Participants
Grand Final
This year, we celebrated the 20th anniversary edition of our Grand Final at Theater Rotterdam. It was a special evening, made truly memorable by the energy of our eight incredible startups who took the stage with inspiring pitches and powerful stories.
Our expert jury—Roy Jakobs, Herna Verhagen, Job van der Voort, Marleen Evertsz, Mark de Boer, and Pauline Wink—had the difficult task of selecting the winners. The evening was hosted by Lars Crama, with captivating interviews by Ali Niknam and Joost Smit, and an inspiring keynote from Eline van Beest, our 2008 winner.
To mark this milestone anniversary, the Philips Innovation Award proudly donated €5,000 to The Ocean Cleanup. It was a night filled with innovation, connection, and purpose—one to remember.
Semi-Final | Innovation Market
On May 8th, 30 selected startups took the stage at the iconic Maassilo to pitch their way to the Grand Final.
Each one brought energy, ambition, and bold ideas — all competing for a spot among our 8 finalists.
Visitors didn’t just witness the pitches — they also explored our Innovation Market, where the latest technologies and concepts were on full display (and sometimes even hands-on!).
We were also proud to welcome Rinke Zonneveld, CEO of Invest-NL, who shared valuable insights on scaling, investing, and the future of innovation in the Netherlands.
Find Your Talent Day
Find Your Talent Day 2025 brought together startups and curious students for a day full of spontaneous conversations and potential new beginnings. Hosted at Erasmus University, the central location made it easy for students to drop by and explore what it might be like to work with an ambitious startup — whether as an intern, employee, or even a future co-founder.
Real, direct connections between driven founders and eager talent. Looking back, this informal setup proved to be a great match, and a valuable addition to the PHIA trajectory once again.
Partner Recruitment Dinner
This year, we hosted our very first Partner Recruitment Dinner, where our Platinum Partners joined us for an exclusive evening dedicated to connecting with talented students and exploring recruitment opportunities.
Investor Day
Looking back on Investor Day 2025! Once again hosted at YES!Delft, this year’s edition brought together ambitious startups and a strong lineup of early-stage investors for an inspiring day of connection, funding strategy, and opportunity.
Through a series of curated speed dating sessions, startups had the chance to pitch their ideas and receive valuable feedback from investors including Slingshot, Rockstart, UNIIQ, InnovationQuarter, Graduate Entrepreneur, Rabobank, Tenzing Alpha, Shamrock, Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland, NextGen Ventures and Entrepreneurs’ Organization
It was a day full of energy, insights, and new beginnings for promising innovations!
Platinum Partner Dinner
To emphasize our gratitude for the partners who have joined the Philips Innovation Award, we hosted a Platinum Partner Dinner at Wolf Atelier this year. We were excited to welcome Google, NIBC, and Greenchoice as first-time Platinum Partners. Our Platinum Partners play a pivotal role in ensuring that the Philips Innovation Award has evolved from merely a pitch event to an accelerating journey, including numerous training days for our participating startups. It was an inspiring evening with individuals who share a passion for supporting innovation and making a difference.
Coaching Day
This year, the first training day of our trajectory took place at our new partner, Unknown Group, in de Titaan, The Hague. This vibrant hub for innovation proved to be the perfect setting for in-depth coaching sessions with our esteemed partners, including Philips, Google, NIBC, Equinix, KPMG, PGGM, and Arnold & Siedsma.
Kick-off event
To mark the start of the 2025 edition, all semi-finalists and business panel members were invited to our kick-off event at De Rooftop in Rotterdam. The evening provided the perfect opportunity to network while enjoying live music and drinks. In addition to building valuable connections, attendees were inspired by Kas Hogeboom, winner of Rough Diamond 2024 and founder of Lyla (formerly AlphaPace), who shared his insights and experiences.
