VentureLab Twente: a new business support concept for high tech high growth companies

High Tech job creation is important for sustainable economic growth. The region of Twente in The Netherlands has developed several initiatives to achieve this. These initiatives include a new University, a business incubator and a Science Park. However, the desired job creation fell short of expectation. Therefore a new and intensive high tech high growth business support program was designed and implemented: VentureLab Twente (VLT). More than 200 participants joined the program within 3 years and the first analysis of results shows that VLT has major impact on business growth and job creation. Participants are extensively monitored, leading to a rich research database and future publications on high tech entrepreneurship. The VentureLab concept is an important contributor to the success of Science Parks.