Dutch technical universities are recognized around the world for both excellent education as well as cutting edge research, so it is not surprising to find our graduates making an impact also as founders of up and coming start-ups. During a new series of online Dutch Engineers Alumni Network (DEAN*) events aka ‘meet the start-ups tour’ a spotlight will be put on young alumni entrepreneurs behind exciting new ventures who will share their inspiration, challenges and ambitions for the future!
On Tuesday June 1st at 20.00 hrs you are invited to join fellow UT/TU alumni in Switzerland as part of a special online gathering for DEAN* communities in the country where over 2.500 of our graduates are located.
Programme: The interactive evening programme includes brief updates from the universities followed by a short talk by TU Delft and ETH alumnus Chester Houwink about his journey from Tesla and Rocket Internet to co-founding Zurich based 9T Labs – a company pioneering industrial 3D printing of carbon fiber composites that last year raised $4.3 million in seed financing.
Per tradition, this gathering concludes with a virtual borrel (BYOB) where you and fellow alumni living in Geneva, Zurich and other parts of Switzerland will be mixed with each other to maximize interactions and stimulate conversations. Make sure to also bring some snacks and drinks for the borrel!
Registration can be done via this link (sign-ups are processed by the TU Delft Alumni Office)
About the evening's speaker: Advancements in materials and robotics allow us to set audacious goals for our physical world. Surgical robotics, electric aircraft, smart wearables and space equipment will define the future of climate, our health and our social interactions. As a co-founder of 9T Labs, Chester Houwink is making the manufacturing of these structures possible by utilizing 3D printing. In this talk, Chester shares insights of building a hardware start-up, the digitization of the global manufacturing landscape and new design latitudes.
Why are the Alumni Offices organizing this online event? For alumni living outside of their own countries, networks such as DEAN can be extremely useful resources for tapping into fellow alumni for advice, support and networking. These gatherings are meant to enhance local connections between alumni and is an addition to the existing channel the LinkedIn Group DEAN Switzerland.
What can you expect? This event follows other successful virtual events hosted by DEAN over the past year for alumni in the Nordics, Spain, France, Germany & East Coast USA/Canada. Here are some comments from participants:
“I thoroughly enjoyed participating, getting to meet others in my area, and meeting everyone else from across the eastern-half of North America and NL! It was a great escape from current times with stay-at-home orders, and not being able to travel. I look forward to participating again in the future”
"Thanks very much. It was a very good experience to be able to link up with a group of people with the same background, same interest in France. Hope we will have more often such an opportunity!
The event was well organised, dynamic and participative."
"Great job! Unbelievable attention to detail made it better, including the idea/risk-taking of the borrels, the group facilitation, and the comprehensive follow-ups including survey, attendee list and especially WhatsApp local groups. Congrats to all who organized it!"
>> To participate please register via this link with sign-ups being processed by the TU Delft Alumni Office <<
If you are unable to participate but would still like to stay up to date of the events in Switzerland please also use the registration form.
* The Dutch Engineers Alumni Network (DEAN) of TU Delft, TU Eindhoven, UTwente, and Wageningen University launched its activities in 2014 and now has active communities in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Nordics, Spain, Switzerland and the USA. UT alumni from both technical and non-technical studies can join DEAN events and access resources.
