Our fruitful collaboration with innovators
KPN for startups en scaleups
We believe in open innovation in order to make a real impact in a rapidly changing world. In cooperation with innovative stakeholders, in order to stay ahead. That’s why we’re creating a fruitful and innovative climate for startups and scaleups. By combining our strengths with those of startups and scaleups, we’re advancing the Netherlands.
KPN is working with diverse startups and scaleups in the field of innovation. Because every day we experience how valuable these collaborations are. For us and our customers. For the innovators, who we help to develop with our expertise and technology. And for society, which is rapidly discovering new solutions that make life smarter, simpler, and better.
Our focus in scouting for innovation
Our Liaison Management team is looking for innovative parties with a focus on these 9 subjects:
Retail
Sustainability
Networks & IT Infrastructure
Online
SME platform
Liaison Management: looking for the click
We’re constantly looking for win-win partnerships with startups and scaleups. So, KPN has a special Liaison Management Startups and Scaleups team. A team that makes contact with innovators: startups and scaleups who offer solutions to challenges that KPN is looking for answers to. We work in a demand-driven way and seek the best innovators with whom we can innovate together on specific issues. We share our knowledge of technology, marketing, and sales with these innovators as well as our extensive network of business partners and customers, so that these startups and scaleups can grow quickly. And: with their creativity and boldness we can also improve KPN’s products.
In addition, we invest via KPN Ventures in scaleups that fit with our strategy. KPN Ventures offers these entrepreneurs access to our organization’s expertise and services. And gives them the power to mature quickly.
Do you want to stay informed of the latest developments? Come to one of our events.
Deals with over 350 startups and scaleups
As of 2015, KPN has done over 350 deals and projects with startups and scaleups. A collaboration with KPN can take the following forms:
Proof of concept at KPN
Does a scaleup match our issues and challenges? Then we start a Proof of Concept: research into whether their solutions work in practice. With clear joint evaluation criteria.
Co-creation
With co-creation, we combine our expertise and technology with that of the startup and scaleup and together we bring a product or service to market.
Distribution
Do the scaleup’s solutions match our own products or services? Then we can offer our KPN channels as a sales channel.
KPN as supplier
For startups, we have a special offer for our business services. For example, we offer them free LoRa-keys, so that they can experiment with our energy-efficient wireless network. And we help them develop their digital security, APIs, and working in the cloud.
We collaborate with a variety of startups and scale-ups that offer solutions to challenges KPN is seeking to address. Here are a few highlighted examples:
Practical examples
Insight into traffic flows
COVID-19 has drastically altered traffic flows across networks. To ensure optimal traffic management and keep the Netherlands connected, KPN partnered with BENOCS. A solution was implemented to gather knowledge and gain insight into traffic flows—providing insights for network management as well as for optimizing Netflix traffic flows.
Buddy's for Rotterdam residents
Budgetmaatjes010 helps local Rotterdam residents facing financial difficulties by pairing them with a buddy. A pilot project has been launched in which seven KPN employees serve as volunteer advisors (buddies). A decision will subsequently be made on whether to roll out the pilot on a larger scale.
Better connection in rural areas
To help many of our customers in rural areas achieve better connectivity, KPN has implemented Tessares' hybrid access solution. This solution boosts connectivity in remote locations by combining the existing DSL/HFC network with wireless bands such as 4G and 5G.
See what you can't hear
Speaksee is a solution that enables KPN employees with hearing impairments to participate in meetings. The Speaksee technology transcribes speech into text in real time, allowing everyone to follow what is being said. Thanks to color-coded microphones and the displayed text, it is also possible to track who is saying what.
KPN Partnerworld program
We’ve established KPN Partnerworld to provide practical help to startups and scaleups. A program that comprises elements that are accessible to all interested parties as well as elements that are only available to our collaborating partners or the companies KPN invests in.
Partner network
KPN has an extensive partner network to connect innovative startups and entrepreneurs and to help with expertise, service and financing.ABN-AMRO, Ace, Accenture, Aexus, AkzoNobel, Albert Heijn, Amazon Web Services, Amsterdam Student Investment Fund, Anwb, AWS, Cambridge Innovation Centre (CIC), Costa, Cottonwood, Deloitte Fast Ventures, DTCP, EIT, Elisa, Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship, EY, FinTech & Security, Accelerator, Founders+, Gemeente Rotterdam, Health Innovations, Healthvalley, Innovation Quarter, Intel Capital, Internet of Things Academy, JADS, KEEN Venture Partners, KvPlus, Másmóvil, Matchmaker Ventures, Microsoft, Mind the Bridge, NOS, Orange Digital Ventures, Philips Innovation Awards, PortXL Accelerator, Rockstart Digital Health Accelerator, Rotterdam Venture Café, RTL Ventures, Salesforce, School for Data Science, StartupBootcamp Smart City & Living Accelerator, StartupDelta, Sustainable Healthcare Challenge, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Tekdelta, Telefonica, Telefonica Open Future, Telenor, The Hague Security Delta, The International Investors Network, Tilburg Universiteit, Turkcell, Twente, The Hague Security Delta (HSD), UtrechtInc, VCC, Volta, Wayra, World Startup Factory Connectivity Accelerator en YES!Delft incubator.
Corporate Startup Star
That we enjoy and work well in our collaborations with startups is also evidenced from the fact that KPN has been named 'Corporate Startup Star' for the