Ahold Delhaize, ING, KLM, and NS will extend their partnership with KickstartAI through 2029

KickstartAI and its founding partners aim to accelerate AI adoption in practice and broaden the partner network

DELFT, 19 May 2026 – Ahold Delhaize, ING, KLM, and NS will extend their partnership with KickstartAI through 2029. This marks a new multi-year phase for KickstartAI and its founding partners. Their goal is to help AI move faster from experimentation to real-world application. They also aim to broaden the partner network to include new sectors and organizations, further increasing the impact of AI applications in the Netherlands.

KickstartAI was founded in 2019 by Ahold Delhaize, ING, KLM, and NS based on a shared belief: the Netherlands needs not only strong technology and talent, but above all, organizations that know how to apply AI to issues that truly matter. That is why KickstartAI focuses on applications that have a direct effect on societal challenges. For NS, for example, the organization developed a method to detect unattended luggage at stations without compromising privacy. At bol, AI models optimized the prediction of parcel volumes, resulting in more efficient transport. ING is working on a digital financial guide that provides consumers with clear and accessible information about financial matters, while KLM is working on reducing food waste through more accurate planning of meals on board.

KickstartAI also works with organizations such as Erasmus MC and the National Police. These projects show what is needed not only to develop and test AI, but also to truly implement and scale it in practice.

That practical experience is urgently needed. The Netherlands faces major societal and economic challenges, from declining productivity growth and rising healthcare costs to climate pressure and congested infrastructure. AI can help deliver concrete progress on precisely these types of issues, provided that organizations make the transition from experimentation to application at scale.

Challenge

“The biggest challenge around AI right now is not the technology itself, but the step from ambition to application,” says Erick Webbe, CEO of KickstartAI. “Real progress happens when you work together on concrete solutions, learn from them and share those lessons so others can move faster. In this new phase, we want to expand our group of partners so that successful applications and practical lessons can spread more quickly to other sectors and further increase the positive impact of AI in the Netherlands.”

Frans Muller, CEO of Ahold Delhaize: “KickstartAI not only provides a valuable place to exchange knowledge and jointly develop and implement AI applications. It also gives us the opportunity to apply our knowledge and experience beyond our own business, in areas where the impact is significant.”

Steven van Rijswijk, CEO of ING: “KickstartAI demonstrates the power of collaboration: exchanging experiences with other major Dutch companies and public organizations on how AI is applied in practice. By bringing these insights together, lessons can be shared more quickly and broader impact can be created in the Netherlands.”

Marjan Rintel, CEO of KLM: “Implementing AI in large organizations requires more than technology alone. It requires commitment from the top, combined with collaboration, knowledge-sharing and a willingness to learn together how to truly scale AI applications and embed them in operations. That is precisely why it is important for us as KLM to be active in initiatives such as KickstartAI: to put AI on the map in the Netherlands together with other parties, develop concrete solutions and share knowledge.”

Wouter Koolmees, CEO of NS: “It is time to boldly bring together the societal challenges we face with the possibilities of artificial intelligence. In doing so, we make our colleagues’ work easier and develop solutions that benefit all of the Netherlands. That is what KickstartAI will be doing in the coming years.”

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Note to editors

For more information, interview requests or visual materials:

Rutger Huizenga
rutger.huizenga@kickstart.ai
+31 6 5251 9583

About KickstartAI
KickstartAI is an independent foundation, founded by Ahold Delhaize, ING, KLM and NS, that helps organizations move from individual AI pilots to demonstrable societal impact. KickstartAI shows where AI works in practice, what is needed to scale successful solutions, and how those lessons can be applied more broadly in the Netherlands. More information: kickstart.ai