Press Release – Kitchener, Ontario – Dutch founded ANDRS Projects has chosen the Waterloo area to call its home away from home. After soft landing in the region in 2015 and testing Canadian waters in 2016, the Dutch tech company – that builds brands that help their customers leverage the power of their stakeholders – decided it was time to set up shop in the South Ontario tech corridor.
Think Outside the Valley
According to ANDRS Projects’ CEO and founder Caroline Vrauwdeunt the Canadian startup ecosystem is way ahead of the Netherlands. And the region holds tremendous value for companies with international ambitions.
“It has a close knit network of Universities and Colleges all working together with regional startup hubs and accelerators, making this accessible for startup companies like ours.
From the start of founding our company we were thrown in the international arena with the brands we developed. In a very early stage we were building our team internationally and focussing on global business delivery. We appreciate North American culture as it is more entrepreneurial and thinking big is not frowned upon. However we do not think we have to be in Silicon Valley, to bring our brands to success. We find the exact right mix here in Ontario.”
With a little help from friends
Until now the company has received hands-on support getting introductions through the GTMA network (currently Toronto Global), the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Toronto, the Canadian Embassy in The Hague and Communitech’s Startup Services. This has enabled them to literally soft land in Canada and launch and test their brands with launching clients, such as the Region of Durham.
“We deliver innovative stakeholder engagement software as a service” – Vrauwdeunt states. “We build and develop our software according to the principles of Value Proposition Design. This is a fancy way to describe we build and test our software at the same time, and market as early as possible. And it helps us develop and make necessary changes fast, not only changes in the technology or user experience but also in our business model. Our Location Marketing Suite Map Your City has benefitted from our Map Your City Labs we set up in 2016 and now we are ready to roll. “
Grow & Give back
Vrauwdeunt also explains it is important to never stop learning as a company, team or founder. She emphasizes the need to be close to a network of startups and to share experiences and knowledge. “That is why it is extremely important to be connected to the Communitech community” – she adds. But ANDRS Projects wants not only to learn but also to give back to the startup community and the region as it aims to grow in Canada’s tech corridor (and beyond).
Connect with ANDRS Projects
If you are looking to connect with the ANDRS Projects team, they will be working out of Communitech’s Co-Working Space. Tackle them there or drop them a note at info@andrs.nu.
About: ANDRS Projects was founded in 2012 delivering project management and consultancy services focussing on stakeholder collaboration. Right from the start their innovation roadmap led them to develop innovative collaborative software based products and receiving international rewards and acknowledgement.
Since inception the company has had an international focus and as a born global they derive significant competitive advantage from the use of resources and the sale of outputs in multiple countries. Their dedicated team of rockstars work on their brands from three different global timezones, their offices are located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Kitchener, Ontario. This year they are celebrating 5 years of innovation.