Career guideFounding

Start something new from the Netherlands

Many of the world's most pressing problems have no organisation working on them. Funders are looking for people to start one, and those people are especially scarce outside hubs like London and San Francisco.

Talk to us about your idea See incubators and funders

About 12 minutes to read. With ideas from 80,000 Hours' career guide and review of founding new organisations. November 2026.

At a glance

Founding in the Netherlands

Founders are a bottleneck
Outside the big hubs, even more so
Test small before you go big
Incubators and seed funding exist
Most start as a stichting

We can introduce you to people who've started something here, and our co-working space in Amsterdam has free desks.

Part 1: Why found something

Many problems have no one working on them

Many useful organisations don't exist yet. Until the Lead Exposure Elimination Project (LEEP) started, no organisation specialised in removing lead from paint, even though lead poisoning harms hundreds of millions of children. With fewer than 30 staff, LEEP helped Malawi enforce its lead paint rules, and by 2024 the paint sold there was almost entirely lead-free. Founders Pledge estimates that every $1.66 donated to LEEP keeps a child from high lead exposure.

People who fund work on pressing problems often say they'd give more if there were more good projects to fund, and a strong new organisation can raise millions quickly. It doesn't have to be a charity, either. If customers will pay, a company can raise far more than a nonprofit: the money transfer company Sendwave charged around 3% where Western Union charged about 10%, which 80,000 Hours compares to donating millions of dollars within three years.

Founder skills are rare. If you have them, using them may be the most valuable thing you can do.

Why outside the big hubs

Many of the best-known organisations working on pressing problems are in London, Oxford or the San Francisco Bay Area. Founders are scarce everywhere, but especially elsewhere, and that leaves gaps.

Local gaps go unfilled: Dutch policy, Dutch-language outreach, fundraising from Dutch donors and work with Dutch institutions all need people who are here. Nobody in London will do them for you.
Europe is next door: EU rules shape markets far beyond Europe, and Brussels is a short train ride away. A Dutch base gives you credibility with Dutch and European governments.
Funders back work outside the US and UK: Coefficient Giving's Project Tailwind, for example, funds work internationally, and Europe-focused incubators exist (see part 4).
It's been done here: Catalyze Impact, the Existential Risk Observatory, Safe AI Netherlands, Doneer Effectief and the School for Moral Ambition all started in the Netherlands, and Dutch researchers co-founded the AI safety organisation Resolution.

Part 2: Is it for you?

Signs you could be a founder

Founding is hard, and most projects don't work out. It's still worth considering if several of these sound like you.

You can't stop thinking about it: Founders are usually hard to pull away from their idea. That often comes from years in an area, until a gap starts to bother you. Strong motivation for the cause can be enough.
People follow you: Small signs count: you've convinced one or two people to back an idea, or you keep coming up with ways to improve things.
You're a generalist: You can do many tasks just well enough and save your best effort for what matters most.
You know the field, or can learn it: Areas like AI safety and biosecurity need specialist knowledge, but if you make it a priority you can build a lot of it in about a year.
Good judgement: Without customers paying you, there's little feedback on whether you're doing the right thing. Setting priorities well matters enormously.
Resilience: You can keep working on something that may fail, and you have a backup plan.
A co-founder you like: Enjoying your co-founders' company turns out to be one of the biggest factors.

It isn't only for the young. In a study of US start-ups, founders in their early twenties were the least likely to build a top-growth company, and the average founder of the fastest-growing ones was about 45. Experience in the Netherlands, mid-career, can be exactly what's needed.

The risks to weigh

It usually doesn't work: Expect most projects to fail. Getting an idea off the ground often takes five to ten years.
Early results flatter: Pilots tend to look more cost-effective than the scaled-up version, and careful estimates usually shrink.
It might have happened anyway: Money you raise might have gone to other good work, and your staff could have done good elsewhere. Count that.
You can cause harm: A poorly run project can damage a field's reputation or get in the way of others. Talk to people already working on the problem.
Personal risk: Not everyone can afford an uncertain income. Test it on the side, keep savings and a backup plan. Going back to a normal job is often easier than people think.

Part 3: Find and test an idea

Start small, test fast

Finding an idea

Look for gaps in pressing problems: Work out what's needed to solve a problem you care about and which pieces nobody is doing. Obvious ideas are often taken, so look for your edge: expertise, a network or something others have missed.
Use idea lists: Ambitious Impact researches charity ideas and recommends them to founders. Project Tailwind lists AI safety initiatives that nobody owns yet. Our AI safety guide has more.
Take someone else's idea: In nonprofits, running with an idea you didn't invent can work well, if it truly motivates you.
Notice side projects: Great organisations often start as projects that were never meant to become one.

Testing it

Do the smallest version: Pick one simple version of the idea. Founders often try to do too much at once.
Test your biggest uncertainty: Ask what the minimum is you need to show to justify the next round of funding, and design a test that answers it.
Start on the side: Keep your job while you test, or take three to twelve months off if you can.
Grow in stages: Doing one thing well at a small scale builds the trust that unlocks larger funding.

In the first couple of years, you're doing well if the organisation is financially sound, has avoided disasters and attracts good people.

Not ready yet?

The best preparation is to join a small, fast-growing, high-performing organisation working on a pressing problem, ideally in a generalist role such as operations, recruiting or strategy. An early job at a tech start-up teaches many of the same skills. And working in research or policy close to a problem is a good way to spot the gaps.

Part 4: Get support

Incubators and seed funders

You don't have to do this alone. These programmes help with ideas, co-founders, training and the first money.

Incubators

Ambitious ImpactA two-month, fully funded programme that gives you a researched charity idea, a co-founder, training and seed funding. About 95% of its projects get funded. Partly in London.
Catalyze ImpactFor experienced people starting AI safety companies and nonprofits. Started in the Netherlands.
Talos Incubator EuropeFind a co-founder and build a new AI governance organisation in Europe, on a monthly stipend.
Halcyon FuturesA grant-maker, incubator and investor for founders in AI safety, cybersecurity and biosecurity.
GeneratorA paid three-month residency, run by Kairos, where you pitch, build and ship AI safety projects.

Seed funding

Project TailwindCoefficient Giving's call for ambitious AI safety initiatives: $200,000 to $2 million to explore an idea, then $2 million to $20 million to launch.
EA FundsThe Infrastructure, Animal Welfare and Long-Term Future funds take applications at any time.
BlueDot Impact seed grantsFunding for the first 6 to 12 months of a new AI safety or biosecurity project.
ManifundPost a public proposal and get funded by donors and expert regrantors, often within days.
Survival and Flourishing FundGrant rounds for work on humanity's long-term future, plus faster speculation grants.
GiveWell Incubation GrantsEarly funding for promising global health programmes.
ACE Movement GrantsAnimal Charity Evaluators' grants for animal advocacy projects worldwide.

Advice and back office

A call with our teamFrom usHonest feedback on your idea and introductions to people who've started something.
Our co-working spaceFrom usFree desks in Amsterdam, next to people working on pressing problems.
80,000 Hours advisingFree one-on-one advice, including on ideas you haven't published.
Rethink Priorities Special ProjectsFiscal sponsorship and operations support, so you can start before you set up an organisation.

Part 5: Set up in the Netherlands

The practical side

A rough map to get you started. It isn't legal or tax advice: check the details with a notary or an accountant.

Start without an organisation: You don't need a legal entity to test an idea. Some funders can pay through a fiscal sponsor such as Rethink Priorities while you find out whether it works.
A stichting: Most Dutch nonprofits are a stichting (foundation). A notary draws up the deed and statutes, and usually registers it with the Chamber of Commerce (KvK), including the register of ultimate beneficial owners. The KvK estimates notary fees at roughly €500 to €1,500. See the KvK or, in English, Business.gov.nl.
ANBI status: Lets Dutch donors deduct their gifts from their taxes. You apply to the Belastingdienst. At least 90% of your work must serve the public good, and you have to publish your statutes, a policy plan, who's on your board and a report of your activities.
Grants and tax: A grant paid to you personally can count as taxable income. Read our article on the tax effects of grants.
A company: If customers will pay for what you build, a company (bv) can raise private investment. Some safety-focused funders and investors back companies too, such as Halcyon and Catalyze.

Next steps

What to do next

Write your idea down: One page: the problem, the gap, what you'd do first and what would show it works.
Talk to us: Book a call. We'll give you honest feedback and introduce you to people who've done this.
Talk to people in the field: Especially anyone already working on the same problem. They may want to help, or tell you it's being done.
Apply to an incubator: If you'd like an idea, a co-founder or structure, see part 4.
Read more: 80,000 Hours' review of founding new organisations goes deeper on fit, ideas and getting started.

**Jesse Hoogland**
Co-founder of Resolution, an AI safety non-profit

Got an idea? Talk it through with us

A call with our team is free. We'll give you honest feedback, help you find the next step and introduce you to people who've started something.

Book a call Read 80,000 Hours on founding

With ideas from 80,000 Hours' career guide and review of founding new organisations, summarised in our own words. The LEEP, Sendwave and founder-age figures are theirs.