Proud to share that our researcher Jip Leendertse was featured in Cobouw this week, discussing what he calls the pilot trap: the phenomenon where construction startups successfully complete a pilot project, only to see momentum stall afterwards.
Jip's research points to a structural issue specific to the built environment. The party funding a pilot, often a public client like Rijkswaterstaat or ProRail, is frequently a different party from the one that needs to implement the innovation at scale. Once a pilot succeeds, the pilot customer often doesn’t remain customer and that is where many promising innovations lose momentum. His advice to startups: get all relevant actors in the supply chain at the table as early as possible, and shift your focus towards your actual future customer well before the pilot ends.
Jip's research also touches on what he calls "innovation theatre", the visibility and PR value that pilots generate for everyone involved, and the risk of startups staying in the spotlight for too long instead of moving on to the next real step.
Read the full article on Cobouw
Photo: Cobouw, Suzanne van de Kerk
Insights like these are exactly why we back the ventures we do. If you are building something in the built environment and could use support in navigating that journey, from funding to finding the right partners, the BK-Launch Entrepreneurship Awards 2026 are open for applications until 13 September. Find out more here!
Category: Research