These are the important dates you need to know and block off in your calendar.

• Applications are now open until March 15, 2025.
• The Selection Day will take place in Amsterdam on March 26, 2025
• The program starts on April 24 and runs until June 27.
  • Sessions will be held virtually or in person mostly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. While some sessions might be scheduled in-person and are likely to take place during the day, virtual sessions will most likely take place in the afternoon or evening (based on availability of US-based speakers/experts).
  • There will be a 2-day kick-off program in London on April 24-25.
  • The trip to the USA will take place from June 23-27.
  • After the USA trip, all founders are required to participate in a day of studio recordings for the showcase livestream taking place approx. one week after the studio recordings in/around Amsterdam

We will invite 15-20 teams to Selection Day in Amsterdam, where they will pitch to valuable stakeholders of the ecosystem and receive a lot of insightful feedback. A professional selection committee will make the final selection of ten companies that will join the program. Eventually, 10 companies will be selected to join the program.

A selection committee during our Selection Day consisting of advisors and partners with experience in scaling to the US, investing in startups and building companies will judge the top 15-20 applicants based on their pitches. Each team will receive a lot of valuable feedback from this event. A team can attend the selection day only in person, unfortunately dial-in pitching is not possible.

During Selection Day, you will pitch to our independent Selection Board in Amsterdam. Based on the input and feedback, the Selection Board will select the 10 companies that will join the program.

As long as your decision to go to the US is intentional and strategic, we encourage you to apply! Tech startups should meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Your startup is a tech-first company with an innovative and scalable solution
• Your product is connected to one or more Sustainable Development Goals
• Your startup has reached at least product-market fit in the Netherlands and is ready to scale
• You have a financial runway until at least mid-2026
• You are already planning to expand to the US and/or raise funding in 2025-2026. You may have even taken some steps to make this happen.
• We welcome startups from any vertical to apply for the program.

Still have doubts about whether your business is a fit? Email us.

We’re looking for companies that we can really help. More specifically, digital-first, scalable businesses that have proven they have a market for their solution. All technologies and industries are welcome to apply. As long as you’re a founder and are planning to expand to the US, while also keen to work on perfecting your strategy to expand successfully with an amazing team of experts – you should apply!

The program is designed for founders. Throughout the program, we ask that one founder be fully committed and present as the main participant. They will attend all sessions, travel to the US at the end of the program, and be the main point of contact for our team, their coach and their lead mentor. One other founding team member can join alongside the main participating founder in the program.

The program is sponsored by the Dutch government and committed corporate partners to help Dutch tech pioneers scale in the US. A participation fee of EUR2500 applies to each startup.

You will need to cover your own travel and accommodation costs for 2-day program in London kick-off, and for the 5-day US business trip to Los Angeles and San Francisco. We will provide some guidance on different types of accommodation to suit different budgets, as well as share available partner discount codes and promotions where applicable.

We recommend that you have enough runway to join the program and until you can raise more funding and have a budget internally to invest in your expansion to the US.

As one of the ten companies participating in the program, our goal is to get you ready to expand into the US market. Together, we’ll take stock of your current situation, make a plan of what to focus on, and get it done in time for our trip to the US. The program covers things such as:

1. Introduction to get to know your business and set up a plan of where to focus in the coming weeks to establish US market readiness.
2. Adapting your business and business strategy to the US market: local product-market fit, US-friendly marketing and sales, business model, etc.
3. Preparing your finances and investment plan for the US.
4. Business trip to the US to meet local partners, launch customers, investors, etc. and pitch your launch at The Showcase.

Our goal is for your company to be successful in its growth into the US market. We have the network, resources and time to focus on the individual needs of each company. We want you to succeed by giving you access to knowledge and learnings from the ones that came before you to truly accelerate your US market expansion.

The government recognizes that startups are a driving force of the Dutch economy.

Over the last three years, startups in the Netherlands have been responsible for the creation of 250.000. Scaling up your Dutch company abroad will also grow your home base in The Netherlands, which we love to see! 

That’s why our goal is to help you grow your business abroad, and help you reach your full unicorn potential.

Apply now!

You are invited to join the ScaleNL Ecosystem! Here’s the application form.