If you have an idea for a service or product but don’t know how to launch a company, you’ll find support here. The Launch offers training, one-on-one business coaching, and even office or lab space: everything you need to bring your ideas to life.
The Launch, a meeting place for budding entrepreneurs on the Radboud campus, has officially opened
A new name and a new location: The Launch has officially opened. The Launch – located in the Forum building, on the corner of Geert Grooteplein and Heyendaalseweg – helps students, PhD candidates, researchers and alumni to start their own businesses.
Strong startup climare essential for innovation
With The Launch (formerly Mercator Launch), entrepreneurship is given a central place on the Radboud campus: right at the heart of education, research, and societal collaboration. Its opening marks an important milestone for the Nijmegen startup ecosystem, where knowledge institutions, governments, entrepreneurs, and partners are working ever more closely together on innovation and economic growth. As Mayor Bruls emphasized during the opening: “innovation is essential for the future of the economy and the region, and a strong startup climate plays a key role in enabling people with ideas to step forward.”
From research to impact
During the opening, the startups based at The Launch took center stage. Yvonne van den Berg, the researcher behind Stoeltjesdans and the founder of Social Shuffle, illustrated why an incubator like The Launch is crucial for creating impact. She explained how scientific research was transformed into a practical tool that helps tackle bullying, an issue affecting one in ten children, while only a third speak to their teacher about it. Yvonne: “By giving teachers better insight and practical support, the tool has already reduced bullying by around 30%. What started as a research project quickly grew beyond expectations. With the support, network, and resources of an incubator, it could be developed further: already reaching 50,000 teachers at the start of this academic year, and continuing to expand its impact.”
Visible meeting place
The new location of The Launch is set to grow into a visible meeting place where students, researchers, startups, and partners can easily connect, inspire one another, and strengthen their collaboration.
Contact information
- Organizational unit
- The Launch
