Polarsteps selected for Techleap.nl Rise, the showcase for future unicorns

Polarsteps has been selected to join the first edition of Techleap.nl Rise. With this ambitious programme, Techleap.nl and top entrepreneurs like Pieter van der Does (Adyen), Ali Niknam (bunq), Steven Schuurman (Elastic), Chris Hall (Bynder), Michiel Muller (Picnic) and Gillian Tans (Booking.com) are helping the most promising scale-ups in the Netherlands to grow faster internationally.  With its all-in-one travel app, Polarsteps helps millions of travelers plan, track and relive their trips in a smart and beautiful way.

As part of the programme, Polarsteps will be put on the international map with corporates, investors and media. Founders are encouraged to learn from each other about the challenges of scaling up a company and receive support from Dutch top entrepreneurs who share their own insights and lessons learned with this batch of promising scale-ups. Every quarter Techleap.nl Rise will select a new group of entrepreneurs. Other scale-ups that are part of this first batch, are: Easee, Floryn, LTO Network, Mapiq, Nico.Lab, Online Payment Platform, Quicargo, Starred en Wizenoze. 

Two unicorns a year, best ecosystem in Europe

The aim of Techleap.nl Rise is to support the emergence and development of world champions in the technology sector, to become less dependent on technological solutions from other countries and to create a climate in which two unicorns per year can 'rise'. By 2023, Techleap.nl Rise intents to have supported 250 promising scale-ups. The insights from the program will be shared to further improve the tech-ecosystem in the Netherlands and to define bottlenecks and solutions for the growth challenges of scale-ups.

Strict selection

The criteria to participate are strict: a scale-up qualifies for the program if they meet the following criteria: currently €10M+ is being raised in a funding round or they are preparing to raise it with their next round; an annual turnover in excess of €1 million; more than 10 FTEs employed; at least 50% annual growth and a clear understanding of the product/service and the market they serve. 

Constantijn van Oranje, Special Envoy Techleap.nl: "With Techleap.nl Rise we want to create more Dutch technology companies that can measure themselves against the best internationally. We have found the best entrepreneurs in the business willing to help our most promising scale-ups with honest hard and constructive feedback. By learning from each other's experiences and connecting them to the right parties, we create an innovative climate in which the tech leaders of tomorrow can rise above themselves.”

Koen Droste, Co-Founder and CEO Polarsteps: "Techleap.nl Rise is important to us because it paves the way for us to the international tech scene: from investors, to media and tech talent. We expect the program to have a real impact on the growth of our company through the connections we can make.” 

Gillian Tans, Chairwomen Booking.com: "The Techleap.nl Rise program allows me to give back the insights of my own scale-up journey with Booking.com to today's most promising companies.”

Read more about the selected scale-ups and the Techleap.nl Rise program here.