Amsterdam-based Techleap.nl, a non-profit organisation focused on scaling scale-ups in the Netherlands, announced on Tuesday that it has appointed two new members to its leadership team.
Maarten Cleeren has been appointed as the new Managing Director, taking over from Maurice van Tilburg, who is set to become the Director of the National Growth Fund after serving four years at Techleap.
Additionally, Hadewych Corstens has been appointed as Commercial Director
In his new position as Managing Director, Cleeren will ensure a culture that aligns with the new goal of privatisation and work towards achieving the new objectives.
He previously held leadership roles at publishers Noordhoff and Elsevier.
“Techleap faces a wonderful challenge in the coming years,” says Cleeren. “The Netherlands can do so much more to help Dutch tech companies grow. That includes attracting funding, finding diverse talent, and creating better policy conditions. We will fully focus on these areas in the coming years.”
Strategic shift for Techleap
This leadership transition marks a new phase for Techleap, where some activities must become self-supporting with assistance from the business community.
Additionally, there will be a strong focus on data as an integral component and an increased emphasis on thematic collaborations and backing deep tech companies.
The Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate has tasked Techleap with privatising its community initiatives by attracting private funding.
To facilitate this transition, Techleap has appointed Hadewych Corstens as Commercial Director.
Corstens is tasked with making the BOLD and Diverse Leaders in Tech components into independent organisations and increasing their value for entrepreneurs (and thus for the Netherlands).
Corstens brings with her a track record of delivering exponential revenue growth and success at online platforms like Marktplaats, eBay, and Gumtree, spanning the Netherlands, Silicon Valley, and Australia.
Prince Constantijn van Oranje will remain active as special envoy, while Myrthe Hooijman will temporarily assume the role of Director of Ecosystem Interventions.
Constantijn van Oranje says, “Maarten’s strong operational and management skills have laid the foundation for this new phase at Techleap. Hadewych will help us establish new partnerships, develop concepts, and build and empower our communities. I look forward to taking on this challenge with them and working with the best tech entrepreneurs and public and private partners to build an even stronger tech ecosystem.”
Techleap: What you need to know
Techleap.nl is a non-profit organisation funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy in the Netherlands. Its primary mission is to support and accelerate the Dutch tech ecosystem.
The organisation achieves this through various programmes and initiatives designed to improve access to financing, markets, and talent for technology companies.
The extension of the Techleap programme until 2026 means it will continue existing programmes with additional emphasis on deep tech and data while automating and expanding its community activities.
