Velocity and Novel-T forge transatlantic trade corridor for founders

Velocity at Canada’s top entrepreneurial university joins forces with Novel-T at University of Twente, the Netherlands’ #1 university for entrepreneurship to establish a transatlantic trade corridor and accelerate a clear path to first revenue in new markets for early-stage founders.
Group of nine people standing together and smiling at an event, posing in front of a large blue screen with the text ‘Novel-T’ and 'Velocity' displayed.
From left (back) to right (front): Jonathan Gong, Co-founder of United Mobility; Nathan Li, Co-founder of United Mobility; Mike Verkouter, CCO at Novel-T; Roy Spit, Director of Novel-T; Adam Barbolet, Senior Trade Commissioner at the Embassy of Canada to the Netherlands; Vinod Subramaniam, President of the University of Twente; Anne Olde Loohuis, Head of Internationalisation Strategy at the University of Twente; David Wu, Co-founder of United Mobility; Moazam Kahn, Director of Velocity; and Margriet Dekkers, Strategic Partnerships Relations at the University of Twente.
Velocity
University of Waterloo
September 8, 2025

Velocity, the University of Waterloo’s leading entrepreneurship centre, is launching a new exploratory program with Novel-T, the premier innovation hub at the University of Twente in the Netherlands.

Building on a 2022 partnership between university Presidents Vivek Goel and Vinod Subramaniam, the program turns strategic goodwill into go-to-market momentum establishing a transatlantic trade corridor to fast-track market validation and founder access.

From left to right: Anne Olde Loohuis, Head of Internationalisation Strategy at the University of Twente; Adam Barbolet, Senior Trade Commissioner at the Embassy of Canada to the Netherlands; Vinod Subramaniam, President of the University of Twente; Margriet Dekkers, Strategic Partnerships Relations at the University of Twente; Moazam Kahn, Director of Velocity; and Mike Verkouter, CCO at Novel-T.

“Velocity’s world-renowned blueprint for innovation is designed to de-risk early-stage founders and accelerate their path to global markets. This partnership with the University of Twente builds on our long-standing relationship.  It will give our founders a strategic edge, accelerating validation, navigating new markets, and exporting Waterloo-built technologies faster,” says Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Waterloo.

Velocity and Novel-T, both internationally recognized leaders in innovation and entrepreneurship, consistently rank among the top organizations supporting startups in their respective countries.

Turning innovation into exports

This new program was formalized in Enschede during Slush'D, where Moazam Khan, Director of Velocity, signed the agreement.

“This is about building bridges between two of the world’s most innovative ecosystems,” said Khan. “With a joint focus we are unlocking faster product-market fit for health and deep-tech startups, with shared mentors, shared pilots, and a clear path to first revenue in new markets.”

By aligning Velocity’s venture creation playbook with Novel-T’s European Union (EU) network, this program helps early-stage companies convert research and development (R&D) into cross-border sales, create high-quality jobs, and accelerate bilateral investment between the EU and Canada.

“We’re creating a real transatlantic bridge so early-stage founders can validate with customers faster, navigate regulation with local guidance, and treat Europe and North America as a single, expanded home market,” says Mike Verkouter, Chief Commercialization Officer, Novel-T.

Anke Huiskes, Co-founder of NP-Hard Ventures (L), and Moazam Kahn, Director of Velocity (R), at the Session Enschede Slush'D discussing how to help ecosystems thrive.

While in Enschede, Khan was pleased to participate in a high-profile panel alongside Constantijn Van Oranje, Special Envoy at Techleap, Anke Huiskes, NP-Hard Ventures and Sven de Clen, managing director of imec. The discussion highlighted the importance of international collaboration in driving innovation. The event was supported by Senior Trade Commissioner, Adam Barbolet with the Canadian Embassy in the Netherlands, underscoring the significance of this transatlantic collaboration.

Constantijn van Oranje-Nassau, Envoy of Techleap.nl (L), Anke Huiskes, Co-founder of NP-Hard Ventures (C), and Moazam Kahn, Director of Velocity (R), at the Session Enschede Slush'D discussing how to help ecosystems thrive.

“This milestone marks the next step in a strategic partnership between the University of Twente and the University of Waterloo. By fostering a transatlantic innovation ecosystem, we’re unlocking new potential for entrepreneurial collaboration across Europe and North America,” says Margriet Dekkers, Strategic Partnerships, University of Twente.

This partnership expands on Velocity’s model to de-risk founders and increase export for Ontario based ventures and accelerating global impact.
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Learn more about Velocity at velocityincubator.com.
Learn more about Novel-T at novelt.com.