The Dutch 4TU Tech Startups Podcast

The highlight of the year for 4TU startups? The 4TU Impact Challenge, of course! 

The 4TU Impact Challenge is a national competition where top student startups and teams from the four Dutch technical universities compete to showcase their innovative solutions to societal challenges. Each university selects its best teams through a local preliminary round.

In this episode, you hear the pitches of the eight finalists of the 2026 edition during the Grand Finale at FUSE Enschede. In order: Veetality, Revost, Anatra Energy, The Hydro-Guard Initiative, Synapse Atomic Accelerators, ProteoT, Hydra Peck, and Sabratha.

Congratulations to Anatra Energy and Sabratha! 

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We can't predict the future, but we can help shape it. During Hello Tomorrow, we captured the vibe and talked to people about the state of Dutch Deep Tech. 

Hear the voices that define tomorrow. All in one room and in one episode. With contributions from:

• Rob Jetten - prime minister of The Netherlands
• Lorenzo Gesso - founder Lina Labs
• Tjark Tjin-a-Tsoi - CEO of TNO
• Edwin de Steenhuijsen Piters - CEO of Temporal Photonics
• Building a Truly European Path to Scale
  • Ekaterina Zaharieva - EU commissioner for startups, research and innovation
  • Herman Bril - Executive director investments Pensioenfonds ABP
  • Enrique Lizaso Olmos - CEO Multiverse Computing
  • Constantijn van Oranje - Special Envoy Techleap
• Peter Wennink - Formerly ASML

Don't forget to rate this episode on whatever platform you listen this to, and share it with someone who might enjoy it too.

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Who are the deep tech spin-offs joining Hello Tomorrow? In this episode, you'll hear the story of two founders - on the spot, in between meetings that help them achieve their goals. From quantum security to diagnostics through sweat, these are the spin-offs taking knowledge into society.

With:
Ingrid Romijn, CEO & co-founder of Q*Bird (TU Delft, pictured)
Timon Grob, CEO & co-founder DXcrete (TU/e)
Emma Moonen, CTO & co-founder DXcrete

Music during the episode by https://www.bensound.com/free-music-for-videos
License code: YHUF7QGXHOX2XPDP
Artist: Benjamin Tissot

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On the day before Hello Tomorrow 2026, the Dutch delegation gathers to kick-off the mission on home turf. During the Orange Welcome Drinks, Vera talks to startups about what they want to get out of Hello Tomorrow and speaks with figureheads about the importance of summits like these.

With:
Kees Franken (Sabratha, UT)
Constantijn van Oranje (Techleap)
Shahriar Mirpour (Gelion Care, TU/e)
Renato Calzone (TU/e)
Eric van der Toorn (Hologenomix, TU Delft)
Sven Degener (bosoniq)

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It's been rather quiet here... And there's a reason for that. And no: this podcast is not dead. More to come! 

Sweaty palms, quivering voice... Pitching isn't always easy. So how do you go about it - especially when there's €10K at stake?

Bekk Blando (Thoughtful Oasis, UT), Anne Vortkamp (CARAPAX), and Shahriar Mirpour (Gelion Care, TU/e) were among the lucky teams selected to pitch in the 10K Pitch Competition. The day after they delivered their pitch for the judges - and right before the start of Enschede Slush'D 2025 - we talked about their experience and what they did to nail their pitch. 

After the recording, Shahriar and his team of Gelion Care took home the win. 

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What’s it like to participate in a student challenge? How does it work? And how does it feel to pitch your idea in front of a live audience and a panel of judges? Three student teams from different universities talk about their experiences with the 4TU Impact Challenge. 

Wouter van Amelsvoort (SimplyPill, UT), Jolke Beijnvoort (Vindi Biosystems, TU Delft), and Daniel Panigori Simanjuntak (Sea2Skin, WUR) share their experience with the 2025 edition of the 4TU Impact Challenge, right after they left the stage for the audience pitches. A few hours after recording the podcast, Jolke and his team won the jury award, and Wouter's team bagged the audience award. 

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International missions can be overwhelming - even so much that you can't make it to a podcast recording session. Tim Tiek (Brilliance RGB - UT) & Rabih Hamid (maxairea - WUR) joined the mission to Hello Tomorrow in Paris. Now, several months later during Enschede Slush'D, they look back on the mission and the steps taken afterwards. 

This episode was recorded during Enschede Slush'D 2025. 

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What is necessary for successful deep tech transfer in The Netherlands? A big question with a lot of different answers. 

Vera Boertien is joined by Roy Kolkman (UT), Kenneth Heijns (TU Delft) and Arjan Goudsblom (Techleap) to discuss the national valorisation landscape. Together, they look at what is going well and where there is room for improvement. 

This episode was recorded during the Hello Tomorrow mission in Paris. 

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As technology evolves, we're inching closer to the day when quantum computers are part of our daily lives, in some way or another. 

But what's the current state of quantum? And what are the challenges entrepreneurs in this field face?

During Hello Tomorrow, host Vera Boertien invited Stefan Hengesbach, CEO of Quix Quantum, for a deep tech deep dive on quantum computing. 

Don't forget to rate this episode on whatever platform you listen this to, and share it with someone who might enjoy it too.

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