Amsterdam taps startup community for urban development

The municipality of Amsterdam has launched a new program in which young entrepreneurs and startup companies are invited to work with the municipality to find solutions to urban issues in the fields of mobility, sustainability and health.

The municipality announced this in a pres release on Tuesday.

The program is called Startup in Residence and was inspired by a similar project in San Francisco. The test project will run from November 2015 to March 2016.

During this period, the startups will work with the municipality and city on a voluntary basis to come up with creative solutions to urban issues. If the solutions are successful, the municipality can buy them and thus help the startup on its way.

The startups will receive an intensive training program and have professional coaches and mentors available to them. The young entrepreneurs will also have access to work space, content and process guidance and access to the municipality's network.

With this project the municipality hopes to invest in a good startup ecosystem in the capital as well as in national and international talent. Startup companies that want to participate in this project must not be older than three years and must have fewer than 10 employees. More information can be found on this website.