Caution in an era of superlatives.
August is here and after a record breaking first half we can all step back, contemplate and reload. 2018 so far was certainly a banner year for Venture IQ. We doubled our revenues; grew the team; expanded our client base; further developed …
Our favorite mobile startups from the Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2018
Last week we visited Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai 2018. Wow! As you know, a mobile phone plays an invaluable part of daily life and connects two-thirds or the worlds population. As of 2017, there are around 735 million mobile internet users …
Six steps to technology scouting
We eat, sleep and repeat technology scouting. For those who are also responsible for technology scouting and want to improve their technology scouting results, we have compiled an overview of our six steps and best practices in technology scouting. To us, technology …
Top-5 concrete companies we love
The construction industry is known as quite an inefficient one. The perfect opportunity for start-ups to bring some innovation to this traditional industry. Here we share our top-5 companies that are impacting the construction industry with innovative concrete. Basilisk Concrete If you …
Our Top-5 food and agri startups from F&A Next
We go to many conferences, F&A Next is definitely one of our favourites. Maybe because it’s organised by our alma mater, maybe because we are just very much into food & agri. Anyway, we wouldn’t let you miss out on our top-5 food & …
Feeding ourselves and our social media cats
I hear people being concerned about feeding the 10 billion world population in 2050 all the time. However, I’m also concerned about all the 8.6 billion in 2030 as I’m pretty sure that if we can’t feed them, we don’t have to …
Six impressive CRISPR application areas and cool startups to match them
If biotech interests you, you must already know about CRISPR, the cutting edge gene editing technology that was developed a couple of years ago, by Jennifer Doudna. Also to us, CRISPR, or actually everything related to genome editing tools, is amongst the …
Don’t be afraid to reject if you want to be successful in technology scouting
A couple of technology scouts (investors and R&D managers) confessed to me that they often feel reluctant to reject companies. Their inability to reject was either driven by fear of ‘just not getting it yet’ or an emotional attachment to a target …
How to Ace Technology Scouting
Let’s say you are working at the innovation, R&D or corporate venturing department of your company and your job is to find the most promising innovative companies in the world. How to find the company that impresses the hell out of you and… maybe far more important to …
The state of energy innovation in China
China’s energy market is opening up, because of the reform of the electricity market, driven by the government in since 2015. Up until then, the market was dominated by two major state-owned energy companies. Now, new energy focused start-ups are coming up …
Friday afternoon break – Our top-5 companies that bring a smile to your face
We all know this not so sweet 3PM hour on the Friday afternoon. The weekend is very near but you still have a couple hours to go to push out the work you really need done by the end of the week. …
When you can eat your passion: food meets biotech
Can you imagine tech that goes beyond Facebook, Google, your iPhone and even Tesla? Ever considered biology? After reading this article your new drone seems to be low tech and your noise cancelling headphones, not so cool anymore. We’re talking about foods …
Cognitive illusions and falling in love; moving beyond your gut feeling in tech scouting
I’m in love, head over heels, I don’t need to look any further, I want it! This machine learning, profit generating growth machine has caught my eye last week, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I want to invest, I want …
(Technology) Scouting at Easter
Easter in Amsterdam has passed again (unfortunately). An opportunity to unleash that artist hidden deep within you! That is, if you painted eggs at Easter time with your family. It seems so simple but, competitive as we are, secretly is always quite …
Everyone’s still using Excel
Eco summit Paris 2018, investors, corporates and start-ups, all in a single room, all looking for that spark of magic that could ignite a great future for all. Yet to find that super cool company you have to see, talk and assess …
Scouting the globe for technology’s Messi
by Glenn Bijvoets (Ideation & Venturing at Eneco Smart Energy) and Nienke Benders (Technology Consultant at Venture IQ) Five-time world player of the year Lionel Messi is a graduate of Barcelona’s soccer academy. But he was born and raised on a different …
Racing the Red Dragon
Today marks the first month of my stay in Shanghai. Since I deplaned on February 9th at Pudong International Airport, it has been a wave of new impressions. I could write volumes about the experiences I have gained; let’s focus on the …