GENERAL INFORMATION

Turning cutting-edge research into a successful high-tech startup requires more than a great idea: it requires hitting the right milestones at the right time. For early-stage spin-offs, funding is almost always tied to progress, since securing all the capital needed upfront is rarely possible. The risks are high, the uncertainty is real, and resources are tight.
That’s why defining smart, credible milestones is critical. The right milestones clearly demonstrate risk reduction, unlock follow-on funding, and can significantly improve valuation. This is critical to raise additional capital while minimizing dilution. But not all milestones are created equal. In the earliest stages, choosing milestones that are both ambitious and achievable with limited time, funding, and team capacity make the difference between keeping momentum and an early stall-out.

In this interactive, hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how to design milestones that actually move your venture forward. We’ll work through how to identify the milestones that matter most for your startup, how to structure them to maximize your chances of success, and how to use them as a practical tool to drive focus, progress, and investor confidence.

SPEAKER

Erik van Dijk (MSc and PhD applied physics Universiteit Twente), has spent over 20 years turning high-tech ideas into real products and companies. He has worked in large multinationals as well as in startups and scale-ups, in both technical and leadership roles, and knows first-hand what it takes to build something from scratch. Over his career, he has experienced the wins, the setbacks, and the hard lessons that come with bringing innovation to market in particular in regulated environments. 

PROGRAM