A number of startups (incubatees and alumni) of the Dutch business incubator of the European Space Agency (ESA BIC Noordwijk) had an invitation to ESA this month. They joined the afternoon session of a C-suite level event organised by the Dutch Sustainable Growth Coalition (DSGC) held at ESA/ESTEC. The ESA BIC startups participated for part of the programme to meet and mingle with the CEOs from multinational companies. One of the event’s key takeaways emphasised the need to collaborate with startups in accelerating transition as so many of them focus on sustainability from the outset.
The DSGC’s main aim is to accelerate the development of sustainable business models through knowledge sharing and collaboration. Furthermore, the organisation often brings together Dutch leaders to facilitate discussion. The most recent such event – entitled “Leadership in transition” – was held in the heart of the Dutch space ecosystem. Located on NL Space Campus, ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) is where space technology and innovations help shape transition. This was an inspiring environment for 60+ CEOs and leaders from knowledge institutions, government and business to put sustainability into focus. Equally important, the programme included a tour of ESA’s robotics labs and startups affiliated with ESA were present.
Leadership in transition
Society is currently facing numerous major transitions and action needs to be taken with priority. There was hardly any discussion required about whether something needs to be done, nor about what needs to be done. Consequently, the “what” and “why” are clear – it is crucial the focus needs to be on the “how” and the role of the leaders in this transition. The discussions led to a number of insights and, as a result, the key takeaways from the meeting covered:
- Nature as a guideline
- Connection and authentic leadership
- Just distribution and climate justice prioritised
- Balance between short- and long-term goals
- Collaboration is crucial
- Narrative of a sustainable future
View the full DSGC key takeaways here and watch the aftermovie here.
Space and transition science experts
The event included two keynote speakers. Dr André Kuipers, ESA astronaut, inspired the audience and his speech was summarised by DSGC in the initial event report as:
“From space, I saw how beautiful our planet is, but as soon as I looked past it, into that black universe, I also realised how insignificant the Earth is, a small blue ball in a hostile universe: cold , empty and with a lot of radiation. We have nowhere else to go and so we must realise that we really have to be very careful with our planet.” Dr André Kuipers, ESA astronaut
In the post-event key takeaways report, the DSGC highlighted the message from the other keynote speaker, founder of transition science Prof. Jan Rotmans:
“It’s not the critic who counts. The credit goes to the man/woman who steps into the arena, who makes mistakes and falls short, but still tries to achieve something…. In times of chaos, companies must become agile and resilient.” Prof. Jan Rotmans, captain of transition
ABOUT DSGC: The Dutch Sustainable Growth Coalition (DSGC) accelerates sustainable development through collaboration since its foundation in 2012. It is a partnership of eight globally operating companies that stimulates the development of sustainable business models in collaboration with stakeholders in society. In this way, the coalition contributes to the realisation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on three transitions: climate, circularity and social equality. dsgc.nl
Key takeaway focusing on collaboration
As the key takeaways report pointed out, sustainable transitions are chain issues and therefore require cooperation from all parties in the chain. In relation to collaboration being crucial, the effectiveness of industry leaders working with startups was highlighted: “Collaboration between large companies and startups is very effective in accelerating transitions, partly because startups often have sustainability in their DNA from the start.”
As such, this event was a great opportunity for a number of ESA BIC startups to join discussions in the afternoon with the business leaders and to make new connections. Niels Eldering, head of Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation in the Commercialisation Services Department at ESA, was pivotal in making the introductions of the startup CEOs with the business leaders. He comments: “ESA BIC startups connected with CEOs of multinationals to find common ground achieving sustainable growth, which is a great starting point for doing business.” Taking part were the current ESA BIC incubatees Agtuall (soon-to-graduate) and Inframent, along with the ESA BIC alumni Carble, ExxFire, Orbital Eye, SkyfloX and smartQare. A number of the entrepreneurs were also interviewed on site by the film crew (watch soon via the SBIC Noordwijk YouTube channel).
Startups often have sustainability in their DNA from the start
Sustainability key for space startups
The Dutch business incubation centre of the European Space Agency (ESA BIC Noordwijk) was the first set up by ESA 20 years ago and now the network has expanded to 30 ESA BICs across Europe. With 20 years powering entrepreneurship, this is a time to look back at the first two decades and look forward to the next 20 years, with sustainability and diversity at the forefront.
“It was fantastic to have the Dutch Sustainable Growth Coalition with us at ESTEC, in Noordwijk, with some 60+ CEOs from multinationals coming together to debate how leadership and new business models can sustain a modern, profitable, social and sustainable planet, “ commented Niels Eldering about the event. “In particular, considering the UN Sustainable Development Goals – clean energy and climate impact (SDGs 7,13), responsible consumption (SDG 12) and production (SDG 10), and maybe even a new consideration, space for all (possibly a future SDG 18?) – are all cornerstones of responsible leadership and entrepreneurship, and are also encouraged by the ESA BIC startup community. In our #20yearsESABIC existence, sustainability has become increasingly one of the most important USPs for many of our startups and we continue to support their role as a change agent for a sustained Earth.”
Click here to view the Dutch government page with information about the SDGs
APPLY TO ESA BIC NOORDWIJK
The Dutch business incubation programme of the European Space Agency, ESA BIC Noordwijk, runs an open call for startups to apply to join as an ESA BIC incubatee and reap the benefit that brings – funding, plus technical and business support – as well as being part of our community at SBIC Noordwijk. In this programme, entrepreneurs work with upstream space tech or space related technologies to create impact on Earth. There are two selection rounds per year; the next deadline to aim for is 16 October 2024. esa-bic.nl
Do you have a business idea that incorporates space data or tech?
Apply to join ESA’s incubation programme by the next selection deadline!
