Startup Liaison Officers: a Bridge to Success

Published on:

16 April 2024

Startup and scale-up companies are increasing in number. Their rising influence in the global economy means more services are now available to them. The government of the Netherlands wants to continue its support of Dutch and foreign startups and scale-ups and strengthen the Netherlands' position as the global leader for startup and scale-up ecosystems.

Startup Liaison Officers (SLOs) are part of the Dutch diplomatic network in New York, San Francisco, Singapore, London, Berlin, and Paris. Selected by the Netherlands' Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2019, their goal is to support Dutch startups and scale-ups to expand abroad. In doing so, the SLOs draw international attention to the Dutch startup ecosystem and strengthen the Netherlands' appeal to foreign companies, talent, and investors.

To support the companies, SLOs organise trade missions, startup events, and networking opportunities. They also connect startups and scale-ups with potential trading partners, customers, and investors, and work together with the Dutch startup ecosystems.