More than 70 people expanded their network during N&D in October

Last month we got to host our first real life NL Space Campus Network & Drinks at the Space Business Incubation Centre Noordwijk (SBIC) on campus. We are excited to have received so many people interested to see the four inspiring pitches, meet new people and broaden their network. In total, there were more than 70 people attending and everyone we talked to had met someone new and collected new business cards and ideas. The focus of this monthly networking event is to be inspired and meet new people. As such, it was a great success.

The energy during the event was exciteful and hopeful. Just to name a few represented organisations, there were people from Celestia, Groundstation, Mapture, Telespazio, HDES, SmartQare and Smartfarmsensing, but also people from Innovation Quarter, Leiden University, TU Delft, VSV Leonardo Da Vinci, Airbus, Nova, SRON, InHolland and many more. Our tip beforehand was to meet at least one person you didn’t know yet, and we received feedback from a lot of people that they met even more than one person they didn’t know yet, all from the Space Community.

A lot of our collaborating partners were off to Dubai for the International Astronautical Congress during that week. Therefore, in terms of updates from their side, we offered a fourth entrepreneur the opportunity to tell his story.

We had pitches about downstream, upstream, AI, and even about making spaceflight more sustainable. Well received, inspiring and a boost for their business network. As NL Space Campus it is amazing that we get to offer this platform and the network opportunity to many entrepreneurs, start-ups and organisations in the Dutch Space Community. If you are interested to pitch yourself, you can fill out this form and we will get back to you.

The power of a physical gathering was proven again to us in the October edition and with the current covid measures, we have unfortunately decided to cancel the upcoming Network & Drinks (last Thursday of the month 25 November). We very much like to welcome you again physically starting in January, with inspiring pitches and new contacts and ideas. Register here and stay updated about upcoming events.

Note: The last Thursday in December will not take place due to New Year’s Eve. Instead, we happily wish you a curious and Happy New Year!

About the pitches that were presented this edition:

Nathan Monster from A-Spax: I personally was frustrated by the fact that the more and more capable nano-satellites (Cubesats) could only go to space by ride sharing on rocket launches, what means they have (almost) always delays, resulting in the loss of months valuable data. Also, all current and planned rockets for the nano-satellite market are at best partially reusable, meaning real affordable dedicated launches isn’t going to change any time soon. That’s the reason why I started almost three years ago to think about and planning to start my own rocket company. Not only to provide affordable access to space but also from outer space, so that the innovation space has to offer will finally be available. A low cost per kilogram is nice, but a low cost per launch is better! We will provide affordable dedicated access to and from space by simplicity, fully and rapidly reusable rockets. Enabling the possibilities space has to offer.

Frank de Veld, a MSc Student Space Flight at TU Delft and co-founder of Ecosmic: a consultancy company for increasing sustainability in the space sector. I have been enthusiastic for space for a long time, but I am also wary of the growing impacts the industry has on our environment. This topic of space flight is not much talked about in our studies and in companies, yet is vital in our current age. Considering that space companies and agencies have always been at the forefront of technology development and scientific research, they could be once again trend-setters in finding solutions to the biggest problem of our time: climate change. I would like to help with this via Ecosmic, our initiative to perform objective and quantifiable analyses using the standardised methodology Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for companies in the space industry, in order to identify the environmental hotspots of their operations and improve upon these. I have a wide background in physics, mathematics, aerospace engineering and various related fields. With a young and ambitious mindset, I seek ways to challenge myself, and founding Ecosmic is one of the more recent challenges, although not an easy one. In the past, I have participated to various hackathons and contributed to an inspiring mission called Lunar Zebro, hopefully soon a Moon mission. Now, I have set my eyes on space sustainability. Space is for everyone, and this should stay this way. Via Ecosmic I want to support space operations for a sustainable future, and spreading this idea is vital for our future.

Sander Reuderink from SBIC start-up Carble: started his career aged 13 as a computer programmer; but fell in love with coffee after visiting his in-law’s coffee farm in Jamaica. From 2014 until 2021 Sander was the Commercial Director of a Dutch coffee trading company, supplying Ethiopian coffee to many leading coffee brands worldwide. While working in the coffee sector, Sander noticed the appalling poverty and deforestation in coffee supply-chains and formed the original idea behind Carble: if we allow coffee brands to reward their farmers for protecting the forests in which their coffee is grown, a single investment will achieve both the brand’s climate and poverty-reduction goals. To make this a reality, Sander and his co-founders turned to space data.

Hub Urlings from Sat IoT Lab: With the introduction of more than 12 new satellite networks, the satellite IoT industry is bringing disruptive change to the world providing low cost global IoT connectivity. This is part of a new generation of IoT technology including sensors, micro-processors, connectivity, data analytics and AI that is driving the development of global IoT solutions. A zillion data-points all over the world will provide a better understanding of the world around us. These insights will bring huge benefits to society and help government and public sector organizations to tackle major global challenges like climate change, food production, environmental monitoring, and the realization of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Sat IoT Lab (satiotlab.eu) is dedicated to the development of satellite IoT based global applications in the Government and Public sector. A lot of organizations are not aware of these opportunities, so do this with a combination of consultancy, education, and hands-on projects, supporting customers with our expertise and experience for the development of global IoT applications.