[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]September 19th 2018 – During the Holland High Tech Autumn Event it was announced that Arno van Mourik, CEO of Airborne, became a member of the top team High Tech Systems and Materials (HTSM) with the focus on SMEs. Van Mourik will explore how more opportunities can be created for SMEs to grow into companies with a lasting impact. His focus will be on scale-up companies because ‘for the Dutch economy in general and the high-tech sector in particular, these companies are of great value’.
The power of scale-ups
The motivation for Arno van Mourik to join the top team HTSM has to do with the ‘high hurdles that mainly scale-ups experience when growing. Van Mourik said: ” Often these types of companies with a high tech profile follow a capricious path from technical idea to business model in which multiple business changes are required. Many investors experience this as too complex, too insecure and therefore too risky. A large part of the investors therefore ends their support with often fatal consequences for such a company. I find that very unfortunate because scale-ups often try to put promising technologies into the market with sometimes very interesting disruptive business models.”
Van Mourik believes scale-ups are of great value to the Dutch economy as they are at the forefront with technical knowledge. “A large number of Dutch data companies are very skilled at analyzing and making data usable. These kinds of techniques are of crucial importance within the industry 4.0 ambition of the Netherlands. They are also often in the right place, on a campus or hub where there is a lot of activity and knowledge exchanged. They are the living example of open innovation,” Van Mourik said.
Increase options
To improve the position of SMEs, Van Mourik wants to explore how he can increase their growth options. In order to gain a better understanding of the bottlenecks for growth, in addition to his own experiences, Van Mourik will visit start-ups and scale-ups in the coming months to hear their practical experiences and he will discuss with the Dutch government to learn more about her policy and instruments.
Human Capital
A point of attention remains the recruitment of well-qualified personnel. Van Mourik: “It is difficult for SMEs to acquire the required technical knowledge. This is something we also need to work on hard as a high-tech sector in order to ensure we will not fall behind in terms of human capital compared to other countries.”
About Holland High Tech
The high-tech sector plays an essential role in devising and realizing solutions to global societal challenges in the areas of climate, sustainability, health, safety and mobility, with key technologies that are firmly rooted in the Netherlands. By combining forces from companies and knowledge institutes in the high-tech sector, ministries and regional authorities, Holland High Tech wants to make a crucial contribution to solving societal challenges and keeping the Netherlands economically at the top of the world.
For Dutch visit: https://www.hollandhightech.nl/nationaal/actueel/nieuws/arno-van-mourik-airborne-treedt-toe-tot-topteam-high-tech-systemen-en-materialen-htsm[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]