Robin Lechner

Can you tell us a little about UtrechtInc?

UtrechInc brings innovations to market that originate here at the Utrecht Science Park. These innovations are often in the field of healthcare, sustainability or education. The innovations brought to the market from the UtrechtInc startups are often in the product or service area. In the case of a product, you should think, for example, of a medical device, a smart battery or a module to make education better. With service, it's usually more in the form of a platform or an app. These are often the more complex tech startups that also involve AI and machine learning. The startups are founded by local researchers, doctors, students and entrepreneurs.

Essentially everyone who reports to UtrechtInc wants to market an innovation to move society forward, but is just not quite ready to do this on their own. What we offer here at UtrechtInc in support of startups is very diverse; from workshops to coaching, to matchmaking events. In June, we will be celebrating the 15th anniversary of UtrechtInc.

What is your role at UtrechtInc?

At UtrechtInc, I am programme and event coordinator, which actually merges a lot. I make programmes for starting entrepreneurs from the region, university employees and students. The programmes consist of lots of events, from very small events and coaching sessions to a big event for all startups in the community or during the Utrecht Science Week.

What is your impact on Utrecht Science Park or even more broadly on the region?

The short answer to the question is advancing tech startups. To that end, we support entrepreneurs in validating and bringing innovative products and services to market. Validation involves experimenting and testing the product or service. In doing so, the entrepreneurs must above all engage with the target group they will soon be dealing with. The target group is ultimately the buyer of the product.

We support in practical terms by simply working very cleverly with the partners in the region, including those here at the Utrecht Science Park: the hospitals, the university and the university of applied sciences. By working well together, we can achieve our higher goal. That is to raise the innovation climate in the Netherlands and abroad to a higher level from Utrecht.

Which UtrechtInc startup would you like to put in the spotlight?

Who I want to mention in any case is ReCarbn. They have just signed their first major deal with a Canadian party. ReCarbn supplies large containers in which they store CO2, the CO2 is filtered out of the air and greenhouse farming is going to benefit from that. What is really nice about this is that Recarbn has actually made incredibly quick strides as a very young team and is a real example for many young entrepreneurs. I mention ReCarbn because at UtrechtInc we see a lot of medical technology and life sciences companies, but the sustainability branch is also important and entrepreneurs can also turn to us for this.  

In addition, I want to mention Doderm. They are from the veterinary faculty of Utrecht University here at Utrecht Science Park and they have created the Dorderm Hydro RepairGel, which can solve skin problems in animals or at least relieve the animal from unnecessary itching and pain.

At which organisation would you like to take a look behind the scenes?

At the HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, because I find it incredibly interesting to take a look behind the scenes in any setting where something is done with education from the perspective of my own studies. 

Do you have any specific faculty you are particularly interested in? 

Then I would like to link it to what I am doing here as well. I am curious about a faculty or programme that does something with entrepreneurship or innovation and what happens in those departments.

Which developments have you seen in the field of life sciences, health or sustainability and their impact within your organisation/function?

The greatest development in the past two years has been the rise of Artificial Intelligence. That has a huge impact on what startups do, a startup can hardly get away with completely ignoring the possibilities with AI in their startup.

In addition, we see many more life sciences companies heading this way. This is a group of companies that are making the world significantly better in terms of healthcare; they are the real impact startups. At the same time, they are also the slow startups that don't have their first customer or finish with us within two years; it can take 10 or 15 years. I am curious about where certain life sciences companies, which have applied to us this year,will be in 20 years.

What dream do you have for this area and/or personally for the future (next 5 to 10 years)?

My dream for this area is to seek even more cooperation and knowledge sharing between the parties at the Utrecht Science Park. That happens where we can, but if we shape the cooperation and knowledge sharing even more neatly and smarter - I don't know exactly how, which is why it's a dream - we can achieve many more amazing things together. 

If you talk about the valorisation task, which surely we all have here as different parties at the Utrecht Science Park, then I think a closer overarching cooperation between the parties at the Utrecht Science Park should be a start, to help students, scientists and potential entrepreneurs who don't know very well where to go. I would also like to see more cooperation between students from Utrecht University of HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht. In short; Utrecht Science Park strong together, one mission.