Van den Kroonenberg Award 2025 for father Herman and son Jelle Klein Teeselink

The University Fund Twente presented the award to the UT alumni during the Opening of the Academic Year. Herman Klein Teeselink is the founder of HoSt Bio-Energy BV. Since 2020, Jelle Klein Teeselink has been part of the management team and, now in his role as CEO, is continuing the family business. The annual prize is awarded to entrepreneurs with a UT affiliation who have successfully launched a start-up on the market.

In 1991, UT student Herman founded HoSt Group through a joint venture between Holec Projects and Stork. HoSt was initially a consultancy firm but soon started developing products based on customer projects. In 2010, HoSt relocated from Hengelo to Kennispark. His son Jelle studied Industrial Engineering at the UT and then started working in private equity. He joined HoSt in 2020.

Enormous growth

In the period from 2020 to the present, the company at Kennispark has grown both organically and through acquisitions to a turnover of 200 million euros and from 100 FTE to over 600 FTE today. To accommodate future growth, the family business will move to Hengelo's High Tech Systems Park next year. Within the group, HoSt Energy Systems focuses on the production of biogas using biogas technology and the production of sustainable electricity and heat through the construction of combined heat and power boilers. In addition, the group offers Energy as a Service (EaaS) and has four operating companies: HyGear (hydrogen technology), Bright Renewables (sustainable gas and CO2 technology), InstalSolutions (production location in Poland) and TELE Automation (engineering and panel construction in Hengelo).

HoSt is passionate about promoting renewable energy technology worldwide, accelerating the transition to renewable energy, decarbonising hard-to-abate CO₂ emitting industries and helping their customers achieve sustainability goals. To date, more than 500 systems have been built in over 35 countries, some of which have been operating successfully for more than two decades.

Van Den Kroonenberg Award

The Van den Kroonenberg Award for excellence in entrepreneurship is awarded to entrepreneurs who have a clear connection with the University of Twente and who have proven themselves through good entrepreneurship. The award, which is awarded by a jury consisting of entrepreneurs and UT researchers, is a tribute to former rector magnificus Harry van den Kroonenberg, who played a crucial role in establishing the University of Twente’s entrepreneurial reputation. The Van den Kroonenberg Award was awarded for the 41st time this year on behalf of the Twente University Fund. The winner received 5,000 euros and a sculpture by Mohana van den Kroonenberg.