Ideal environment to test and develop
Former UT spin-off 4Silence moves to Technology Base at the end of this year
4Silence wants to grow from five to 10 employees this year to cope with increasing international interest. Larger premises should facilitate that growth development. CEO Eric de Vries explains why he chose Technology Base: ‘We are now in The Gallery at Kennispark and there is too little space there to work with ten employees. Technology Base does offer that space and is also the ideal environment to test and develop our products.’
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The search for suitable premises took relatively little time. ‘We have been setting our sights on a former bunker at Technology Base for a while now. We want to convert this into a fully-fledged, sustainable office where we can test, research and develop. Testing is incredibly important for our end product. Indeed, a secluded spot with as little traffic noise in the background as possible makes it easier for us to do research. Moreover, we then do not have to take into account preconditions such as arranging permits to be allowed to test at all.
Staying in Twente ‘strategically right’
The consideration to stay in Twente was a conscious one, according to De Vries: ‘We actually didn't even discuss the scenario of leaving Twente. The location near the University of Twente, the companies that already know us and Germany as a potentially large sales market in our backyard are the main arguments for us to stay here. If we really want to grow, staying in Twente is a logical consequence rather than a consideration.’
Source: Kennispark Twente