Is Scalehub’s first post-startup academy an incubator in disguise?

You might have heard of StartHub; an Amsterdam-based co-working space that also offers basic toolkits to starting entrepreneurs to help them start their company. Together with investment company Browncow, StartHub is now lauching ScaleHub: a post-startup institute where advanced startups and scale-ups can grow their business even further.

Toolkit

Back in 2015, co-working space Starthub opened their doors to the public on the Overtoom. For a relatively low monthly fee, they offered entrepreneurs a place to work and a basic toolkit consisting of an accountant, legal advice and a website. It was specifically tailored for people who were just starting out, sometimes with nothing more than a good idea and a good dose of enthusiasm.

A place to grow

According to StartHub co-founder Thom van Wijk, launching ScaleHub seemed like the next logical step. “Our first location is a place for people to start, our second location is a place for people to grow. At ScaleHub we offer advanced startups and scale-ups a great place to work, funding (ranging from 200.000 to a million euro’s) and an extensive one year training program by ex-CEO’s (Rabobank, Heineken, and Unilever) and successful entrepreneurs.” The training program is aimed to help startups and scale-ups with typical hurdles and issues in this critical phase: creating a successful proposition, as well as finding the right staff and dealing with other financial, strategic and legal issues.

Browncow

ScaleHub is based right near the Amstel station and is officially opened as per the 1st of November. The financing comes from a big list of angels, venture capitalists and Rabobank bank through investment company BrownCow. Van Wijk: “Many post startups are looking for investments between 200.000 and one million euro’s to enlarge their track record so they can claim a Series A investment round, or to simply get their business more healthy. But those amounts are typically too big for friends, their direct network or angels, and too little for typical VC’s. With the help of funding through Browncow, we can bridge this gap.”

“We’re not a co-working space or a typical incubator or accelerator program,” Van Wijk explains. “We’re a combination of all three, which we call a post-startup academy. A place where startups learn that sometimes you need to stand still in order to accelerate.”