New to Delft? Step Out and explore the city

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Being new to a city may feel overwhelming. You’re figuring out where to find the nearest supermarket or pharmacy whilst trying to figure out student life. Let’s be honest, it’s a lot. The Step Out start–up aims to empower newcomers stepped up to the plate by connecting them to local activities or experiences on their platform. In just a few simple clicks they can sign up for an activity which allows them to not only experience the local culture, but also helps them meet new people that they can click with. 

TU Delft alumni and founders Nihal Ashok and Aditya Kolari (Technology, Policy & Management) explained the benefits of Step Out.  

How does the Step Out platform work? 

“It’s basically a community platform where we offer a wide range of activities, from creative activities like airbrushing to outdoor activities like archery. All of them are in Delft or its neighbouring cities. We created an operating system that allows you to browse and book an activity directly through our website without going through the hassle of contacting the organisation itself,” says Nihal. 

How did you come up with this concept? 

“When we came to Delft we saw how difficult it was to find, book and pay for activities online,” Nihal continues. “Compare it to ordering food. You can choose between several apps where you can browse through all the restaurants, select a meal and pay for it online. But when you look at all the activities Delft has to offer, all the necessary information is scattered on various websites, reservations can only be made during opening hours by telephone, and online payment is not always an option.”  

Aditya adds that “On top of that, we realised during the pandemic that it’s very important to take care of your mental health. It’s easy to just stay inside, glued to your screen, but if we can make it easy for people to access an activity or experience at any time, we can hopefully contribute to a healthier, creative and more active society.”  

^{Aditya Kolar (left) and Nihal Ashok.}

What is the benefit op Step Out as opposed to just finding activities yourself? 

Aditya continues. “Our platform is extremely convenient to explore new activities that you might like and book them instantly. You don’t have to contact the organisation to ask when there is an open timeslot and you also don’t have to worry about the payment, it’s all fixed through our platform. It’s not only convenient for our users, but also for our partners. They sometimes struggle with promoting their activities, maintaining their websites, or don’t have an online booking module at all. With Step Out we created an operating system for the whole industry. Our partners’ activities get more visibility and are easily accessible to everyone using our platform.” 

‘We want to expand to the cities where we already offer activities’

How many students are currently using the platform? 

“In under three months we already gathered over 1,600 followers on Instagram, and the first two months alone we received over 100 bookings through the platform. Just by word of mouth. The most popular activity is the handmade ceramics workshop – it has sold out over three times already. But kayaking and wild food foraging  – unexpectedly – are doing very well too,” says Nihal. 

What do you think is the most fun activity the platform offers right now? 

Aditya is in no doubt. “I’d say stand up paddle boarding. It was new for me and I really love being on the water.” 

Nihal enjoys other activities. “I really like the more creative activities such as airbrushing. It’s a mix of graffiti and painting and it’s really cool to actually create something on paper.” 

What does the future hold for Step Out? 

“We started off with activities near Delft and want to expand to the cities where we already offer activities. These are Rotterdam and The Hague. Users also mentioned that they would love to partake in activities in Amsterdam. So we are looking beyond the Delft area,” explains Aditya.

“These activities help in preservation and development of cultural heritage”, Nihal adds. “The province Zuid-Holland is supporting us in some of our start up activities. Also, we are in the process of raising an investment of EUR 100,000 in the coming months. This will be helpful for expanding into the major cities of Netherlands. Because in the end we want every person new to a city to feel comfortable enough to go out and meet new people.”

• Find out more about the activities Step Out offers on their website.
• You can also follow them on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn.
• Get in contact through email or WhatsApp.