FAQ

Back in October 2019, five big Dutch corporations - Ahold Delhaize, ING, KLM, NS, and Philips - joined forces to accelerate AI in the Netherlands. They wanted to do more than just talk about AI; they wanted to make it happen by growing talent, driving innovation, and getting AI out of the lab and into the real world. Philips later left the initiative and the four other founding partners continued up until today.

Fast forward to 2022 when KickstartAI became an independent non-profit with one clear mission: to speed up AI adoption in the Netherlands. Real-world projects, close collaboration with industry partners, and a vibrant community of AI professionals, ready to make an impact.

KickstartAI is here to speed up AI adoption in the Netherlands, by connecting people, solving real problems, and making AI work where it matters.

With a fast-growing community of over 7,500 data scientists, engineers, and AI experts, we bring together the brightest minds to exchange ideas, share best practices, and push AI forward. But we’re not just here to talk, we collaborate with companies, governments, and social organizations to turn AI into real solutions for real challenges. Whether it’s reducing food waste, improving healthcare, or optimizing logistics, we help AI make a tangible impact

As a trusted partner in the AI ecosystem, we bridge the gap between ambition and execution. Our deep expertise and strong network help businesses and institutions embed AI in ways that drive real progress. In short: we make sure AI isn’t just a buzzword, but a tool for meaningful change.

The Netherlands is losing its edge in innovation and economic growth. We’ve slipped in global rankings, and with just 0.1% economic growth in 2023 (compared to 4.5% the year before), companies and talent are looking elsewhere. But there’s a way forward.

Embracing AI could boost the Dutch economy by €85 billion over the next decade. That’s where KickstartAI comes in. With a thriving community of 7,500+ AI professionals from 750+ organizations, we connect talent, share knowledge, and turn AI into real-world solutions. From businesses to government and beyond, we help drive AI adoption where it counts. The future is going to be driven by AI. If the Netherlands wants to lead, now’s the time to act.

KickstartAI is financed by the founding partners. Ahold Delhaize, ING, KLM, NS. Each partner makes an annual contribution to the foundation. All funds go towards our mission to accelerate the adoption of AI in the Netherlands.

The KickstartAI Board consists of representatives of the founding partners of KickstartAI and an independent chairman. Each founding partner has one representative on our Board.

With 7,500+ AI professionals from 750+ organizations—including big names like IKEA, Booking, KPN, ASML, and Ahold—KickstartAI is the go-to AI community in the Netherlands.

We bring experts together through meetups, hackathons, and workshops, making AI collaboration fun, hands-on, and impactful. Prefer to connect online? Our community keeps the conversation going on our invite-only Slack channel.

If AI or data science is part of your daily work, you belong in our community! Just head to the ‘Home’ page on our website and sign up. Whether you’re a data scientist, software engineer, or AI enthusiast, you’re welcome to join our meetups, hackathons, events and Slack. Let’s build the future of AI together!

A membership is and will always be free of charge. All data scientists, software engineers and AI experts that work in the Netherlands are welcome to join our community.

Being part of our AI community means getting front-row access to the best tech events, hands-on workshops, and expert-led sessions across the Netherlands. It’s where AI professionals connect, swap ideas, and spark collaborations that actually lead somewhere.

Want to dive deeper? Work on real-world case studies and chat with fellow AI minds on Slack. Looking for mentorship or job opportunities? We’ve got that too. Plus, there’s our monthly podcast and technical blog to keep you in the loop. In short: if you work with AI, this is where you want to be.

When we asked our members what they like about us, the answer was clear: they wanted to meet like-minded professionals, swap ideas, and dive into real-world AI applications.

Turns out, being part of a thriving AI community makes learning (and networking) way more fun! 

AI moves forward when we work together, that’s why we’re already collaborating with industry partners like KLM, Ahold Delhaize, NS, and ING. But also with societal organizations like AIC4NL, TNO and Voedselbank.

But we’re just getting started. AI innovation should be a national effort, and the more partnerships, the better. Whether you’re looking to shape the Netherlands into a global AI leader or need help tackling a specific AI challenge, we’re always up for a chat. 

You can get in touch with Tjarda:
tjarda.voorneman@kickstart.ai

At KickstartAI, we believe the best way to accelerate AI adoption is by doing and creating. That’s why we love to roll up our sleeves and build real-world solutions.

Every KickstartAI project is a collaboration between our expert team, the sharpest minds from leading Dutch companies, and your team. We act as the project lead, bringing together AI specialists, data scientists, and engineers to tackle your challenge. Whether it’s optimizing logistics, reducing waste, predicting demand, or improving decision-making, we develop AI solutions that are practical, scalable, and ready to use.

In several sprints, we make the project fit seamlessly into your business operations. By working side by side with your team, we ensure a good knowledge transfer, making the solution an integral part of your process.

With KickstartAI projects we don’t just develop an idea. We implement, test, and make it work. Bridging the gap between AI theory and practice and helping businesses unlock AI’s full potential. A KickstartAI project ends with a fully integrated AI solution that actually works in your day-to-day operations. By the time we’re done, the thing we’ve worked on runs smoother, smarter, and delivers better results.

At KickstartAI, our mission is simple: to speed up the adoption of AI in the Netherlands. We are already building and implementing AI solutions for some of the country’s biggest companies and we’re just getting started. Since launching, we’ve steadily taken on more projects, and in 2025, we’re cranking things up, doubling the number of projects from 2024. Let’s go!