Benelux Startups to Pitch in New York in November
The Benelux Catalyst Programme 2026 brings founders from Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands to New York for two weeks of programming.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Startups
The Benelux Catalyst Programme 2026, organised by BelCham and supported by Luxinnovation and the Luxembourg Ministry of the Economy, runs in New York from November 9 to November 20. It serves high-growth tech startups and scaleups from Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Why it matters
The programme gives Benelux founders structured access to the US market, which is the largest for Luxembourg-based app Essembl despite it having no physical presence there. Participating companies will present their US plans at the close of the programme.
Essembl reports more than 2.4 million app downloads and 50 million wardrobe items uploaded, and is profitable and largely self-funded. Uplift360 closed a €7.4 million seed round led by international investors including the NATO Innovation Fund, though the source does not report post-programme results.
The players
BelCham
BelCham is the Belgian-Luxembourgish Chamber of Commerce, which organises the Benelux Catalyst Programme.
Luxinnovation
Luxinnovation is Luxembourg's national agency for innovation and research, which supports the Benelux Catalyst Programme.
NATO Innovation Fund
The NATO Innovation Fund is a multi-country venture fund backed by NATO allies that invests in dual-use deep technology startups.
The details
Essembl's AI stylist app lets users photograph their wardrobe once, after which the app digitises each item and suggests daily outfits. Uplift360 is building a strategic materials platform for defence, aerospace and advanced manufacturing, and the programme includes a visit to a Brooklyn innovation hub.
Timeline
November 9–13, 2026: Week one, Foundations: Set Up & Sell, in New York.
November 16–20, 2026: Week two, Network, Pitch & Scale, in New York.
November 20, 2026: Programme closes with teams presenting US plans.
2027: Uplift360 launches its Series A financing round.
Market Landscape
The NATO Innovation Fund's lead role in Uplift360's round places a strategic materials startup inside the defence-technology investment trend. Benelux startups seeking US market access through structured accelerators reflect a broader push by European founders to scale beyond their home markets.
Founders considering international expansion can see how a regional accelerator structures US market entry over two weeks. Consumers using Essembl's app should note that the company plans to shape a structured expansion strategy ahead of its first institutional fundraising round.
The takeaway
Regional accelerators can give European startups a concentrated route into a foreign market without requiring a physical office there first. Founders weighing a similar move can track how Essembl's US strategy develops after the programme.
What happens next
The Benelux Catalyst Programme closes on November 20, 2026, when participating teams present their US plans.
Further reading
Explore more startup funding and accelerator news from across the region.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Luxinnovation.
