Commercial Director

Techleap is a Dutch ecosystem builder creating the optimal conditions for start-ups and scale-ups. Communities where entrepreneurs connect, share, and learn, are fundamental to its approach. The Commercial Director will build momentum, support the professionalization and commercialization of the BOLD and DLiT communities, and build a holistic community-focused approach on deep tech.

About Techleap

Start-ups and scale-ups create tomorrow’s jobs and drive progress in vital areas such as energy transition, cyber security, and health care. The Netherlands is a European innovation hotspot and Techleap is an Amsterdam-based non-profit organization determined to keep it that way. Its catalyst role towards entrepreneurship began in 2019. Along with public and private stakeholders, Techleap built a well-connected, inclusive, and self-empowered Dutch tech ecosystem that boosts growth in investments, talent, and jobs.

Techleap supports founders and tech ventures by solving their most significant challenges: hiring talent, raising capital, and expanding internationally. A primary activity is to establish a curated community called BOLD. It’s where more than four hundred founders and CxOs connect, openly share challenges, and find solutions together. Another main activity is to help the government design tech-friendly policies, such as the taxation of equity remuneration. Additionally, Techleap runs programs, hosts events, provides access to resources and international networks, and shares expertise.

“The Dutch tech start-up ecosystem has come a long way, but acceleration is needed to become one of the global frontrunners. To achieve that, we will double down on growing our founder communities, deep tech programs, data capabilities, collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, and community building” – Constantijn van Oranje, Special Envoy for Techleap

Since its launch, Techleap has been a publicly funded organization. But recently, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy has extended Techleap’s mandate at half the budget and a request to raise additional public and private funding. In response, the team has launched a campaign to bring together the people and capital to continue its invaluable work. This has sharpened Techleap’s thinking around impact, funding, and collaboration with its stakeholders. The team also created a transformation plan to prepare the spin-off of certain activities, increase focus on deep tech, and strengthen commercial and entrepreneurial capabilities to maximize their contributions to the Dutch start-up and scale-up ecosystem.

Vacancy: Commercial Director

The Commercial Director will oversee the rollout of Techleap’s commercial strategy and value propositions that are powered by its communities and programs. The director will ensure a consistent and tech sector-worthy approach across all activities and support the communities and programs, that are currently in different stages of maturity. Through their efforts, the Commercial Director will, amongst others, foster the growth of the communities and attract sponsors and mentors who have earned their stripes as entrepreneurs and are willing to give back.

“As one of the drivers of our transformation towards a more commercial and entrepreneurial organization, the Commercial Director plays a vital role in the success of our platform. I’m looking forward to working with them on strengthening the BOLD and DLiT propositions and building a community tailored to deep tech.” – Constantijn van Oranje, Special Envoy for Techleap

The Commercial Director will govern the BOLD and DLiT communities and build a more integrated offering around Techleap’s deep tech programs. BOLD is a founder-led, curated ecosystem that accelerates the growth of the Dutch tech sector by providing entrepreneurs with valuable connections and insights on areas they want to address. DLiT is an acronym for Diverse Leaders in Tech. The goal of this community is to foster diversity and inclusivity. It is specifically tailored towards underrepresented groups in the ecosystem and helps to push diversity, bring expertise, and build connections in Dutch tech start-ups and scale-ups. Additionally, the Commercial Director and their team will support the development of programs and a new stage-and-technology segmented community that focuses on deep tech, a strategic priority for Techleap in its transformation and beyond.

With the changes in Techleap’s funding, the mission for the Commercial Director will be to strengthen the overall value propositions and help Techleap to commercialize. They will work towards a situation where the organization can financially sustain itself independently. To enhance the commercialization potential of the communities, the Commercial Director will support the teams in developing elements that fit the current and future offering, bring up to date insights to help guide the team, ensure focus and effective prioritization, and connect frequently with community members and strategic partners.

This position is a unique opportunity to build strong relations throughout the Dutch (deep) tech space. The Commercial Director will be part of Techleap’s Leadership Team, guiding the organization through the upcoming transformation while actively building its communities and programs.

Interested?

Techleap is working with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy. To express your interest, please contact Marlies Hoogvliet at marlies.hoogvliet@topofminds.com