Noord-Holland Launches Expanded Business Acceleration Program with New Partners
Haarlem, Wednesday, 31 December 2025.
The province of Noord-Holland has revamped its GO!-NH acceleration program with ROM InWest as a key implementation partner, expanding beyond startups to include established SMEs with innovative products. The program now offers three distinct tracks - Market Readiness, Scaling Readiness, and Alumni - providing free, comprehensive support from market entry to scaling. This strategic partnership between provincial government and regional development agencies creates a ‘pressure cooker’ environment where businesses accelerate growth alongside peers within Noord-Holland’s innovation ecosystem, strengthening the region’s competitive advantage in fostering entrepreneurship.
ROM InWest’s Strategic Role in Program Development
ROM InWest, a regional development agency founded in 2021 [1], has taken on a comprehensive partnership role in the renewed GO!-NH program, extending far beyond traditional funding support. The agency is directly involved in program design, recruitment, selection, and ongoing guidance of participating companies [1]. This marks a strategic evolution from ROM InWest’s individual venture development approach to a programmatic model that leverages collective learning and peer acceleration. “Voor ons is GO!-NH een logisch verlengde van onze venture development-aanpak,” explains Stef Mellema, business developer at ROM InWest. “We begeleiden ondernemers dagelijks op individueel niveau, maar met GO!-NH doen we dat programmatisch, in een snelkookpan, samen met andere bedrijven en het regionale ecosysteem” [1].
Enhanced Program Structure and Expanded Target Market
The redesigned GO!-NH program operates through three distinct program lines: Market Readiness, Scaling Readiness, and Alumni [1]. This structured approach allows companies to progress through different stages of development while maintaining continuous support from the Noord-Holland innovation ecosystem. Significantly, the program has broadened its scope beyond traditional startups and scale-ups to include established small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with innovative products or services. “We willen met GO!-NH niet alleen start- en scale-ups bedienen, maar juist ook het mkb verder helpen… Ook gevestigde bedrijven met een nieuw, innovatief product of dienst kunnen via GO!-NH versnellen,” notes Mellema. “Die bredere doelgroep is belangrijk voor de kracht van het Noord-Hollandse ecosysteem” [1]. The program utilizes the StartupFramework© methodology from implementation partners Gritd and Tekkoo [1].
Regional Ecosystem Integration and Provincial Support
The GO!-NH program demonstrates a comprehensive ecosystem approach, integrating multiple stakeholders across Noord-Holland’s innovation landscape. The initiative is commissioned by the province of Noord-Holland [1] and involves municipalities, knowledge institutions, financiers, and network organizations including Ontwikkelingsbedrijf NHN and PIM [1]. This collaborative framework ensures that participating companies benefit from the full spectrum of regional resources and expertise. The strengthened connection between GO!-NH and ROM InWest in the new program structure creates clearer pathways for entrepreneurs while improving overall effectiveness. “In de nieuwe opzet zijn GO!-NH en ROM InWest steviger aan elkaar verbonden. Dat maakt het voor ondernemers duidelijker en effectiever,” Mellema explains [1]. Participation in the program remains free of charge and operates on an application and selection basis [1].
Provincial Economic Development Context
This program renewal occurs within Noord-Holland’s broader economic development strategy, which focuses on strengthening the economy and stimulating employment across the province [2]. The province actively invests in attractive and sustainable business locations, educational alignment with the labor market, and creating an entrepreneurial climate that supports knowledge development and innovation [2]. ROM InWest contributes to this ecosystem through its management of significant funding mechanisms, including a 60 million euro SME fund (MKB-fonds) and a Transition Fund with a target capital of 100 million euros [3]. Throughout 2025, ROM InWest demonstrated its active investment approach through follow-up investments via the Participatiefonds Duurzame Economie Noord-Holland (PDENH) in companies including MUD Jeans, Asperitas, Dexter Energy, ChainCraft, and Fairphone [3]. As the organization looks toward 2026, this enhanced GO!-NH partnership represents a key component of Noord-Holland’s strategy to maintain its competitive position in the Dutch innovation landscape [3].