THE NEXT WEB BV

Their core work

The Next Web BV is an Amsterdam-based tech media and events company that has channelled its reach into EU-funded programmes as an accelerator and ecosystem connector for digital startups and SMEs. In H2020, they delivered coaching, mentoring, and investment-readiness support to data-centric companies across Europe, and later expanded into deeptech matchmaking and community events. Their core value in a consortium is access to a large European startup and investor audience — they open doors rather than conduct research. They are best understood as a bridge between the EU innovation system and the commercial tech world.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their first H2020 engagement (2019) was tightly scoped around the European data market — helping data-centric SMEs with GDPR compliance, standardisation, venture capital access, and coaching. By 2020, the focus broadened significantly: the second project dropped the data-market specificity in favour of general deeptech ecosystem building, matchmaking, and event-driven service provision. The direction of travel is clear — from vertical data-sector accelerator toward a horizontal platform that connects any deeptech start-up with the people and capital they need, using TNW's media reach and events as the primary mechanism.

TNW is moving toward becoming a pan-European deeptech connector, using its events and media brand as infrastructure — future collaborations are most likely in programmes that need visible startup communities, investor-facing milestones, or large-scale matchmaking events.

How they like to work

TNW has participated in all projects as a consortium partner, never as coordinator, which reflects their role as a specialist contributor rather than a project manager. With 15 unique partners across 11 countries from only 2 projects, they bring a wide and varied network into any consortium. They appear to join mid-size to large coordinated actions where their audience reach and event capabilities complement more technical or research-oriented partners.

TNW has built connections with 15 distinct organisations across 11 countries through just 2 projects, suggesting their consortia are intentionally pan-European and diverse. Their Amsterdam base anchors them in one of Europe's top startup hubs, which likely attracts partners from across the continent seeking access to that ecosystem.

What sets them apart

TNW is rare in H2020 in being a tech media and events brand rather than a research institution or consultancy — they bring an existing audience of hundreds of thousands of tech professionals, investors, and founders that most consortium partners simply cannot replicate. Where other partners contribute scientific output or technical development, TNW contributes visibility, community, and commercial deal flow. For any project that needs real-world startup uptake or investor engagement, they are a high-leverage addition to a consortium.

Highlights from their portfolio

• DMS Accelerator
  TNW's largest H2020 grant (EUR 372,500) and their most technically specific engagement, embedding them directly in the European data economy policy and support infrastructure at a formative moment for GDPR and data market regulation.
• XEUROPE
  Marked a strategic pivot toward deeptech ecosystem building, positioning TNW as a European matchmaking platform rather than a sector-specific accelerator — a role that maps directly onto their core commercial identity.