Rotterdam Square strengthens support for LSH start-ups through new collaboration with Ploum.
Rotterdam Square is proud to announce a new partnership with Ploum to support Life Sciences & Health (LSH) entrepreneurs in the Rotterdam region. This collaboration marks an important step in strengthening the local innovation ecosystem and providing tailored guidance to early-stage companies as they scale and navigate complex growth challenges.
As a hub for innovation, Rotterdam Square helps start-ups bring their technological innovations to market efficiently. Through this partnership, Ploum, as a full-service law firm, will provide founders with expert guidance to confidently navigate the legal framework.
Ploum has extensive experience advising (amongst others) start-ups and scale-ups and is known for its entrepreneurial mindset, pragmatic approach, and focus on delivering practical, no-nonsense, and sustainable solutions. Its Start-up and Scale-up Team supports emerging businesses across a wide range of legal matters related to setting up and growing a company.
Through this collaboration, Rotterdam Square and Ploum will offer entrepreneurs in the Rotterdam region access to expert guidance via walk-in consultation hours and annual workshops, covering key topics such as legal structuring, contracts, IP, IT, data processing, AI, and compliance.
Ellen Smit, Managing Director of Rotterdam Square: “Working with Ploum allows us to better empower the talent fuelling entrepreneurs in Rotterdam’s Life Sciences & Health sector. We aim to establish a strong base that helps startups grow responsibly and make a lasting difference.”
Lars Boer and Matthijs Gardien, Team Start-up and Scale-up of Ploum: “We are proud to partner with Rotterdam Square, a collaboration that truly reflects the strength of Rotterdam’s ecosystem. Together with leading local stakeholders, we are committed to contributing our expertise to support and accelerate the growth of health (tech) startups. It is a privilege to help innovative ventures navigate complexity and scale with confidence.”
This partnership reflects Rotterdam Square’s commitment to building a vibrant and connected Life Sciences & Health hub in Rotterdam, where industry, science, and entrepreneurship come together to accelerate innovation and create meaningful impact on the future of healthcare.
From left to right: Matthijs Gardien (Ploum), Ellen Smit (Rotterdam Square), Lars Boer (Ploum).
Date: April 6, 2026
