Do you focus on (one of) the themes healthy and safe food, future farming or bio-circular economy? Would you like to save time, increase the success rate of your business and make yourself visible to investors? Then apply now for the business accelerator BL.INC!

For 12 weeks, experts from the Brightlands startup/scaleup ecosystem will take you on an entrepreneurial journey. You will have a personal mentor and together with like-minded people you will work on your venture. After BL.INC, you will belong to the "UIT-BL.INC-ers" (alumni BL.INC), who meet periodically to share knowledge and network. Based on the idea: alone you go slower, together you go faster and get further.

Eveline Wijnhoven (Business Developer BL.INC at Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo) and Sjaak Berden (Business Developer at LIOF) will tell you all about it.

Sjaak: "With BL.INC we want to support and help innovative companies, which are active around the Brightlands campus in Venlo, in their (further) growth. You often see startups/scale-ups get stuck somewhere in the process or towards the market. This can be on many fronts. For example in team organization, a piece of product development, market validation or not knowing at all where to find funding.'

Eveline: 'We do this with multiple parties. All those organizations you have to deal with as a start-up or innovative entrepreneur are in the program. They share their knowledge, but the biggest win is in saving time. You no longer have to search for the right people yourself. At BL.INC you will find all the parties you need.

In addition, you will work with like-minded people. The beauty of this entrepreneurial journey is that you consciously work on the elements you need to be working on as an organization, but don't always take the time to do so. Moreover, we actively connect with parties in your chain. You can also learn from former participants, who tell their stories and share lessons learned. For example, what they encountered with regard to scalability or investments.'

Eveline: "It's a 12-week entrepreneurial journey. In the broadest sense, we are going to grasp the facets of entrepreneurship. Think among other things of strategic support, such as business model canvas and value proposition, and team development. But also connecting with the right parties: the investment landscape is very large; who can you turn to at what point?"

From the innovative entrepreneur with a new idea to a company that is already a little further along: BL.INC is there for (startup) entrepreneurs who need help finding their way in the big forest of entrepreneurs, investors and partners. Startup incubation programs often have someone standing in front of the class like a teacher. Instead, we have chosen to set up a program where the partners and experts of the ecosystem participate. 

During knowledge sessions and workshops you will work on your business in an active way. Here you can immediately connect with the parties from the ecosystem, because they as the experts bring that knowledge and workshops. Giving substance to the community and the ecosystem in such a tangible way, that is the power of BL.INC. We are not going to tell you what to do, but we connect you directly to the network and the chain that is important to you.'

View the program >

Sjaak: "The program is thematic. Every week there is a recurring theme on the agenda. From intellectual property to what does the funding landscape look like for a startup.'

Eveline: 'But also how to sell yourself (including perfect pitch and marketing), how to set up your business in a good way, how to make sure you are scalable, how to connect with others and how to get people moving. We tap all those elements during the 12-week program. It really is an entrepreneurial journey.'

Eveline: "It is very important that you spend the time you have well. Normally you would have to look for yourself. That takes a lot of time, especially networking. Here you end up in a tube where you find all that. So you also end up being much more efficient. We solve those pain points.'

Sjaak: 'Another important addition: you also learn from other participants, because you often come up against the same challenges. That is really an added value, sharing experiences with like-minded people.'

Eveline: 'You are indeed not alone, you do it together with the whole community. And you stay connected. The moment you leave the incubation program here, we don't let you go.'

For whom?

Sjaak: 'BL.INC is for innovative entrepreneurs who want to start or grow a business in the North Limburg region. Your startup or scaleup must connect to the three themes of the campus: future farming, healthy and safe food or bio-circular economy. Crossovers in the chain, such as (fresh) logistics and (manufacturing) industry can also participate.'

Collaborative partners

BL.INC is organized by North Limburg Region, Rabobank, LIOF and Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo.

Made possible by

Rabobank, LIOF, Bluehub, Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland, Vindsubsidies, Resilience College, EY | Ernst & Young Global Limited and NoBlahBlah.

Open walk-in consultation on campus

An open walk-in consultation hour is held on campus every Thursday between 9:00 a.m. and noon. During the consultation hour, EY, LIOF, RVO and Brightlands are ready to spar with you without any obligation.

Join in!

You will remain permanently connected on campus. In the coming years, the campus will only grow in the areas of healthy and safe food, future farming and bio-circular economy. If you want a front row seat to those developments in the future, you really need to join BL.INC!

When: March 28, 2023 - July 6, 2023 Where: Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo, BL.INC box Time investment:Weekly approximately 6 hours Deadline for registration: March 14, 2023