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

Teal Flower
Teal Flower
Teal Flower
Teal Flower

Designed and launched THUAS’s first student incubator, elevating the university’s reputation in innovative education, resulting in 10 regional partnerships.

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.

Curious about more work?

Check-out other great examples of my skills!

F⚡ck Boring Design. Build What Matters.

©2025 Andreas. All rights reserved.

F⚡ck Boring Design. Build What Matters.

©2025 Andreas. All rights reserved.

F⚡ck Boring Design. Build What Matters.

©2025 Andreas. All rights reserved.

F⚡ck Boring Design. Build What Matters.

©2025 Andreas. All rights reserved.