Turning Research into Reality  Â
Last Thursday, we hosted the AI-Preneurship Day together with ELLIS Unit Amsterdam and TTT.AI. This event was specifically designed for bachelor, master, and PhD students looking to bridge the gap between their academic research and the start-up world. The afternoon was packed with insightful and actionable advice from those who live and breathe the startup ecosystem.
We opened the day with a brief introduction into the work of the organizers (ELLIS, TTT.AI, and ICAI), emphasizing why we are proud of this joint event and the possibility of future collaborations. Without further ado, we have given the floor to our start-up experts:
- Entrepreneurial foundations – Jorn Eiting van Liempt (ROM InWest) started with an illustrative explanation of his journey, from student to founder. He emphasized that while AI is a powerful tool, successful AI-preneurship starts with a small, focused project that solves a specific problem.
- Strategic roadmaps – Ross Gordon (Venture Academy) followed up with a masterclass on navigating the early-stage “valley of death,” providing students with a strategic roadmap for scaling their ideas beyond the lab.
- The funding landscape – Paul Blank (NWO) provided a vital overview of academic spin-offs, highlighting the various grants and subsidies available to researchers. Erik Boer (REC Impact) challenged the audience to think about valorization and impact, the process of creating societal value, focusing on turning research into a product.
- The investor’s lens – Thomas Hannes (LUMO Labs) gave us a peek behind the curtain of venture capital, explaining what investors look for in AI startups and how to align technical innovation with market demand.
- Success stories – While all the speakers offered valuable insights and personal experiences, Daan Archer (Copyright Delta) and Daan Geijs (Kaiko.ai) provided a relatable “look into the future” for the attendees. These were real examples of how Lab42-based companies are currently successful start-ups, disrupting industries. They gave us the real insight into building and running start-up, with the ups and downs that might come along the way.
From Theory to Practice
Since we already had the attendees and experts all together, we thought the best way to end this afternoon was with 1-1 pitching session followed by networking. We have given the participants the opportunity to take their ideas, combined with the knowledge gained and pitch them to our experts. This will help them get direct, practical and critical input into what it takes to make their “pitch perfect”. Investors are always busy and you need to make every second count!
Like any other event, we asked our attendees some feedback on how they viewed and experienced the event. Participants described the day as a “nice blend between entertaining and informational”. For many, it was their first introduction to the LAB42 community, and we were thrilled to hear so many satisfied students, being glad to have taken part in the AI-Preneruship Day.
We would like to thank all speakers and participants for such a great event! We hope to be able to host joint events like these more often!
Bridging the gap between academic research and the start-up world
