelabtwente.com.

Personal contactIf you prefer to address your communication to a specific individual, please contact one of the following staff members.

Dr. R. (Rob) van LambalgenProgramme DirectorT +31 (0) 53 4836 883M +31 (0) 6 1302 5103 E r.vanlambalgen@utwente.nl Ir. J.J. (Jaap) van TilburgProgramme ManagerT +31 (0) 53 4836 878 / 4896 989 M +31 (0) 6 2224 6069E j.j.vantilburg@utwente.nl 45

Disclaimer

Publisher - VentureLab TwenteExecutive Editor - Annemarie RidderPublication - March 2012, Enschede, The NetherlandsCopies - 1000

Interviews and text - Hans Morssinkhof PublicityConcept and design - NexusPhotography - Gijs van Ouwerkerk (except for p. 2, 30, 31, 42, 43)Print - Drukkerij te Sligte

With thanks toCore team VentureLab TwenteAard Groen, Annemarie Ridder, Basil Englis, Edith van Eijk, Ellen Donkers, Heike Spenkelink, Hèla Klaczynski, Jaap van Tilburg, Jeroen Kraaijenbrink, Joris Heuven, Linda de Kleijn-Colleije, Luuk Meijerink, Mariska Roersen, Rainer Harms, Paula Englis, Raymond Loohuis, Renske Stroet, Rik van Reekum, Rob van Lambalgen, Roel Pieper, Ruud Koopman, Sandor Löwik, Shaker Zahra, Steven Walsh and Theodor van der Velde.

Coaches involved with the entrepreneurs presented in this volumeRuud Koopman, Alwin Oude Lansink, Willem Poterman, Hette Elgersma, Marc Leeuw, Jann van Benthem, Raoul Timmerman, Gerard Zonnebeld, Jaap Beernink and Gilles Meijer.

Colophon

44This publication was produced in order to highlight the innovative developments in VentureLab Twente and to convey general information regarding entrepreneurship. Although this volume was prepared with the greatest of care, no responsibility can be accepted for inaccuracies. It is also important to remember that both law and practice are subject to continual change.© VentureLab Twente. This publication is protected by copyright. VentureLab Twente has no objection to the reproduction of this material, but it asserts the right to be recognized as author of the original material contained therein, along with the right to demand that these materials remain unaltered.

VentureLab Twente is part of the Innovation Route Twente and is co-financed by the European Fund for Regional Development, the provinces of Overijssel and Gelderland and the Twente region. Here we invest in your future.

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