{"id":7127,"date":"2015-08-06T12:59:02","date_gmt":"2015-08-06T10:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/2015\/08\/06\/could-the-ece-campus-be-rotterdams-answer-to-google-hq-2\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:23","slug":"could-the-ece-campus-be-rotterdams-answer-to-google-hq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2015\/08\/06\/could-the-ece-campus-be-rotterdams-answer-to-google-hq\/","title":{"rendered":"Could the ECE Campus be Rotterdam\u2019s answer to Google HQ?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"ECE\"<\/figure>

Its 10am on the 11th floor, and already a number of groups are gathered around tables in the open plan office, getting down to business from behind their laptops and tablets. The bar in the centre isn\u2019t open yet though, it\u2019s far too early for that, but over at the ECE-campus\u2019 coffee corner, well that\u2019s another story. Entrepreneurs eagerly wait their turn to get their hands on that much needed morning caffeine fix, chatting away to each other before heading off to get on with the day\u2019s tasks. To their left, there\u2019s a case somewhat reminiscent of a high school trophy case. \u201cSeen these?\u201d Hendrik Halbe ECE\u2019s Managing Director asks, picking up some sort of table-tennis cross badminton hybrid set. \u201cHelix<\/a> was designed and made by Erasmus students, and now the game is sold everywhere!\u201d<\/p>\n

A unique, interactive environment<\/h2>

Located opposite Marconiplein in the Rotterdam Science Tower, the ECE Campus has experienced rapid growth since opening in March 2014. Due to the growing demand for workspace from the fifty-plus start-ups in residence, the campus recently opened a new floor. This meant a number of renovations were necessary, and as Halbe explains, the eventuating design has created an \u2018interactive floor, where everyone is talking to each other\u2019.<\/p>\n

It is this interactivity which provides the key to success of the campus, as it builds the unique environment and atmosphere so often referred to. Sharing knowledge and best practice is valuable, and chance meetings around the newly opened Starbucks coffee corner or Bavaria bar can lead to innovative ideas and solutions\u200a\u2014\u200aas can sharing a laugh as someone travels between the two floors by slide. Aside from office and flex spaces, the campus, which has a strong academic background due to its affiliation with EUR, offers an informal, interactive environment for start-ups to learn from each other.<\/p>\n

From students to entrepreneurial kingpins<\/h2>
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From students to entrepreneurial kingpins<\/h4>\n

Resident start-ups at the ECE Campus have varying degrees of experience: members range from students making their first break through to those regarded as \u2018serial entrepreneurs\u2019. Jan Borghuis and Gijs van Lookeren Campagne<\/a> of the successful car-sharing platform Greenwheels are just two of the campus\u2019 resident serial entrepreneurs. Greenwheels rather than car-rental, offer car-sharing; users can hire cars per quarter hour, pick up vehicles up in convenient locations, and book online 24\/7. Volkswagen acquired Greenwheels in early 2015, and since then the two have moved to ECE, where they\u2019re working on a new venture. The differing levels of expertise present coupled with members\u2019 interdisciplinary backgrounds means that the campus offers start-ups an environment fit for learning\u200a\u2014\u200awith plenty of room for collaborations.<\/p>\n

Korstiaan Zandvliet, CEO and co-founder of Symbid<\/a>, the crowdfunding platform for start-ups, speaks highly of the atmosphere at the campus. Reflecting on his time at RSM, he remembers living in \u2018close proximity\u2019 to his co-founders, \u2018with a lot of other entrepreneurship students also living on the same street.\u2019 Today many of these alumni work with, or for, Symbid, with others having founded their own business(es) and used the platform to secure funding for their enterprises. Zandvliet explains that in his opinion, the ECE campus has re-created the entrepreneurial community he recalls from his RSM years, by providing a meeting point for like-minded individuals. \u201cHere at the campus, you see a lot of different streams of entrepreneurship coming together. There\u2019s the academic side, practitioners, a lot small student companies and people who\u2019re just interested in entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial activities.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u201cWe help each other\u200a\u2014\u200ait\u2019s an entrepreneurial eco-system which is beneficial for all actors.\u201d\u200a\u2014\u200aKorstiaan Zandvliet, CEO and co-founder of Symbid\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

\u201cSymbid for example, we provide assistance to the smaller start-ups with securing funding.\u201d Since launching their platform, The Funding Network\u2122 in March 2015, Symbid have already helped start-ups to secure over 164 million euro in investments. \u201cThe ECE Campus offers a collaborative, structured approach towards entrepreneurial activity, and has grounding in the academic programs of one of the world\u2019s most renowned universities for entrepreneurship,\u201d says Zandvliet of the campus\u2019 success.<\/p>\n

\"The

De \u2018campus speeltuin\u2019\u200a\u2014\u200acompleet met schommels. Foto: ECE.<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>

Whilst ECE provides the perfect base for a business like Symbid, others have used the campus to get the ball rolling, and later decided to move on to other locations. This was the case for Elqava<\/a>, a subscription coffee service started by entrepreneurial EUR students, who now rent flex-space opposite Central Station in the Groothandelsgebouw. Elqava Sales Manager and IBCoM student Tom Pieter still remains positive about the ECE atmosphere despite their move. \u201cThe ECE is a great educator, the campus offers an excellent atmosphere when you\u2019re starting out. Take for example the crowdfunding platform Symbid: the company itself is helpful if you\u2019re a start-up, but so are the people involved\u200a\u2014\u200athey\u2019re always willing to offer advice and help you build connections. We benefitted from the experience of companies like this, and also the speakers that visit ECE. Whether for an event, or guest lectures during the minor in entrepreneurship, they\u2019re all very inspirational and provide meaningful insights and advice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Explaining their decision to leave ECE, Tom highlights the location as being problematic, adding that it\u2019s simply \u2018too far away\u2019 from both the city and the Woudestein campus. Secondly, he believes that Elqava needed to \u2018leave the nest\u2019 in order to continue to grow and learn. \u201cWe exhausted our resources there. The thing about entrepreneurship is that eventually you need to really get your hands dirty, and for us this meant getting out there and putting what we\u2019ve learnt into practice,\u201d says Tom.<\/p>\n

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