The Netherlands is looking for Indian start-ups in the fields of ports, logistics, clean tech and medical science to scale up and contribute to its thriving port and port-related sectors as well as to the medical industry.
“Besides ports and logistics, medical industry is big in Rotterdam. We are looking for Indian start-ups, mainly second-stage start-ups working in these fields to set up base. We provide the necessary ecosystem for them to grow,” Maarten Struijvenberg, Vice Mayor, City of Rotterdam said.
The Dutch environment is conducive for start-ups and the country attracts companies from all over the world, he said. In the past year, the growth of start-ups in the Netherlands was 31%.
“We also do pretty well when it comes to venture capital that is injected into the start-up sector. In the Netherlands, universities as well as pension funds are investing substantially in start-ups. The largest Dutch pension funds for civil servants — ABP — has already invested €0.5 billion in total investment stocks in the Dutch start-up sector,” said Guido Tielman, Consul General of the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Mumbai.
‘Sectoral divisions’
He said for Indian start-ups, which would look at establishing themselves in the Netherlands, the country has some sort of regional sectoral division. “Rotterdam would be for port, clean tech, medical technology, food and energy. Eindhoven, which was rated as the smartest region in the world, focusses on high tech, mobility and design. In Amsterdam, start-ups would be looking at sectors like creative industries, the Internet and the sharing economy,” he said.
Netherlands is also looking at Indian conglomerates to establish base to expand their operations in Europe, especially after Brexit. “We are in discussions with various other India companies to use Rotterdam as their base for Europe and the western world. Many of these firms are seriously considering this, which is partly fuelled by the Brexit.”
About 200 Indian firms have set up operations in the Netherlands, the sixth-largest FDI investor in India.
Meanwhile, the Port of Rotterdam, Europe’s biggest port, is engaged with Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) to develop a master plan & strategic plan for all of its 43 ports in Gujarat.
“Phase 1 of the GMB PoRInt (Port of Rotterdam International department) engagement is approved, and it will focus on master planning and building a strategic plan for all of the 43 ports under GMB,” Mr. Tielman said.
The study entails plans to keep the broader port sector competitive for GMB. Therefore, port rationalization, last mile connectivity as well as forming industrial clusters would be explored. In phase 2, the organizations would look at capacity building. Netherlands is also likely to lend its support for the establishment of a Maritime University in Gujarat.
