TOS, Temporary support Of Spin-offs

The purpose is to promote the start of new high-quality knowledge-based companies by linking business ideas or products of large companies to young, ambitious entrepreneurs. At present many large companies are increasingly concentrating on their core activities. This induces the loss of possible products that are still under development. Thus, promising ideas that have been spotted in the market or have been developed for internal use, disappear. Apart from this there are fields that large companies have no wish to explore for further development. By means of the TOS-project new ambitious entrepreneurs are given the chance to grasp these opportunities through their own spin-off company.

TOS offers:

• Identification of spin-off ideas within large R&D driven companies and organisations (e.g. past cooperation with Philips and Shell Small Business Unit).
• Selection of new entrepreneurs looking for a business idea (product or service) with market potential.
• Matching of spin-off idea with selected entrepreneur
• Follow-up support

The TOS-concept has succesfully been developped in several regions in the Netherlands and on the Netherlands Antilles. The latter project SPOC (Spin-off Curaço) has realised approximately 20 new businesses and business combinations over a period of two years. Besides this, projects like TOS create a valuable network of business opportunities and excellent relationships with R&D-driven companies in the region.