Holland & Knight to Mentor Dutch Fintech Companies Through OrangeXchange
ATLANTA (October 28, 2020) – Holland & Knight is pleased to announce that it is acting as a mentor organization for Dutch fintech companies wishing to enter the U.S. market through Atlanta via OrangeXchangeUSA.
The Netherlands Consulate General in Atlanta launched OrangeXchangeUSA, an online platform to connect fintech companies in the Netherlands with mentors who can help them enter the U.S. market. The platform began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down transatlantic travel and prevented the consulate from hosting Dutch fintech companies in Atlanta earlier this year. Holland & Knight will act as the law firm mentor for the cohort companies, with Partner Roth Kehoe and Senior Counsel Robert Green taking the lead.
"Atlanta is a major fintech hub and we want to encourage Dutch companies to explore the city as a gateway to the United States," said Esther Smith, senior economic officer at the consulate. "The OrangeXchange allows us to move forward despite the pandemic."
"We are delighted to be working with the Netherlands Consulate General in its support of the cohort companies' joining Atlanta's fintech community and will assist them in any way that we can," said Woody Vaughan, executive partner of Holland & Knight's Atlanta office.
"Holland & Knight is a great firm for us to partner with," said Ard van der Vorst, consul general for the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Atlanta. "They have already connected one of our cohort companies with major fintech players in the U.S."
Six young Dutch companies were identified by the consulate as being ready to expand internationally, as innovative and open to partnerships. Mentors were also identified and selected by the consulate. To safeguard the quality of the platform, the program is by invitation only.
"This is such a unique platform," said Grant Wainscott, vice president of ecosystem industry expansion at the Metro Atlanta Chamber. "What the Dutch have put together isn't just about what we do in times of COVID to keep business flowing; this is a new and deeper way to engage."
The creation of OrangeXchange follows Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's visit to Atlanta five years ago while on a trade mission that focused on financial technology, cyber security and logistics. The Netherlands Consulate General in Atlanta was opened in 2019 with an emphasis on economic collaboration.