This story is part of our new Story Series: Meet ESA Space Solutions Network. In this new series, we’re going to introduce you to the great teams across our Network that are using space to develop business applied in daily life. Curious about their highlights and advice? Read on.

Who is ESA BIC Noordwijk?  

ESA BIC Noordwijk is the oldest ESA BIC of the ESA Space Solutions Network. It was founded in 2004 and since 2011 SBIC Noordwijk has managed the program. Since the start, we helped over 100 companies build a space-based business. In Noordwijk, we are at the heart of the Dutch space sector, located on the NL Space Campus - near ESA’s ESTEC facility. 

Tell us about the people in your team and what strength/added value do you bring through.

Gerard Hegemans is our CEO and has a background in engineering. He makes sure every start-up in our ESA BIC gets valuable advice on their progress.

Martijn Leinweber is COO and has a background in crossmedia and community management. Martijn also is our program manager and is the go-to guy in Noordwijk.

Rianne van der Poel is our Business Development Manager and she has a background in the travel industry. Next to a great planner, she makes our partner network and community grow.

Lorenz van Gool is Marketing & Communications Manager and he has a background in business journalism. He creates and executes (content focused) marketing campaigns and gets our start-ups in the media.

If you would put us together, you’d get a giant Power Ranger. A truly complementary team of flexibility, supportive power, quick responses and endurance. 

What has inspired you to work in the space industry? 

We all fell in love with the general sense of collaboration in the space industry. Whether it being organising an event for a handful of space entrepreneurs, or building the International Space Station, you can sense everyone's passion, dedication and desire to contribute to something bigger. Needless to say, that creates a strong bond between every kind of stakeholder - something we haven't seen in any industry before. 

Do you look for/have start-ups working to solve big world problems? 

Yes, it’s always best if start-ups work for the greater good. Sustainability and safety are a big plus, and on a meta level, diversity is also celebrated. We have a soft spot for start-ups that want to have impact in the medical world as well. But we want to stress that we also look for ideas that show space tech can be used in daily life, to inspire a bigger audience.  

Please present between 1 and maximum 4 examples with the name of the start-up, website and a short sentence of what are they doing. 

Sustainability
Incubatee: 

• Sobolt - Using geospatial data & Artificial Intelligence for sustainable solutions in urban areas. 
• Trabotyx - Creating a weeding robot for organic precision farming. 

Alumnus: 

• Skytree - Filtering CO2 in closed spaces. 

Safety
Incubatees: 

• Mapture - Autonomous drone fleets for security and surveillance.
• Meandair - 4D weather forecasting for pilots, so they have safe flying routes. 

Alumni:

• OPTNET - Disaster management. 
• Blackshore - Solving world problems through crowdsourcing, gaming and earth observation. 

Medical
Incubatee: 

• smartQare - Creating a remote patient monitoring solution. 

Alumni: 

• AVY - In a consortium right now to test medical drone delivery. 
• Meds2Go - Device to keep your medicine cool. 
• Relegs - Helping people fight Restless Legs Syndrome. 

Inspire general audience 
Alumni: 

• Johan Sports - GPS trackers for athletes.  

Would you like to share an interesting/inspiring story from one of your alumni?  

We love all our alumni. But what we’re particularly proud of, is that alumnus SkyfloX recently ‘returned’ as a technical partner to new ESA BIC Noordwijk start-ups. To us, this shows the power of our community - not only during the program, but also after graduation. 

What is your advice for aspiring entrepreneurs? 

Don’t let the domain of space intimidate you. It’s serious business, yes, but surprisingly accessible at the same time. You can do more with “space” than you think, and it has become easier than ever to start a business in this sector. Next to that, at ESA BIC Noordwijk, you will notice that it pays to be open. Sharing experiences and/or resources is the modus operandi here. 

Using one word, how would you describe the ESA Space Solutions community?  

One word? SPACE! (Supportive, Purpose-driven, Ambitious, Curious, Ever-learning).  

How would you solve problems if you were from Mars? 

Invade and colonize Earth of course!  

What is your website link where the readers can find more about you? 

Check sbicnoordwijk.nl for all our news and where to find us all over the web. 

The European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre in the Netherlands - ESA BIC Noordwijk is managed by SBIC in collaboration with ESA Space Solutions and Netherlands Space Office.

ABOUT ESA SPACE SOLUTIONS

ESA Space Solutions is the go to place for great business ideas involving space in all areas of society and economy. Our mission is to support entrepreneurs in Europe in the development of business using satellite applications and space technology to improve everyday life. ESA Space Solutions is designed to provide multiple entry points such as ESA Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs), ESA Technology Broker Network, ESA Business Applications Ambassadors and ESA Business Applications programme. Funding typically ranges from €50k to €2M and supports everything from technology transfer, business incubation, Feasibility Studies to large-scale Demonstration Projects.

ESA has signed a Memorandum of Intent involving future collaboration with the coordinators of SINTEF Ocean. The alliance comes together with a view to analyse, develop and implement space enabled innovative applications solutions and services in the context of environmental protection, transition to shipping 4.0 and other applications related to the needs of maritime stakeholders (such as maritime authorities, coast guards, shipping operators, ports, service providers, etc.).

The on-going digitalisation, development and large-scale implementation of programmes in the context of smart and autonomous shipping and environmental monitoring provide a unique opportunity for developing applications and services leveraging on space assets and terrestrial assets. This requires cross-functional expertise to transform today’s capabilities for tomorrow’s needs.

The joint effort aims to strengthen space-based applications with the following common objectives: 

1. Support the emergence of smart and autonomous shipping space-based applications based on advanced technologies such as advanced Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) and digital connectivity; and 
2. Support the emergence of new space-based applications for improved maritime safety, coastal monitoring and environmental sustainability at sea and in coastal areas. 

“ESA’s participation in the agreement fits well with the technical expertise in the agency’s Business Applications programme and it will be instrumental to support future initiatives in the areas of blue and green economy, fostering utilization of digital technologies in support of the Green Deal and of the shipping sector digital transformation”, says Rita Rinaldo, Head of ESA Institutional Projects at ESA Space Solutions.

"SINTEF Ocean conducts world-leading research within the field of autonomous ships, and we hold a unique position that brings together users and suppliers. One of the main criteria for succeeding in developing safe and green maritime transport and operations is to build co-working relationship between research, education, authorities and industry. The collaboration with ESA is an important extension of our collaboration network and we are looking forward to join efforts to innovate and develop technology for maritime applications, based on space based technology", says Kay Fjørtoft, senior researcher for SINTEF Ocean's Energy and Transportation department.

The agreement envisages knowledge sharing, ideas and lessons learned and aims to leverage the relevant resources, expertise and facilities to ensure the success of the common goals.

About SINTEF Ocean

For more than 70 years, SINTEF has developed solutions and innovation for society and customers all over the world and has become one of Europe’s largest independent research organisations. Their purpose is to conduct research and innovation relating to the ocean space for national and international industry. SINTEF Ocean's ambition is to continue Norway's leading position in marine engineering and bio marine research.

About ESA Space Solutions

ESA Space Solutions is the go to place for great business ideas involving space in all areas of society and economy. Our mission is to support entrepreneurs in Europe in the development of business using satellite applications and space technology to improve everyday life. ESA Space Solutions is designed to provide multiple entry points such as ESA Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs), ESA Technology Broker Network, ESA Business Applications Ambassadors and ESA Business Applications programme. Funding typically ranges from €50k to €2M and supports everything from technology transfer, business incubation, Feasibility Studies to large-scale Demonstration Projects.