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Our Legal Startup Event signified the growing importance of legal tech innovation

12 July 2023

We recently concluded our highly anticipated annual Legal Startup Event. The event served as a hub for legal innovation, bringing together legal tech enthusiasts, law students, startups, and investors from Amsterdam and around. This year's event showcased groundbreaking ideas, fostered collaboration, and paved the way for transformative advancements in the legal sector. Believing in the power of design, we invited artist Roodgras to draw out the pitches, live in the form of comics. Check out some of these in this article as well.
By Roodgras
By Roodgras

New perspectives on Legal Tech Innovation

The event highlighted the latest advancements and cutting-edge technologies that are transforming the legal landscape. Promising law students showcased their innovative legal tech solutions, ranging from a start-up alerting protesters to their rights during demonstrations to a platform to support non-Dutch nationals to navigate the complex immigration system. Attendees gained valuable insights into the practical applications of these technologies and how they can enhance efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility within the legal ecosystem.

The event also featured an interactive panel discussion and debate led by industry experts, Laura Kistemaker of Uitelkaar.nl and Maurits Fornier of Patroon Legal Design. Together with the audience, they discussed pros and cons arguments on whether it is ethical to make a profit solving a societal legal problem and if it's even possible to measure the impact you are making with your startup. Participants had the opportunity to learn from experienced professionals, acquire practical skills, and gain a deeper understanding of the legal startup ecosystem.

Photography: Great Takes
Photography: Great Takes

The promising winning pitches

One of the event's highlights was the pitching competition, where justice entrepreneurs showcased their business models and solutions to a panel of esteemed judges and investors consisting of Marika Bazelmans (ASIF), Pablo van Klinken (Stichting Allemansrecht) and Mieke Masselink (Forward·Inc). After lengthy deliberations, the jury decided that the first prize was won by imibox: a platform to support non-Dutch nationals to navigate the complex immigration system. Followed by the Access to Justice Award for ULN Access to Justice Toolkit: a toolkit to help Ukranian refugees who were victims of international crimes to identify their legal options on the Dutch and International levels. This year, we also gave the public a chance to decide as well. This resulted in an Audience Award, which went to TenantHero: a rental contract analysis tool to identify the illegal or unfair clauses in a rental contract along with advice on how to fight them if you have already signed it.

By Roodgras
By Roodgras
Photography: Great Takes
Photography: Great Takes

What’s in the future?

The success of our annual Legal Startup Event signifies the growing importance of legal tech innovation in the legal sector. The past, and great examples as LegalCrowd, has already shown that our startups can actually achieve something. Our unique selling point is that support does not stop after the event. In fact, we even offer the startups the opportunity to grow into our Incubator programme where they are intensively coached in entrepreneurship for a year. 

Want to know more about our programmes where we support startups? Then check out our Market Impact page, or reach out to us directly!