Expertise, Talent and Funds for Start-ups in East Netherlands

Just imagine you have an innovative idea that could make the world a little bit greener, smarter or better. How would you go about it? The young entrepreneurs of Bondus went to ZWINC with their idea. This proved a place with fertile soil where their innovation could blossom. In the next few years, Windesheim and Oost NL(opens in new tab) will be collaborating to bring expertise, talent and funds together in similar ways to this.

The role of Entrepreneurship at Windesheim

The start-up phase for a company is not easy. That’s why Windesheim supports start-ups in different ways, for instance through ZWINC(opens in new tab). In ZWINC entrepreneurs come together who have the ambition to make the world more sustainable and who are working on knowledge-intensive issues. This means that specific knowledge is required to produce the product. Knowledge that is not easily available. Researchers from the Windesheim UAS research groups are making their knowledge available. They possess expertise in the area of polymers, digitalization, circularity and energy transition. Besides the knowledge and machines, start-ups at ZWINC can make use of the networks of the UAS research groups and thus have easy access to the business community and the professional field. This offer is not exclusively available to Windesheim students who make their way to ZWINC. Start-ups from other cities are also welcome to benefit from what ZWINC can offer them.

Faster Marketing of Innovations

A good example of such a start-up is Bondus, a new company set up by entrepreneurs Bas-Jan Hoogenberg (32) and Sven Eijpe (26). In 2021 these two started in Enschede with an idea they had for a technology to produce medical self tests. Bas-Jan: “We came up with a technology for bonding polymers. And because of the name of this process, we decided to call our company Bondus.” It soon became evident that more knowledge and space was needed to take the next step. They were looking for a place to enhance the applicability and efficiency of the technology. And to scale up production. They found all this at ZWINC and that’s why the two entrepreneurs chose to establish themselves in Zwolle. Their company doesn’t have its own front door, but it will get its own place in the ZWINC building. In practice, this arrangement proves to present no obstacle to the acquisition of new clients. Bas-Jan: “We’ve had clients visiting us who are fine with us producing medical self tests here, even though we are located in a shared hall with other companies and schools. What matters to the client is that it’s a sound technology.”

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Usefulness and Necessity of Funding Start-ups

A year after Bondus established itself at ZWINC, its development is accelerating. In 2023 they receive the Early-Phase Funding Overijssel (through Kennispoort Regio Zwolle & Oost NL). This funding enables them to scale up their production of medical self tests and continue development of their product into a fully-fledged marketable product. They also win two innovation awards, including the Jan Terlouw Innovation Award 2023. It looks like ZWINC is the ideal place for Bondus to move from start-up to scale-up. This is partly thanks to the availability of expertise as well as machines. This makes ZWINC more than just a workplace; it’s a meeting place. Bas-Jan: “At ZWINC we have access to Windesheim experts in the areas of Automation, Computer Vision and Polymer Engineering(opens in new tab). It’s an open-door environment, so it’s easy to talk to one another. For example, we need a one-time test of materials’ bonding strength. The machines required to run this test are prohibitively expensive. It’s great that not only this equipment is available here, but also the researchers who know how to operate it. This makes it possible to test challenges in just a single afternoon.”

The Road to Becoming a Mature Company with Its Own Front Door

The start-up still has frequent contact with Oost NL. Not only for the acquisition of new investors and (potential) clients, but also for internationalization. For Bondus intends to expand its operations significantly in the next five years. The meeting place at ZWINC turns out to offer an additional benefit in this respect. Bas-Jan: “We just hired our first employee (Dennis Admiraal, 24) for three days a week as a design engineer. He started here as a student intern at the beginning of this year. Another student intern at ZWINC advised him to talk to us. Gradually he will be able to work more hours at our company and in his second year he can do his final-project assignment with us.” The road to getting their own front door turns out not to be long. In 2025 Bondus will be moving to a building across the street from ZWINC. Bas-Jan: “We’ll be moving to a new building soon, a big step, but also a much desired upgrade in this phase of our start-up. I’ll be happy when we are a team of 20 with a clear division of tasks and responsibilities, where everyone has their own place and together we make it work like a well-oiled machine.”