Amsterdam startup College Club brings lecture series to NYC

Amsterdam startup College Club is heading to New York City. The company, which focuses on continuous learning by hosting lectures given by a wide range of professionals about a wide range of topics, will be giving its first lecture in the American city next month, the company announced in a press statement.

The first United States lecture will be done in partnership with Google. Former American undersecretary and top theoretical physicist Dr. Steven Koonin will give the first lecture titled Smart Cities. Kooninwas in the first administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, and is now a professor at New York University. The second lecture, in May, will be include a behind-the-scenes look into auction house Christie's, with a lecture titled Christie's - The Bigger Picture.

College Club received early support for their New York tour from Facebook, Heineken and Unilever, in addition to Google and Christie's. "I had 'zero' connections in New York, but after visiting three times I managed to get Google and Christie's on board. Then it was easier to get the others to join," said Frederique Lips, the 36-year-old founder of College Club. The topics of the lectures in New York will be more tailored to the American market, Lips told the NL Times.

Lips, a former attorney, launched College Club in Amsterdam about five years ago to fill a growing demand with young professionals actively seeking to learn more outside of classrooms. The startup currently hosts about 55 lectures a year in Amsterdam and Rotterdam with subject matter including cyber security, the Chinese economy, happiness, architecture, gaming and the philosophy of Nietzsche.

"Lifelong learning goes hand in hand with the fact that more and more people make at least one career switch during their lifetime", the company said in a statement. "To be prepared for this, it is getting crucial for everyone to gain knowledge and know-how from other professional fields."