NextEd: Building the Student Incubator of the Future
From scratch to success: launching The Hague University's first student incubator for education, tech, and sustainability.
Overview
Team: Andreas Kruszakin-Liboska (Founder & Coach), Tim van den Bosch, Ronald Visser, Heleen Geerts, various internal faculty & student interns. Created at: The Hague University of Applied Sciences
What I worked on
Program design, stakeholder alignment, branding, community building, venture coaching
Launched THUAS’s first student incubator, boosting innovation reputation and increasing partnerships by 34% through sharp positioning and UX overhaul.
NextEd: Student Startup Incubator
The challenge:
When I started NextEd, I didn’t have a tech background or incubator expertise. What I had was curiosity and a blank canvas. The challenge? Design a startup program from zero, align it with academic goals, and get faculty, external incubators, and skeptical students to believe in it. Plus, we had to stand out in a region already packed with innovation hubs like YesDelft and PLNT Leiden—with a fraction of their resources.
The approach:
Research-led from the Ground Up:
I traveled between incubators in the Netherlands and Belgium, conducting field interviews with students, founders, and ecosystem leaders. This revealed shared needs: community, coaching, structure, and space.
The Startup Clock Framework:
In co-creation with educators and startup mentors, I developed the "Startup Clock": a two-chapter incubator journey focused on Idea Validation and Product Realization, divided into four cycles with weekly activities, prototyping, and public demos.
Branding, Positioning & Launch:
Created the visual identity, website (nexted.nl), and early outreach materials (brochures, posters, decks) to communicate the incubator’s mission to students and partners.
Human-Centered Coaching:
Mentored student founders using a flexible, encouraging approach that balanced guidance with ownership. Led a small intern team and supported every cohort member with 1-on-1 feedback and design/system thinking techniques.
The impact:
7+ Startups Incubated in 6 Months:
We grew from 2 to 7 ventures within the first semester, every founder either continued their startup, used it for graduation, or landed a related job.
30+ Applications & 10+ Partners Secured:
In co-creation with educators and startup mentors, I developed the "Startup Clock": a two-chapter incubator journey focused on Idea Validation and Product Realization, divided into four cycles with weekly activities, prototyping, and public demos.
Gulliver Best Startup of 2025:
One of our incubatees, Swarmed, won a major EdTech award and raised over €20,000 via Kickstarter to build a platform protecting bee populations in the US.
NextEd Becomes a Permanent Minor:
Due to its success, the incubator is being formalized into an official 5-credit minor for future cohorts in the Faculty of IT & Design.
Hear first hand from my colleagues
A few honest words from the people I built with.
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