DutchBasecamp, an Amsterdam-based non-profit organisation that helps startups and scale-ups towards international growth, announced that it is going international.
Internationalisation strategy
Talking about the expansion plan exclusively with Silicon Canals, Emilie Verbunt, director of DutchBasecamp says, ”We have developed tools, methodology, and demand-driven programmes that are very successful in the Netherlands.”
She adds, “We see massive growth in the European startup ecosystem and a need for structured international expansion. We get more and more requests from abroad and have already validated our methodology in several foreign contexts as part of other international programmes and projects we are part of (like TechUkraine and the EU-India Innocenter project).”
“Above all, we see enormous opportunities for entrepreneurs to participate in a programme with peers from other European countries. The exchange of experience, knowledge, and local network is something we are really looking forward to. For example, a Dutch and German founder who want to expand to Germany and the Netherlands can benefit so much from each other’s knowledge, network and experience,” says Verbunt.
Globaliser programme
As a part of the strategy, DutchBasecamp is going to open its 12-week Internationalisation Readiness programme “the Globaliser” to European entrepreneurs. Additionally, a new website and branding will be launched this week.
Explaining about the Globaliser programme, Verbunt describes, “Our Globaliser programmes are the perfect tool for any scale-up struggling to structure, plan and prioritise their international expansion. The 12-week programme is filled with plenary sessions with industry experts, experienced founders, coaching, and peer-to-peer learning. We tailor the sessions to the needs of the cohort, which is now specifically focused on European SaaS scale-ups.”
The programme consists of five sessions. They are:
- Introduction: Kick-off
- Phase 1: Market opportunity
- Phase 2: Go-to-market strategy
- Phase 3: Building the business case
- D-Day: Assembling the road map
She continues, “After the programme, participants will have: A structured & validated approach in growing internationally, validated target market(s), a Go-to-Market strategy for the identified market(s), a solid international roadmap for practical guidance on the next steps to take, and significantly increased their relevant international network.”
Besides, they also offer training for key ecosystem players and networks globally. So far, DutchBasecamp has helped 600+ startups and scale-ups that have expanded to over 80 countries globally.
Lessons and experiences from the Dutch market
Among DutchBasecamp’s alumni are scale-ups from different verticals, such as VanderSat, Closure, Pacmed, Orbisk, SmartLockr, SKOON, UbiOps, and In Ovo.
Talking about the key lessons and experiences gained in the Netherlands, and how these would help DutchBasecamp support scaleups from other European countries, Verbunt says, “Since the Netherlands is a small (home) market, Dutch startups and scale-ups have to scale internationally relatively early. With relatively small amounts of resources (time, people, capital), it is essential for Dutch startups to scale lean and mean with a very clear, focused, and validated internationalisation strategy.”
“This has led to us being able to learn very quickly from successes and challenges arising when scaling internationally. We have gathered numerous examples and cases of successful and unsuccessful international expansion strategies, which is something the other European founders can definitely learn and benefit from,” she concludes.
