Dear friends,
And just like that, 2021 is over. It’s been quite a year. Again. Both online and offline, the consulate continued to connect the Netherlands to the American West Coast.
We organized many trade missions, roundtables, and events. We hosted popup consulates in Los Angeles and Seattle. We rode in autonomous vehicles and welcomed new Dutch citizens.
We will launch something big in 2022, and I promise to share it with you in this newsletter and our social media.
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Holiday message by Consul General Dirk Janssen
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On behalf of my team at the consulate, the NBSO Los Angeles, the Holland in the Valley network, and our honorary consuls, I wish you happy holidays and a healthy, bright, and prosperous 2022. Looking forward working with you again.
Best, Dirk Janssen
PS: want to know more about our work in 2021, listen to this podcast by GlobalSF, discussing the circular economy and Dutch technology innovation in Silicon Valley.
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PS 2: Want to discuss anything, please plan a meeting or a call with me or my team.
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- The Dutch ecosystem is the hottest tech hub of 2021, says Atomico.
- Rescale, which enables intelligent computing for digital R&D, announced a $105 million expanded Series C funding round, by Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Peter Thiel, Microsoft M12, etc.
- Amsterdam blazes a trail for circular fashion, writes GreenBiz.
- Proving this point: Amsterdam-based sustainable fashion app Renoon closes a $1 million round, including $150,000 from San Francisco-based venture capital firm 500 Global.
- Despite the pandemic, Dutch startups have raised a record $5.7B this year. Dealroom.co and Techleap mapped the 120 fastest growing startups of 2021.
- The Netherland ranks #8 in the Global AI Index.
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- Fastcompany writes about the floating Global Center on Adaptation HQ in Rotterdam.
- "Startups from NL to California are developing cars capable of harnessing energy from the sun,” writes The Wall Street Journal.
- CNN writes about Dutch water management leadership: "While ‘adaptation’ sounds like a dull word in climate talk, the Dutch have been adapting to the whims of water for a long time."
- Amsterdam ranks fifth in 2021 Urban Mobility Readiness Index, scoring high in infrastructure and connectivity, system efficiency, and innovation. San Francisco is No. 2.
- But while Silicon Valley has autonomous cars, but Amsterdam now has autonomous canal boats.
- TV streamer Roku opens an Amsterdam office.
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13 Dutch innovation award winners at CES 2022
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A record 13 Dutch startups are innovation award winners are present at CES 2022. 70 startups and scale-ups will participate in CES this year, the global stage for innovation, in early January in Las Vegas. For the first time with two pavilions, one for startups and one for scale-ups. It’s the sixth consecutive year that the Netherlands showcases its tech solutions for a responsible future in Las Vegas.
The delegation includes 50 technology startups and 20 scale-ups in sustainability and resilience, AI, robotics, and quantum computing, health and wellness, smart cities and smart homes, smart mobility and vehicle tech, data security, and big data
“The Netherlands continues to pave the way and push boundaries by creating tech for a responsible future,” said HRH Prince Constantijn van Oranje, Special Envoy to Techleap.nl and the Netherlands.
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The economic team visited San Diego, a leader in life sciences and health innovation.
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After an inspiring tour of the UC San Diego Innovation campus by Paul Roben, the team met with Mayor Todd Gloria, who's also of Dutch descent. They discussed mobility, life sciences and health, and opportunities for economic collaboration between San Diego and the Netherlands. They also visited Philips Health, which has strong presence in California, making them a great example of Dutch biotech and healthcare excellence in the United States.
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Quantum computing will grow exponentially in the next few years, especially for finance and cybersecurity. And the Netherlands is one of its leaders.
Together with Quantum Delta NL, our colleagues of Innovatie Attaché Netwerk / IA (Netherlands Innovation Network) joined the Q2B Conference. Some highlights:
Read more: https://quantumdelta.nl
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Dutch traffic innovation in SF
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Arcadis and TNL, together with San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) have been testing a highly innovative traffic-flow system in the past year. The system improved the traffic flow at the many intersections on 3rd Street in San Francisco, and there has been significant for red-light delay reduction (72.5% for light rail), Green House Gas emission reduction (26.1%), and the ability for public transit to adhere to the schedule.
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Together with NBSO Los Angeles, we launched a market study on the circular economy in the built environment in Los Angeles. Circular opportunities in the LA region include the smart city approach to sustainability, such as sustainable waste management practices, smart water policies, urban farming, and the use of circular methods and products to construct buildings.
Together with Holland Circular Hotspot, Dutch circular companies are exploring California for possible collaboration and knowledge exchange. The report is an import step toward a focused approach.
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Happy Holidays from Holland in the Valley
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Holland in the Valley hosted Holiday Drinks, bringing the tech community together, discussing the big plans for Holland in the Valley for 2022.
The Oranje Comité announced their plans for King’s Day 2022, on April 30 in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. If you want to support them you can find more details here: https://lnkd.in/g4P-UtMt
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Environment Vice Minister visits West Coast
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Vice Minister for the Environment Roald Lapperre visited California and Arizona in November, focusing on smart mobility, circular economy, and climate adaptation.
Highlights of his program included meetings with California lawmakers, a keynote speech at mobility conference CoMotion Los Angeles, and several company visits, including Rebel and Cruise.
Dutch and American stakeholders for years have worked together and exchanged expertise on smart mobility, circular economy, and resiliency issues. This visit was a follow-up of Dutch-American partnerships that were made during the Global Climate Action Summit in September 2018.
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