High-Tech Cities Discuss Similarities At Dell

Combination of Culture, Science and Entrepreneurial Spirit Cited as Key Attributes.

Round Rock, Texas.-Dell today hosted officials from the State of Texas and The Netherlands along with leaders from 20 Netherlands-based companies to discuss ways to strengthen business and economic ties between Austin and Amsterdam. The visit to Dell was part of a week-long trip to Austin, Arlington and Fort Worth.

“Texas enjoys a rare combination of being ranked No. 1 for the number of firms on the 2007 Fortune 1,000 list with 111 at the same time that we are the second leading state for America’s fastest growing small public companies,” said Bill Morrow, Chairman of the Emerging Technology Committee and CEO of CSIdentity. “This type of business climate is highly supportive of our commitment to science, innovation and the entrepreneur.”

During the meeting, attendees discussed Amsterdam and Austin’s similarities as high-tech, cultural and entrepreneurial bellwethers. With populations of approximately 700,000 each, Amsterdam and Austin also have:

* Educated workforces. Approximately 40 percent of Austin and Amsterdam residents are college-educated.
* High levels of broadband penetration. Amsterdam, for example, has the highest penetration of broadband in Europe, and Forrester Research named Austin the Most Wired City in America in 2005.
* Strong track records of supporting and fostering entrepreneurs and small businesses. Austin, for example, is home to 72 of the country’s fastest growing companies, according to Inc. Magazine’s August 2007 ranking of the fastest-growing companies in America.
* Leading academic and research institutions such as Amsterdam’s National Research Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science (CWI) and the National Institute for Nuclear Physics and High Energy Physics (NIKHEF); and Austin’s University of Texas IC Institute, the Texas’ Emerging Technology Fund and the planned Southwest Academy of Nano-Technology.

“Since technology innovation is borderless, what matters more are the similarities of culture and business spirit, like you find with Austin and Amsterdam,” said Dolph Westerbos, Managing Director of Dell Netherlands. "The Dutch business leaders’ visit will nurture this connection and benefit both cities in the long-term.’’

Dell launched operations in the Netherlands in 1991 and today has more than 900 employees in Amsterdam. The company was recently named the No.1 IT company for customer satisfaction by Management Team, the largest business magazine in the Netherlands.