18 months to
explore and build.
Latent Ambition gives experienced scientists and engineers 18 months in Amsterdam to work on a hard problem in AI and deep tech, and turn it into a plan others can back.
You don’t need a finished idea. We take no equity, and what you build stays yours.
Get notifiedWhat you get
An income
A monthly income for 18 months, so you can leave your job and work on your idea full time.
A budget you control
Money for experiments, compute and travel. You decide what moves your work forward.
A place and people
A desk at The Stack, Techleap’s AI hub in Amsterdam, with peers, mentors who have built companies and quick introductions.
Ownership stays with you
We take no equity and no rights to your work. The intellectual property stays with you.
How it works
Month 0
Get selected
A panel that includes outside experts chooses a small cohort on track record and ambition. You don’t need a finished idea.
Months 1–6
Explore
Sharpen the problem, test how big it could be and run first experiments. By month six, you have a clear direction and a plan.
Months 6–12
Build and test
Build proofs of concept, test the biggest risks and meet possible co-founders and users. Aim for first results by month twelve.
Months 12–18
Get ready to launch
Line up funding, set up the new organisation and protect your work. Leave as a company, a non-profit or a focused research team.
At months 3, 6 and 12 you review progress with your peers and our team. It’s a conversation, not a pitch. Builders never compete with each other for money or a place, and if an idea doesn’t work out, you can refocus, join another builder or stop.
Who it’s for
Experienced scientists and engineers, mid-career or later, who want to solve a hard problem. Builders from anywhere are welcome, and we help with relocation.
What we look for
Technical depth
Shown by what you have built, shipped or published.
A record of building
You have taken something from idea to reality before, inside or outside an organisation.
A bold mindset
You aim at problems that would matter a great deal if solved, even when the odds are uncertain. We call it “big if true”.
You might be
- A technical lead in corporate R&D or at a scale-up, working at the front of your field
- A founder who has exited a startup and is looking for what comes next
- An academic researcher with deep expertise who wants to take it beyond the university
Four areas to start with
- AI for deep tech
- Robotics and drones
- Energy and climate
- Biotech and bioproduction
Your problem should fit one of these. More areas will follow.
For funders
Philanthropists, foundations, companies and public funders who want more ambitious deep tech work to start in the Netherlands. Your support pays for builders’ time and the programme around them. It never buys ownership of their work.
Talk to us about supportWhy we’re doing this
The Netherlands has some of Europe’s best science, but too few people turn it into new companies and organisations. We see capable people get stuck in three places.
In universities
The next grant comes first, so research tends to stay safe and incremental.
In company R&D
The roadmap follows existing products, which leaves little room to take risks.
With investors
They need a startup they can back from day one. Much deep tech isn’t commercial at first.
So we back the person first: time and freedom, then accountability. What they build can open the way for others, towards cleaner energy, earlier diagnosis and new tools for science.
Stay in touch
Applications are not open yet. Leave your details and we’ll tell you when the first call for builders opens.
Funders and partners: use the same form and we’ll be in touch.