“Legislation and regulations can be a driver of growth, but also a significant cause of delays. Accurate monitoring of political decisions is crucial to respond promptly to (opportunities for) change.”
What does Techleap do, and why is political monitoring important?
Techleap is a pioneer in driving the scaling of tech companies in the Netherlands. We do this by bringing scale-up and deep-tech entrepreneurs together in a community, facilitating their connections, and enabling them to learn from each other to accelerate growth. Additionally, we actively contribute to improving the business climate. Through initiatives like publishing reports such as State of Dutch Tech, sharing knowledge, and collaborating with a wide range of relevant partners, including the government, we emphasize the essential role of a favorable political climate for technological advancement.
“Legislation and regulations are crucial enablers—or barriers—to growth. That’s why comprehensive political monitoring is essential to anticipate (opportunities for) change and to accurately track the sentiment in politics.”
How did Techleap originate, and what is your mission?
Techleap’s origins lie in a clear request from the Dutch government to strengthen the Startup-Delta initiative, launched in 2015 with Neelie Kroes as its leader, as part of the startup policy agenda in the Netherlands. Over time, our mission has evolved from merely putting startups on the map and raising awareness to actively facilitating their growth through entrepreneurial programs, projects with stakeholders, and policy advocacy.
We focus on scale-ups and deep-tech companies, often in earlier stages, addressing their unique needs and challenges for scaling up.
How does political monitoring support your advocacy process?
Political monitoring enables Techleap to track which topics are being discussed that are relevant to the future of tech in the Netherlands, such as employee participation. It also allows us to check if our interests are being recognized in parliamentary questions and related matters.
“Political monitoring keeps us informed about political issues and decision-making processes that impact the growth of the tech sector in the Netherlands.”
What topics are currently important to you?
Techleap’s broader focus is on improving the business and growth climate for tech companies in the Netherlands.
“Specifically, we concentrate on regulation, talent, and capital. These three pillars have the most significant impact on the sector’s growth.”
- Regulation indicates how a country facilitates innovation development and scaling.
- Talent involves nurturing domestic talent through education and attracting and retaining international talent.
- Capital ensures that funding is available across all stages of the founder journey.
In general, striving for an open economy is essential. A “Netherlands first” stance poses a significant risk to the tech sector.
How does Polpo specifically help you track these political themes?
As a small team, we don’t have the capacity to monitor everything accurately ourselves. Not actively tracking politics would pose a significant risk because we’d inherently be too late and have less influence.
Polpo’s communication style aligns perfectly with tech companies in the sector, making it an excellent fit for our needs. This alignment is also what makes Polpo unique.