We’d done this once before, but this round felt different from day one. The nervous energy was still there, but there was also something sharper: Founders willing to challenge themselves, and us, in the process.

By the end, seven founders made it through. And the ones who stayed? They didn’t just refine an idea, they built conviction.

Week 1 - digging into the mess

The first Saturday always feels a little awkward. People walk in with slides they barely believe in or a “next big idea” they can’t quite explain.

We started by ripping that open:

• What problem space are you actually in?
• Where’s the real opportunity?
• What’s worth exploring, and what’s noise?

Founders learned how to run in‑depth interviews with potential customers. Not the polite, leading kind, but the kind where you sit with the awkward silences, ask better questions, and start to hear what’s really going on.

The homework was simple but brutal: line up calls. Lots of them.

Week 2 - from raw notes to sharp ideas

By the second Saturday, the office was buzzing. Walls covered in scribbles, sticky notes everywhere, founders comparing what they heard from interviews (“those damn interviews,” as one muttered grabbing coffee).

This was where the dots started connecting:

• Clearer value propositions
• Sharper differentiators
• First sketches of a venture vision that could hold up outside the room.

Week 3 - validation, hero features, and the GTM reality check

This week was the turning point.

We pushed founders to define their hero features — the one or two things their product had to do so well it made people say, “Wait, really?”

We also killed the “if we build it, they will come” myth. Founders designed their first go‑to‑market hacks — scrappy, creative ways to reach first users without a single euro of ad spend.

This was the week of pivots, and of momentum.

Week 4 - pitches with stakes

The final Saturday was pitch day, but not the “stand up and read your slides” kind.

We worked on story, tension, stakes. Founders tore up decks, rebuilt them, and learned that a good pitch isn’t about showing everything — it’s about showing what matters.

‍By the end, the room felt different. The ideas hadn’t just evolved — the people presenting them had.

What founders said

Harry: “A well‑structured and hands‑on program with plenty of personal attention. The pragmatic feedback from Builders allowed me to sharpen my idea, and the group’s energy was contagious.”

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Alex van Viegen: “30% of program candidates drop out in the first couple of weeks. I made sure I was not part of that statistic. I loved every second of the Bootcamp. My Saturdays were well spent diving deeper into the problem I was solving! It was incredible brainstorming with the other founders and Builders team. Sign up! You won’t regret it.”

Their words say it better than we could — the program isn’t easy, but if you stick with it, it sticks with you.

What we learned this time

Bootcamp 2.0 taught us as much as it taught the founders.

• What worked: clearer weekly plans, more hands‑on time, founders who arrived ready to do the work.
• What we’ll tighten next time: less theory, tighter goals, no waiting around for decisions.

It reinforced something big: entrepreneurship isn’t a solo sport. The best ideas came alive in the room — in conversations, in debates, in the messy moments when someone dared to ask, “Why are we even doing this?”

Looking forward

Two editions in, we’re thinking bigger.

Maybe the next Bootcamp won’t just be in Rotterdam. Maybe it’s a roadshow. Maybe a university edition.

‍What’s certain: the Bootcamp will be back. And if you’re ready to do the hard work — the kind that turns vague ideas into real momentum — keep an eye on the Bootcamp page or get in touch.

Because the next one? It could be yours.