The Netherlands (NL) and Japan are marking 425 years of friendship — a relationship that began with trade via the small island of Dejima at Nagasaki and continues to thrive through innovation and collaboration.
As part of these celebrations, StartNL and the Dejima Team Summit brought together 65 participants, including Dutch startups, Dejima teams, and representatives of the Japanese startup ecosystem. Inspired by the historic island of Dejima in Nagasaki—which once served as a gateway for exchange—Dejima teams today operate as small, independent units within Japanese companies, tasked with driving innovation and fostering collaboration across sectors. The summit named Bridging ideas for Sustainability, took place at the Dutch Ambassador’s residence.
The focus of the gathering was on sustainability and the circular economy starting with presentations highlighting the start-up ecosystems of the Netherlands and Dejima teams in Japan. The highlight of the program was the pitching and panel sessions of NL start-ups CÂPSULA, Circularise, Equinox Ocean Turbines, HyER Power, SeaHiker, TouchWind, ZAVHY and the Dejima teams of Japanese companies Aobagumi, East Nippon Expressway Company Limited (NEXCO East), Goldwin Venture Partners / Goldwin Inc, MOL PLUS (Mitsui O.S.K. Lines CVC arm), Ocean Network Express (ONE), Shizen Energy Group, Kozo Keikaku Engineering (SimScale).
At the reception, there was artwork from the Dutch artists Connecting Tides, that joined the Artists in residence program in Japan. It had two parts. The physical work was each made with ocean plastics that they collected on multiple Japanese beaches, and the digital work was a visualisation of the route that these ocean debris had taken until they washed ashore.
The day was energetic and inspiring — filled with fresh perspectives, valuable connections, and new pathways for future collaboration. We look forward to following the journeys of these ambitious entrepreneurs as they scale their solutions for a sustainable and circular future in the Netherlands, Japan, and beyond.
— The StartNL Team: Sonoko, Sosha & Dirk
Looking to join? Click here: ScaleNLJapan Application
