Frequently Asked Questions

The Validation Program runs for 10 weeks on a part-time basis. The Accelerator is a 3-month structured program, after which startups remain part of the YES!Delft ecosystem and continue to receive support for at least 5 years. Sector-focused Deep-dive modules run alongside these programs rather than as a separate timeline.

The Accelerator is designed for complex technology startups with a committed founding team of at least 2 individuals that have validated Problem-Solution Fit, built a working prototype or MVP, have some market traction, and have the potential to scale. In addition, you have an innovative technology solution, a registered startup in the Netherlands, freedom to operate, an IP patent and a runway of at least 6 months.

The Accelerator is a 3-month program that includes 5 years of support and helps you to strengthen the foundation of your startup and accelerate your traction in the market.

During the first two kick-off weeks, you’ll get to know your peers in the batch, YES!Delft and our ecosystem. You focus on your long-term vision and short-term plan towards Product-Market Fit. You will be evaluated and challenged by our Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and experts and matched to a mentor to help you move forward. The Accelerator offers weekly, tailored masterclasses and workshops across fields such as Go-to-Market & Sales, Finance & Funding, Legal & IP, HR & Team, and Personal Development and Leadership. All masterclasses and workshops are given by professionals and experts in their field. In addition, we host peer-to-peer sessions to help each other and connect you to relevant partners and experts for 1-on-1 sessions.

Yes, you can apply. YES!Delft supports entrepreneurs who build complex products (both hardware and digital) in challenging markets, often with a run-up time, long development trajectories and expensive prototyping involved. As such, many startups in our Accelerator Program have already received funding. 

You’ll become a YES!Delft startup! We put the entrepreneur first, commit for the long-term and don’t take equity. We offer tailored advice, support and connections to accelerate your startup. During and after the Accelerator Program, you have access to the one of a kind YES!Delft ecosystem with experienced mentors, experts, trainers, service partners, corporates and fellow entrepreneurs. YES!Delft works with a small success fee based on revenue milestones which is reinvested into the incubator.

The participation fee is €3,500 excl. VAT per team. The Accelerator contract also includes a €25,000 excl. VAT success fee, payable once the company reaches either €1,000,000 in additional annual revenue or €1,000,000 in total dilutive and non-dilutive funding. The support we provide is for a period of 5 years.

The reception of the YES!Delft building can be reached on the number +31 157440101

Please note: TDVG manages the building, so the reception is not part of the YES!Delft team.

On the About page, you can find all our team members, including their job titles and links to their LinkedIn profiles. If you have any general questions or don’t know who can help you, you can send a message using the form on the contact us page, and we will make sure to redirect you to the right member of the team.

If you have specific questions about our programs and services, please contact our startup scout at startupscout@yesdelft.nl. If you have a question about marketing, contact us at marketing@yesdelft.nl. 

If you have general inquiries about YES!Delft and you’re not sure about who is able to help you out, contact info@yesdelft.nl and we will make sure to redirect your message to the right member of the team.

YES! Delft does not invest directly in startups. However, we offer services and programs to help you secure funding, a large network of investors and banks, and decades of financial experience to match you with these investors and help you get your funding in order. In addition, we don’t take any equity from startups.

YES!Delft supports startups in the Accelerator with access to funding (funding plan, matching them with our investor network, and assisting them in deal-making, both with private and public funding). 

We offer support with finding and executing both private investment and public funding instruments as part of the programs. We aim for the best mix of both types of instruments. For public funds, such as grants and soft loans, we work with our partner Benedict Peax, strategic funding consultants.

YES!Delft treasures its network of investors and we are constantly looking to expand this. The importance of (seed) capital is evident for the success of startups. Get in touch with our Investment Director Jan Geert van Hall to find out what we can offer you. You can also click the button Join as an investor on this page.

Yes! Due diligence can be arduous and time-consuming, and as a startup, you do not always have a complete data room at your fingertips. We can assist you and support you in giving sufficient comfort to prospective investors.

Yes, we think it is essential to draft a shareholders’ agreement that keeps in mind the goals and objectives of the parties and to come up with creative governance solutions to suit everyone’s needs. Too often parties are negotiating pre-drafted agreement templates and lose sight of what it is that they actually want to agree upon. 

Yes, our experience is that applying for grants and subsidies takes a lot of time and know-how. YES!Delft is a proud partner of Benedict Peax, they are specialized in doing this. They can not only help with writing applications but will also help find the right funding strategy and assess different available instruments for your startup.

No, you do not need to be a TU Delft student, alumnus, or staff member to join YES!Delft. Although TU Delft is one of YES!Delft's shareholders and the incubator sits on the TU Delft campus, the programs are open to any qualifying tech startup with a committed team. Startups do, however, need to be based in or willing to relocate to the Netherlands.

The Validation Program has a participation contribution of €900 (excl. VAT) per team of two founders. The Accelerator has a participation fee of €3,500 (excl. VAT) per team, plus a €25,000 (excl. VAT) success fee that becomes payable only once the company reaches either €1,000,000 in additional annual revenue or €1,000,000 in total funding. YES!Delft takes no equity, and the success fee is reinvested into the incubator.

After completing the Accelerator, a startup becomes a permanent member of the YES!Delft ecosystem and keeps access to mentors, experts, investors, and partners for at least 5 years. This long-term support is reflected in the outcomes: of the 550+ startups YES!Delft has supported, 83% are still active or have been acquired, and 95%+ have closed a pre-seed funding round. YES!Delft is widely regarded as one of the leading tech incubators in Europe.

YES!Delft runs three program types for different startup stages. The Validation Program is a 10-week, part-time program for founders testing an idea and searching for problem-solution fit. The Accelerator is a 3-month program for startups with a working prototype and early traction, focused on growth and market traction, followed by at least 5 years of continued ecosystem support. The Deep-dive (sector-focused) modules are targeted, industry-specific tracks layered on top of the Validation and Accelerator programs.

YES!Delft gives startups structured access to network, knowledge, talent, markets, capital, and facilities. This includes programs, workshops, and masterclasses; a network of 100+ mentors and experts and 300+ investors; recruitment support drawing on TU Delft and Erasmus University; corporate and public-sector market connections; and facilities such as offices, the Makerzone, and field labs on the TU Delft campus. Accelerator startups remain part of this ecosystem and receive support for at least 5 years.

We support tech startups and scale-ups in becoming successful companies by providing access to programs, networks, funding, and talent.

An incubator supports very early-stage startups as they shape and validate an idea over a flexible timeline, while an accelerator helps a more mature startup with a working product scale up through a fixed-term, structured program. YES!Delft does both: the 10-week Validation Program acts as the incubator stage for founders still testing their idea, and the 3-month Accelerator is the structured scale-up program for startups that already have a prototype and early traction.

YES!Delft is a startup incubator that offers services and programs for early-stage startups, as well as an accelerator.

YES!Delft is a not-for-profit organization and does not take equity from startups. Our shareholders are TU Delft, the municipality of Delft, and the Erasmus University Rotterdam. We rely on the support from our shareholders and the partnerships with corporates and public organizations.

YES!Delft supports tech startups building complex, scalable technology, spanning both hardware and digital products, often in markets with long development timelines and significant prototyping. Its portfolio reflects deep-tech fields such as med-tech, robotics, clean energy, photonics, and maritime technology. The common requirement is a genuinely innovative technology solution with the potential to scale.

No, YES!Delft does not take any equity in startups. As a not-for-profit incubator, YES!Delft works with a fixed program fee instead, plus a revenue-based success fee that applies only to the Accelerator. This means founders keep full ownership of their company while going through the program.

YES!Delft was founded in 2005 to create a sustainable and strong supporting infrastructure for entrepreneurs. In addition, YES!Delft helps young innovators and entrepreneurs to find the necessary support and resources to build successful startups. Because of the effective way of working, startups grow faster than normal and the chance of failing is smaller. As an incubator, we help a team go from an idea to a saleable product or service. In this way, young companies can achieve success in the field of innovation and development.

An incubator is only truly successful when its startups grow more successful than average and only a small part of them fail. The performance and success factors of incubators are determined differently for each incubator. At YES!Delft we can say that we are successful with 83% of our startups that are still alive after 5 years. To achieve our successes we have a knowledge ecosystem of service and corporate partners that contribute to the growth of the startups.

International founders are welcome at YES!Delft, and the programs are run in English. The main requirement is that the startup is based in or relocating to the Netherlands, and for selected startups YES!Delft can act as a facilitator for the Dutch startup visa. Some programs are also open to startups from elsewhere in Europe.

No, you do not need to be a TU Delft student, alumnus, or staff member to join YES!Delft. Although TU Delft is one of YES!Delft's shareholders and the incubator sits on the TU Delft campus, the programs are open to any qualifying tech startup with a committed team. Startups do, however, need to be based in or willing to relocate to the Netherlands.

The Validation Program has a participation contribution of €900 (excl. VAT) per team of two founders. The Accelerator has a participation fee of €3,500 (excl. VAT) per team, plus a €25,000 (excl. VAT) success fee that becomes payable only once the company reaches either €1,000,000 in additional annual revenue or €1,000,000 in total funding. YES!Delft takes no equity, and the success fee is reinvested into the incubator.

YES!Delft gives startups structured access to network, knowledge, talent, markets, capital, and facilities. This includes programs, workshops, and masterclasses; a network of 100+ mentors and experts and 300+ investors; recruitment support drawing on TU Delft and Erasmus University; corporate and public-sector market connections; and facilities such as offices, the Makerzone, and field labs on the TU Delft campus. Accelerator startups remain part of this ecosystem and receive support for at least 5 years.

YES!Delft takes pride in its startups, mentors, Entrepreneurs in Residence, corporate partners, service partners, experts, and methodology. Thanks to this ecosystem, we can support tech entrepreneurs to build tomorrow’s leading companies.

We are a non-profit organization and we take zero equity from your startup. Our focus is to empower and enable founders to contribute to a better world.

Access to Network, Knowledge & Experience
- Startup Programs, Workshops & Masterclasses
- Network of 100+ Mentors and Experts

Access to Talent
- TU Delft, Erasmus University
- People & Culture services

Access to Markets
- Corporate and Public partnerships

Access to Capital
- Funding support services
- Network of 300+ investors

Access to Facilities
- Offices, workspaces, Makerzone and Fieldlabs

No, diverse and multi-disciplinary teams greatly outperform single co-founder teams globally and our data suggests this as well. If you cannot convince people to join you on your mission and to trust in their capabilities, you cannot build a team and a company. Other leading incubators worldwide also adopt this “no single co-founders” policy. At our Meet Your Co-Founder events, you can meet potential co-founders. 

In case you don’t have a specific tech idea but would like to become co-founder of a startup you could sign up for a Meet Your Co-founder event. Co-Lab is our monthly event where we challenge you to collaborate with fellow entrepreneurs. You will get the tools, knowledge, and connections to find your co-founder or join someone’s startup idea. Participation is free, but registration through our website is necessary. 

It always depends, but most often it is. If you are a person with an idea and you do not have a co-founder or have not done any sort of work to push your idea further (e.g. try a prototype or research into the idea), then our earliest program (Validation Program) will not provide you with value at the right time.

To apply to YES!Delft, you complete the online application form, after which a startup scout reviews your submission and invites you to an intake conversation. If the intake is successful you fill out a template pitch deck, and strong applicants are invited to a Selection Day to pitch in front of a jury that makes the final decision within a few days. Across both programs you need a committed founding team of at least two co-founders and an innovative, scalable technology solution; YES!Delft does not accept single-founder startups.

At YES!Delft, we advise startups to file for patents (when this is the case) or to have the freedom to operate for their innovations, as soon as they can. We don’t support financially the patent application process, but we do help our startups with recommendations of specialised lawyers and they can get more support in the community for specific deep tech industries.

No. We are happy to welcome startups from all over the world, as long as they are planning to move here, in The Netherlands with a valid reason. In addition, some of our programs are open European startups, so geographical diversity is only encouraged.

We are a facilitator organization for startup visa support (only) for the tech startups selected in one of our programs. Please check the requirements for getting accepted to the programs. For a full list of startup visa facilitators check out this website: https://www.netherlandspointofentry.nl/start-a-business/

Yes, we are very open to hear and discuss your groundbreaking tech innovations! You can reach out to contact us.

In terms of events, you can find upcoming events on our website. For updates and stories, you can check the latest news and you can subscribe to our newsletter. You can also find us on LinkedIn, where we post regular updates.

We organize events together with our partners in order to support the startups. We are not hosting external events that have no relation to startups.

For renting office space, we kindly refer you to the owner of the building: TDVG. Startups within our programs or ecosystem have priority over other startups or businesses. Visit the website of TDVG to see what the possibilities for renting an office are: Kantoor, laboratorium, werkruimte in Delft | TDVG

No, we don’t sell memberships or desks inside the YES!Delft office. However, the YES!Delft building hosts around 70 tech startups and houses a vibrant community. If you want to rent office space in the YES!Delft building you can contact TDVG. Startups within our programs or ecosystem have priority compared to other startups or businesses.

Yes, at YES!Delft we have a lot of different services that we offer to startups inside the building. If you would like to build prototypes you can use the equipment in the Makerzone. Via our community platform you can book meeting rooms, etc. Contact us for more information. As we are located on the TU Delft Campus we have access to many field labs and specialized hubs, you can find them here.

Yes, YES!Delft is a  member of Rise Europe, the European alliance of leading universities and startup hubs. Rise Europe was formed in May 2023 and brings together around 20 top entrepreneurial ecosystems across 14 European countries, with the shared goal of helping European startups scale internationally and strengthening Europe's technological sovereignty. Through this network, YES!Delft startups gain access to a pan-European community for talent, customers, and capital, plus support entering other European markets and visibility through Rise Europe's annual selection of the region's most significant startups.

Of course! YES!Delft has a very active partnership ecosystem. We are always interested in new partners. Our core mission is to ensure the success of our entrepreneurs. Our partnership program achieves this by making the right connections to our ecosystem. We can also leverage our experience with startup way-of-working to accelerate your internal innovation processes. Our partnerships are always customized to your needs, so we would like to discuss the opportunities with you. You can learn more about our corporate partnerships on our partner page. Get in touch with our Head of Partnerships via the contact page.

YES!Delft has a broad network of coaches and mentors and carefully selects those people that supplement our ecosystem and answer to the needs of our startups. All coaches work on a voluntary basis and in full confidentiality with regard to our startups. Aspiring mentors and coaches can contact us and ask for our Community Manager.

We love to connect our startups to the best suppliers and service providers in the world. YES!Delft has a separate program for Service Partners. If you want to get access to our startups you are more than welcome to contact us to discuss the possibilities. In order to maximize the value for our startups, we ask of you that you offer a discount programme for our startups. In exchange we will actively involve you in our programs and promote your services to our startups.

If you are looking for a startup job, you can visit the Startup Jobs page on Talents website. In case you don’t find an interesting position you can send your open application to all YES!Delft startups via this link. If a startup finds your profile interesting they will contact you directly.

In case you don’t find an interesting position you can send your open application to all YES!Delft startups via this link. If a startup finds your profile interesting, they will contact you directly.

Working for a startup offers a window of opportunities, freedom, and responsibility, as well as a lively and rapidly changing environment, where you are able to learn and grow. Startups within YES!Delft are always looking for talent, whether that is full-time employees, part-timers or interns/students. If you are interested to work for a startup, you can register for our Talent List or check out the job openings at our Startup Job Page. 

When registered for the Talent List you may be approached when one of the startups thinks you would be a good fit for their job opening and team culture. When applying to one of the vacancies on the Startup Job Page, the startups will get back to you based on your resume and motivation. 

YES!Delft can help you with your HR structure. We can put you in contact with some of our HR experts, as well as legal experts which will be able to assist you in creating the most suitable HR structure for your specific organization. When you are a YES!Delft startup, Office Hours are available with HR experts on Union where you can book a timeslot for 1-on-1 advice. 

The Validation Program runs for 10 weeks on a part-time basis. The Accelerator is a 3-month structured program, after which startups remain part of the YES!Delft ecosystem and continue to receive support for at least 5 years. Sector-focused Deep-dive modules run alongside these programs rather than as a separate timeline.

Your startup needs at least two committed co-founders, an innovative technology solution, and to be at the stage of validating your business idea and focusing on your problem-solution fit.

All of our programs take place in our incubator in Delft. Some activities may take place somewhere else like Rotterdam or The Hague.

The Validation Program has a participation contribution of € 900,- (excl. VAT) per team of two founders. 

By participating in the Validation Program, you acquire the right skills, receive an extensive toolset & get access to the YES!Delft ecosystem to tackle the biggest challenges you’ll face during the whole lifecycle of your startup. Joining the program allows you to validate your business idea, talk to many customers, and find your Problem-Solution Fit while learning about different aspects of your business, e.g., legal, funding, and team.

The Validation Program is a 10-week program. The first two weeks help you understand and select the right market, customer, and problem to solve and build a strong value proposition. In the following weeks, we host sessions with experts and organize deep dives into topics such as Legal & IP, Business Modelling, Team, Finance & Funding and pitching. During the program, you will focus on talking to your customers and getting out of the building to validate your assumptions. Throughout the program, you will be guided and supported by our startup coaches, your mentor, experts, and your peers in the program. 

One of the main reasons startups fail is lack of market demand. Our methodology and tools help you to validate your idea as quickly as possible and reduce uncertainty and risk. We don’t want you to be spending time and money on building startups and products that nobody wants.