IO+ Week: Nexperia, why we fail, and a European alternative
Every Sunday, our weekly overview provides a summary of the most interesting stories about important innovations.
Published on October 19, 2025
why we fail
Bart, co-founder of Media52 and Professor of Journalism oversees IO+, events, and Laio. A journalist at heart, he keeps writing as many stories as possible.
It was the week of Nexperia, the Nijmegen-based company with Chinese owners that supplies the world with “simple chips.” Or should we say “supplied”? Based on administrative risks at the company, the Dutch government recently decided to remove the Chinese director from his position, prompting China to freeze virtually all chip exports to Europe. The consequences, for example, for the automotive industry, could be immense. Once again, our dependence on global semiconductor flows has been proven. Geopolitics is not child's play. Read our analysis here.
Why we fail
But the io+ editorial team was obviously concerned with much more than just Nexperia. Two issues I would like to draw attention to: Mauro Mereu published the first part of his series “Why we fail,” about the struggles of the Dutch startup ecosystem. Not entirely coincidentally, the next day brought news that the number of startup investments, at 79, is at its lowest level in years. As we have come to expect from Mauro's work, this installment is also full of interesting interactive infographics. I am already looking forward to the next episode!
In another series, which is already a little further along in its development, Merien ten Houten looks at European alternatives to common American tools. After episodes on email, cloud storage, navigation, and chat, among other things, this week it was the turn of search engines. Ever heard of Qwant, Ecosia, Mojeek, or GOOD search? They're worth trying. IO+ is also busy working on becoming completely independent from American parties, step by step. Partly by building our own solutions, partly by trying out European providers. With every successful step, you realize more and more how dependent we are on Big Tech...
The European Alternative
The European Alternative
The European Alternative is a series about European tech solutions that focus on privacy, digital sovereignty, and sustainability. Instead of relying on large American platforms, we show what alternatives Europe itself has to offer: transparent, secure, and in line with European values.
A selection of other highlights from this week:
- Helia Biomonitoring: from research to industrial breakthrough
- Dutch employees are poorly prepared for cyberattacks
- Political debate reveals vulnerability and opportunities of digital focus
- Number of startup investments at 79, lowest level in years
- The Dutch startup ecosystem is at a crossroads
- Agri-food tech accelerator StartLife celebrates its 15th anniversary
- Big opportunities, big responsibilities: AI in startup land
- In semicon, everything starts with demand, not production
- Search engines with European values, four alternatives to Google
- First cleanroom at a vocational education institution in the Netherlands
- AI and the energy crisis: where are the brain computers?
- Rift wants to make the industry CO₂-free worldwide
Watt Matters in AI
We are approaching November 26, the day we will hold our Watt Matters in AI conference. Everything about the exorbitant energy consumption of AI systems, but above all: what solutions are there to prevent this from getting completely out of hand? Tickets are available via Watt Matters in AI. For those who still have doubts about the importance of the subject, be sure to read this article containing the message from Hans Hilgenkamp, chair of the organizing committee.
The line-up is becoming more impressive by the week:
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ioplus daily podcast trailer
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