A visit to the NBIA conference in Orlando, Florida last week was a real eye-opener. Going there with the idea that all is great, greater, greatest in America, my expectations were no different for the incubators that one can find there. However, after listening to different presentations and talking with several people I came to the conclusion that we are absolutely not doing bad ourselves!

In America, most incubators focus on square meters instead of programs or services for their client companies. The VentureLab Twente programme leads the trend of assisting their shooting stars in multiple and tailor-made ways, where the community plays a key role. Especially the possibility to join without fixed idea and the intensity of coaching and availability of trainings can be called unique.

Considering the above, VLT participants and staff can be sincerely proud of what we have achieved so far. And we believe that there is much more to come. The conference left us with very valuable contacts to improve our program even more. So as Walt Disney has said: ‘Stop talking and start doing!’