visitreturn.nl

Parcompare raises funding for international expansion of its mobility platform

From River Venture Partners (I am venture partner of RVP)

VisitReturn (Ludolf Stavenga) advised Xinaps in this financing round. From fundraising strategy, documentation, finding investors, negotiations and closing. After this round VisitReturn will remain committed helping Xinaps achieving its ambitious goals!

Software developer for the building design industry Xinaps attracts new investment capital (original article on InnovationQuarter)

From left to right: Frank Schuyer (Xinaps), burgemeester Van Bijsterveldt (gemeente Delft) © Daniel Verkijk

A need for smart analysis of design decisions

Marja van Bijsterveldt, the new mayor of Delft since 2 September, officially announced the investment on Thursday, 8 September. The announcement took place during the annual BBQ event held by the tech incubator YES!Delft, whose incubator programme Xinaps recently joined and where the startup is now based. “Delft excels in the areas of research, knowledge and innovation and plays a prominent role in various technological sectors. This makes me very proud! Organisations like YES!Delft and InnovationQuarter are making a tremendous contribution by supporting companies like Xinaps,” explained Van Bijsterveldt. Buildings must comply with complex regulations regarding accessibility, lighting, facilities and safety, which is why every design choice that an architect makes not only has financial consequences but also impacts compliance with legal requirements. Xinaps is responding to a growing need for tools devised to carry out smart and rapid analyses of key decisions during the design process. Frank Schuyer, CEO of Xinaps says,

With the support of Enabling Technology Fund and InnovationQuarter, we have two partners with whom we can achieve the acceleration this market is asking for. Thanks to their contribution, we can now take our ambitious objectives to the next level.

“We are convinced that their expertise and know-how are contributing to the continued development and professionalisation of Xinaps, an emerging international software company.” From left to right: Pieter Guldemond (YES!Delft), David van Haaster (Rabobank), Geert van Etten (Enabling Technology Fund), Damien van der Bijl (InnovationQuarter), burgemeester Van Bijsterveldt (gemeente Delft), Thijs Schaap (InnovationQuarter), Frank Schuyer (Xinaps), Rinke Zonneveld (InnovationQuarter), Ludolf Stavenga (VisitReturn) © Daniel Verkijk

Complements existing software programmes

Thanks to Xinaps’s software, the impact of design decisions no longer has to be calculated manually using spreadsheets. The consequences are immediately clear during the design process. Not only does this save design professionals a considerable amount of time, but it also prevents mistakes and inaccuracies. The plug-ins that Xinaps develops complement the software that architects use to create Building Information Models (BIMs). BIM software makes it possible to save, use and manage all the relevant information during the entire design and building process in a digital 3-D model of the construction. Francis Quint, Head of InnovationQuarter Capital: “Xinaps offers smart solutions for an industry where digitisation is still in its infancy. Thanks to a combination of Delft-based technology and international ambition, Xinaps is a perfect candidate for InnovationQuarter’s portfolio.” For InnovationQuarter, the investment was made possible by a contribution from the EU’s European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Rabobank Zuid-Holland Midden assisted Xinaps’s CEO with the investment transaction and introduced him to InnovationQuarter. In addition to the capital injection, the bank is providing working capital financing. David van Haaster, Wholesale Account Manager at Rabobank Zuid-Holland Midden, explains, “In our role as financial adviser, we use our network and also look for forms of financing outside Rabobank. Xinaps is a great example which clearly shows that banks are no longer the only source of financing.”

Strong growth in the number of BIM users

Xinaps’s products primarily focus on the BIM software Revit by Autodesk, the international market leader with 70 per cent of BIM users. Worldwide, some 800,000 professionals currently use this software, a number which is expected to grow to two million by the end of 2017. “Xinaps operates in a niche market that is constantly changing and is set to intensify in the coming years,” explains co-investor Geert van Etten from the Enabling Technology Fund. He adds, “Through both direct sales and sales via partners, I expect Xinaps to build a strong customer base within a relatively short period and develop its activities worldwide. This will form a solid foundation for further growth.” Xinaps is a spin-off of Vabi Software, which was founded in 1972 by a group of installation and construction companies, the Dutch government, the research organisation TNO and several technical universities. Frank Schuyer started Xinaps in 2015 through a management buy-out of Vabi. There are currently five plug-ins available, focussing on finance, fire safety, daylighting, accessibility and functional building requirements. The company also develops solutions for corporate clients wanting to make their product catalogue available within Revit’s software, thereby making the design process simpler and smarter.

A lot is happening in the Dutch digital startup world. Great startups are founded, and great startups are funded for growth as well. The Netherlands proudly created Unicorns as Adyen, and high-growth scale-ups such as Catawiki, Travelbird, TakeAway.com, WeTransfer and Shapeways. More and more Dutch VC’s, either corporate or institutional, are becoming active, as well as successful entrepreneurs re-investing exit proceeds back into startups and many other angel investors.

More on River Venture Partners

Great deal in Dutch investment landscape. Wahanda acquires salon booking website Treatwell.

More info:

SiliconCanals

TechCrunch:

“After a $46 million cash injection and a $171 million majority acquisition by Japan’s Recruit Holdings last month, Wahanda, the StyleSeat-esque European salon and beauty booking platform, is continuing with its strategy to scale up its business. It has acquired Treatwell — a competitor in The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany — for $38 million (€34 million).”

Sprout

Post from RRE Ventures:

Post from CBInsights:

 Great list by StartupJuncture 

Great presentation of Shikko Nijland of Innopay. I saw a variation of this presentation at HollandFinTech.

I like the trend of changing check out: from checkout, checkin, check-one to check on/off, and the unbundling of payment and authentication.

Impressive number of players in Digital Identity space.

Great post of Christopher Janz, managing partner of PointNine Capital, on 5 ways to build a 100 million dollar business.

To build a Web company with $100 million in annual revenues*, you essentially need:

• 1,000 enterprise customers paying you $100k+ per year each; or
• 10,000 medium-sized companies paying you $10k+ per year each; or
• 100,000 small businesses paying you $1k+ per year each; or
• 1 million consumers or “prosumers” paying you $100+ per year each (or, in the case of eCommerce businesses, 1M customers generating $100+ in contribution margin** per year each); or
• 10 million active consumers who you monetize at $10+ per year each by selling ads

He added 3 more ways in this post.

On Gibbon experts share their expertise. One of Netherland’s preeminent angels Arthur Kosten shared his knowledge on Startup Metrics.

“Introduction to metrics for startups. How to choose the right metrics to track performance and optimize learning.”

CB Insights constructed an oversight of 118  players in Tech, investors and acquirers. Nice list of VC’s, Corporate Venturing, Angels, Angel groups, Growth/Late Stage funds, Micro VC’s, accelerators and acquirers.

And a link to Periodic Table of Healthcare, Periodic Table of IoT, European Tech and FinTech.

And Periodic table of VC blogs! And of Unicorns.

Ten companies nominated for Deloitte Rising Stars 2014. Technology companies that exist shorter than 5 years, and have a great turnover potential.

10 startups have been selected by Telenet Idealabs, an Antwerp Accelerator

Telenet Idealabs is a vertical accelerator of 4-8 months that boosts tech and media ideas through seed-funding, intensive mentoring, a creative workspace, professional services and leverage of the Telenet network.

In Dutch:

• On Air: wil videobeelden van smartphonegebruikers combineren in een livestream. Zo kunnen geïnteresseerden live alle interessante events volgen die ergens in de wereld plaatsvinden.
• Campr: is een Airbnb voor mensen die graag camperen. De app brengt kampeerders in contact met particulieren die hun tuin of hun domein willen opstellen voor derden.
• Geckometrics: vergeet Google Street View met zijn verouderde beelden, de jongens van Geckometrics willen zelf ontworpen camera’s monteren op de wagens van partners, om zo recente en up-to-date straatpanorama’s te kunnen leveren aan geïnteresseerde partijen.
• Scriptbook: meer dan drie kwart van alle films is verlieslatend. Scriptbook oppert dat het de succesratio gaat kunnen voorspellen met de hulp van een speciaal algoritme, big data en datamining van sectorkennis.
• Apprentus: is een internetplatform dat privéleraars koppelt aan geïnteresseerde studenten. Uiteraard is er een sociaal luikje voorzien waarbij de leraars gequoteerd worden. Intussen zouden al 5.000 leraars ingetekend hebben.
• Hoplr: is een ‘lokaal’ sociaal netwerk, waarop buurtbewoners en handelaars interessante lokale informatie kunnen delen. Geïnteresseerde middenstanders kunnen voor een prijsje ook beacon-technologie inschakelen om buurtbewoners op de hoogte te houden.
• Intuo: kan nog het best omschreven worden als een modern soort van handleiding voor saas-bedrijven en machinebouwers. Zelf spreekt het team van ‘preventieve costumer support’ voor de B2B-markt.
• Dot: is een variant op Twitter die in plaats van tijd locatie neemt als voornaamste differentiator. “Beethoven was born here”, of “coffeeshop on the first floor” werden als voorbeelden bovengehaald. – Salesflare: identificeert leads uit de marketingkanalen van een bedrijf, zoals de e-mail nieuwsbrief, de website of de pagina op sociale media, “zo kunnen verkopers ‘intelligentere’ gesprekken aanknopen met potentiële klanten, en weten ze beter waarin die mensen geïnteresseerd zijn.”
• Pith.li: is de gele markeerstift voor het digitale tijdperk. Dit platform wil het delen van interessante internetcontent comfortabeler. Met behulp van markeringen en annotaties kan je immers meteen de relevante dingen uit een tekst tevoorschijn toveren. Pith.li werkt met kanalen volgens onderwerp, waar gelijkgestemden naar hartenlust kunnen discussiëren.

In the second week of september 8 new startups have been selected by incubator UtrechtInc

In Dutch:

Argu: Online politiek discussieplatform waar argumenten centraal staan. BoxBites: Bezorgt op abonnementsbasis een box vol goede tussendoortjes aan huis of op het werk, om gezond snacken lekker én makkelijk te maken. Cashwijzer: Ontzorgt huishoudens door de overstap van persoonlijke contracten van begin tot eind te regelen. Connectedcare: Faciliteert flexibele samenwerking tussen zorgvragers, mantelzorg en thuiszorg. StuComm: Biedt HBO instellingen de mogelijkheid om hun studenten goed en direct te informeren door middel van de StudentenApp. SwipeGuide: Lost instructieproblemen op door mobiele technologie in te zetten voor het maken en raadplegen van visuele stap-voor-stap instructies. Talqs: Biedt bezoekers op een site met 1 klik de optie om direct te bellen. SolarCloud: Franchise formule en online platform voor installateurs van zonnepanelen om klanten optimaal en efficiënt te kunnen helpen.

Congratulations to 11 startups that have been selected at Startupbootcamp E- & M-commerce! I’m glad that I could help in selecting, good luck to the startups till demoday 23rd of january 2015.

Eccentrade (Netherlands) is the first online information platform designed to provide complete transparencey into overseas suppliers on the clean Tech and high-tech segment.

InSelly (Latvia) is a platform where Instagram users can discover all sales offers from their favorite social network as well as set up their own personal shop in just a few clicks.

Joopp (Netherlands) is the easiest and fastest website builder.

Magnetic.io (Netherlands) is a next-generation, entreprise-level Ecommerce platform that completely rethinks time-to-market, usability and technical complexity.

Printr (Netherlands) is a startup that is building tools to make it possible for anyone to get creative with 3D printers without any technical limitations.

Quiver (Netherlands) brings you Smart Files, which allows you to embed and share your files with features such as GPS, Timebox, Download, Print and Print screen protection.

RelevancyData.com (Israel) adds relevant data to your video content. This unique solution links video content providers, advertisers and users.

Saddl (Netherlands) gets your suits picked up, dry-cleaned and delivered at the time and location of your choice.

STARTMONDAY (Germany) is a mobile and web app where job seekers send a short video to employers instead of just a CV.

Tom Kabinet (Netherlands) is the Ebay of second-hand e-books.

Yippie (Netherlands) helps people shop smarter. We show you where a product is on sale. Seamlessly integrated, completely personalised and instant.

Prime Ventures recently launched a new fund, for 130 million euro, in IT and Tech. Prime invested in TakeAway.com, Mendix and Global Collect.

And also a new Tech fund – Keen Venture Partners, from Robert Verwaayen and Alexander Ribbink, 100 million euro’s to be invested.

Great additions to the Dutch investment landscape!