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Welcome to San Francisco, Your Majesty
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Dear reader,
What a summer! For the first time since the 1980s, a Dutch Queen visited the Bay Area, and she was accompanied by six cabinet members and 100 companies in mobility, health, and climate. The visit gave us the opportunity to elevate the friendship between the Netherlands and California.
The last-minute cancellation of King Willem-Alexander due to pneumonia was unexpected, but the team pivoted quickly, creating an informative and packed program for H.M. Queen Máxima and the companies.
“There’s a kind of natural attraction between the state of California and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Hundreds of thousands of Californians have Dutch roots. But it goes deeper than that. It’s all about mentality. We are soulmates, bursting with so much creative energy and ambition.”
These words by Queen Máxima in San Francisco City Hall still resonate with me. California and the Netherlands connect on topics such as sustainability, innovation, and values. This visit highlighted, accelerated, and elevated that friendship, with many opportunities for future collaboration.
Organizing a royal visit is an honorable and momentous undertaking. My team hit every curveball that was thrown at them right out of the park. I’m blessed with an amazing team, and I thank them for their hard work.
This newsletter will give you an overview of the royal visit, its first results, and media attention. This fall we’ll continue our regular work. I look forward meeting with you again somewhere in the West.
Best,
Dirk Janssen
Consul General of the Netherlands in San Francisco
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PS 1: Want to discuss anything? Please plan a meeting or a call with me or my team.
PS 2: We're looking for a freelance consultant on the Circular Economy. Let us know if you know someone.
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Business Updates The Royal Edition
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- The San Francisco Chronicle writes about 3 things S.F. can learn from Amsterdam.
- Queen Máxima comes with a climate change message, writes SF Examiner about the MoU between the Netherlands and California.
- Climate change, trade, and security are all themes of the queen's three-day visit - inclusion is another, writes NBC News.
- The Fietser Kings Come to San Francisco. Streetsblog SF writes about the seminar Urban Challenges with Amsterdam, Utrecht, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
- Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi posted about the meeting with Queen Máxima on Instagram.
- Going Dutch: Netherlands monarch tours SF cultural landmarks as part of California visit.
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Royal visit day 1: Climate
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On the first day of the royal visit, the Netherlands and California signed a partnership to increase collaboration on exchanging expertise on charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. The signing by Minister for the Environment Vivianne Heijnen and California Environmental Secretary Yana Garcia was witnessed by H.M. Queen Máxima, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, and California's First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
The royal visit to San Francisco started with Queen Máxima and Mayor Breed raising the Dutch flag at San Francisco City Hall. They also visited The Castro, the heart of the San Francisco LGBTQ+ community (see below), and a seminar on the urban challenges cities face today. At Salesforce tower, California cities San Francisco and Los Angeles, and Dutch cities Amsterdam and Utrecht, shared how they are preparing for the future in the fields of health, mobility, and climate. |
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At the University of California, San Francisco, the Queen joined a seminar on digital health, accompanied by Ministers Ernst Kuipers and Robbert Dijkgraaf. Queen Máxima learned about Dutch and US medical innovations: Karianne Lindenhovius of ArthroSave demonstrated their KneeReviver, and Professor Shuvo Roy showed UCSF’s The Kidney Project. She also joined two discussions on trade and business with Dutch and American companies and VNO-NCW, which also highlighted the $6.1 billion of goods and services that California exports to the Netherlands annually.
In the evening, members of the US network came together with the participants of the trade mission in an orange-lit San Francisco City Hall. On the stairs, HM the Queen, Mayor London Breed, and the Lt. Governor spoke about the strong ties between the Netherlands and California. She also met with participants of the trade mission, the consulate’s business network, and artists who had a mini exhibition at the event.
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West Coast Mobility Playbook
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Dutch entrepreneurs in the mobility sector who wish to spread their wings to the American West Coast now have a handy tool: the West Coast Mobility Playbook, an online guide with tips and tricks from successful Dutch entrepreneurs on the American West Coast.
The magazine was presented on the first day of the Urban Mobility trade mission to California in the presence of Vivianne Heijnen, Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management.
Download the Mobility Playbook here.
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Royal visit to Castro Street
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As the first country to legalize same-sex marriage, the Netherlands feels connected to San Francisco and California, both of which strongly support equal rights. H.M. Queen Máxima visited the Castro District in San Francisco and met with the LGBTIQ+ community, together with Mayor London Breed, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, and Minister Liesje Schreinemacher.
Queen Máxima started her visit with a tour of the GLBT Historical Society Museum with speakers Gerard Koskovich, Andrew Shaffer, and Amy Sueyoshi. She learned about the original rainbow flag, HIV-AIDS activism, and Harvey Milk, who started his activism in the Castro. Queen Máxima walked Castro Street, met with the community, and learned more about the historic Castro Theater.
She then sat down at Twin Peaks Tavern, the first LGBTIQ+ bar in the US with windows, so people could look inside. There she discussed the current challenges for equal rights activists with community leaders Tyler TerMeer, PhD, Imani Rupert-Gordon, Rebecca Rolfe, and Aria Sa'id.
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Mayor London Breed of San Francisco published a video on her meetings with Queen Máxima.
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Royal visit day 2: Holland in the Valley
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At Google, Queen Máxima met with CFO Ruth Porat, who highlighted Google’s ambitions in climate action, sustainable innovations, and the technological solutions for combatting climate change. The delegation also took a look at the Dragonscale solar roof at Google’s new Bay View Campus.
After a tour of Stanford University by Chancellor Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Queen Máxima met the Ecomotive team from Eindhoven University of Technology.
This innovation team developed the car ZEM, which is CO2 neutral and made out of recyclable and recycled material. Stanford students also demonstrated their test vehicle, the X1.
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She then joined a pitch session with ScaleNL companies Momo Medical, Lalaland.ai, and SwipeGuide, followed by a discussion with some of the innovative Dutch companies and people who are active in Silicon Valley. She discussed the opportunities and challenges of the ecosystem with the Holland in the Valley and Dutch at Stanford networks.
The Queen concluded her visit to the Bay Area with a session on artificial intelligence in health and urban mobility at Stanford University Graduate School of Business, moderated by Carlo van de Weijer of the Eindhoven Artificial Intelligence Systems Institute. The keynote was by Stanford Political Science Professor Jeremy Weinstein of Stanford.
- Read the speech at Stanford University here
- Find out more about Ecomotive and the ZEM
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Royal visit to Berkeley University
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The Netherlands and University of California in Berkeley have a long history.
H.M. Queen Máxima joined the launch of a new Dutch Network for Academics in the US (DNA-US) at University of California in Berkeley by Education Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf. The new network was established to strengthen the bilateral relations between the Netherlands and the United States through academic cooperation. The Queen met with chancellor Carol Christ, Berkeley students, and academia, and Nobel Prize Laureate Guido Imbens, chair of DNA-US.
The university celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Dutch Studies Program, which was started by Professor Emeritus Johann Snapper, the first Queen Beatrix Chair. The Queen Beatrix Chair in Dutch Studies is currently held by professor Jeroen Dewulf.
Queen Máxima is the third Dutch Queen to visit the Berkeley Campus. Queen Beatrix visited the campus twice, after a visit of Queen Juliana in 1944. Prince Friso and Princess Laurentien also studied at Berkeley.
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Trade mission in San Francisco & Los Angeles
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From safe cycling infrastructure to artificial intelligence for hospitals, more than 100 companies in sustainable mobility and health joined the trade mission to the Bay Area and Los Angeles.
The mission offered the perfect opportunity for US businesses from both sectors, knowledge institutes, government, and thought leaders to exchange knowledge with Dutch peers, while also making sound connections and finding new and unique opportunities for partnerships.
Multiple companies concluded deals during a signing ceremony at San Francisco City Hall.
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In 2021, Dutch-US economic ties supported an estimated 955,000 American jobs, and an estimated 77,000 of those jobs were based in California.
After two days in San Francisco, the trade mission continued in LA, underscoring the importance of LA for the Netherlands. A reception by Honorary Consul Reinout Oerlemans was joined by Mayor Eric Garcetti, strengthening the NL-LA friendship even further.
- Learn more about the Dutch delegation in the mission booklet.
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Are you ready for CES 2023?
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The Netherlands will join the largest tech show with 70 Dutch startups and scale-ups. The Netherlands Tech Square, consisting of a Startup and a Scale-up Pavilion, will showcase Dutch innovation and the latest tech for a better tomorrow. The 70 participants were announced at CES Unveiled in Amsterdam. CES 2023 takes place January 5-8 in Las Vegas. Get ready to join us in shaping a brighter future with responsible tech!
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ScaleNL Accelerator - The East Coast Edition
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ScaleNL is preparing for its second cohort, an East Coast edition. The accelerator’s aim is to arm the newest Dutch businesses with the tools and network they need to thrive in the US market. The consulate’s team is working closely with our colleagues in New York on this East Coast edition. Read the Silicon Canals article here.
Check out our new video series of the first ScaleNL cohort on Linkedin. Every week you'll learn from another founder.
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Pop-Up Consulate Portland
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The Netherlands is coming to Portland with a pop-up consulate to strengthen the business ties between Oregon and the Dutch business community.
The team from the consulate will work from Portland for a week to connect on topics such as tech innovation, sustainability, and mobility. There will be meetings with Dutch and American companies and government officials. The pop-up will also renew passports of Dutch nationals in the Pacific Northwest.
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- October 19 - 21: Pop-Up Consulate Portland
- November 1 - 3: Consul General visits Colorado
- November 6 - 15: Academic Startup Program in California
- November 7 - 10: LA Sports Innovation Conference 2022
- November 12 - NAF SoCal Dutch American Heritage Day
- November 28 - December 2: Sustainable Dairy Mission in California
- January 5-8, 2023: CES 2023 in Las Vegas
E-mail us for more details.
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Los Angeles
Portland
San Francisco
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