Start to scale. Startup and Scale-up Founder Stories.

Marsha started Breeze - the worlds first offline dating app, together with 6 co-founders from the Technical University in Delft. That was 2019 and today, they are the fastest growing dating app in the Netherlands, with prominent investors supporting them.

In this episode, we'll cover the following topics:

• Diversity in tech;
• Starting a company with 7 co-founders;
• The Philips Innovation Award

Links mentioned:

• People: Marsha Goei,  Stefan van den Berg, Thijs Verheul, Rogier Fischer
• Companies: Breeze, Hyves, Lexa, United Wardrobe (now: Vinted), Match.com, Litebit, 
• Other: Philips Innovation Award 

Souren's career spans across esteemed institutions such as Merrill Lynch and Rabobank, where he excelled in investment banking and M&A.

Today, Souren leads the charge at BAQME, the first company globally to offer a free floating shared cargo bike service. At a young age, he moved to the Netherlands from Armenia. He currently lives in Amsterdam, but soon will return to Rotterdam. 

We'll cover the following topics:

• The future of Urban Mobility;
• Bootstrapping versus venture capital;
• Making it Happen as a first time founder; 

Links mentioned:

• People: Souren Arakelian, Niki Sie, Sven Velthuis, Tristan van Doorn
• Companies: BAQME, Ketel1, Merrill Lynch, OnePlanetCrowd,  Juuve, MyWheels, Future Mobility Park
• Other: Schiedam, Dutch Distillers District
• Media: Miles Davis - Blue in Green

Pim and his co-founder Lorenzo van Galen, are challenging the fast fashion industry. With their company Wear, they are creating the largest platform for pre-loved sneakers. Their collaborations with established players like Bristol and Bijenkorf have gained recognition, including the social impact newcomer of the year and the upcoming talent marketing award from our Mayor, Aboutaleb. 

Prior to Wear, Pim made waves as a freelancer, leading communication efforts for organizations like VoorGoed Impact agency, the Dutch Impact Days, and Verre Bergen Foundation.

In this episode, we'll cover the following topics:

• The business of refurbished sneakers
• Pivoting from service to product
• Mass adoption of sustainable fashion

Links mentioned:

• People: Pim Roggeveen, Lorenzo van Galen, Joost Kamermans, Carolien van Wersch, Doesje Fransen
• Companies: Wear, Bristol, Bijenkorf, Voorgoed Impact Agency, Dutch Impact Days, Verre Bergen Foundation, R’damse Nieuwe, CityLab010, Pieter Pot, Jack Bean, Vinted, America Today, Maaskantine, Club Haug, Kralingse Plas, Seenons, Ondernemershuis Op Zuid, Wear Too Good To Go, Chillhop
• Media: Podcast R'damse Nieuwe - Lars Crama, Can’t Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers

In 2014, along with Maarten Logtenberg, Lucas set out on this journey from a garage, fueled by their dream of designing and building cutting-edge machines. Fast forward nine years, CEAD has become a global leader in large-scale 3D printing, operating from a 3,000-square-meter facility in Delft.=

Lucas holds a Master's degree in Integrated Product Design from Delft, and when he's not leading CEAD, you can often find him pursuing his passion for surfing or kiting.

In this episode, we'll cover the following topics

• Product market fit in large scale 3D printing;
• Managing teams in an international setting;
• Tips for landing a 1M Euro EU grant

Links mentioned:

• People: Lucas Janssen, Maarten Logtenberg, Giovanni Pazienza, Constantijn van Oranje, Hans Scheffer, Noor Rhijnsburger, Monique Martens, Daisy Visser 
• Companies: CEAD, TU Delft, Siemens, HelloPrint, 3D Hubs, Gartner, Delfts Studenten Corps, City of Delft, City of Rotterdam
• Other: Horizon Europe Grant, Scaleup vacancy platform HackYourCareer
• Media: Tash Sultana - Pretty Lady

In 2017 she co-founded Peelpioneers, the largest producer of raw materials from citrus peels in Europe -  together with Sytze van Stempvoort and Bas van Wieringen, where she now sits at the supervisory board. 

Next to that, she is co-founder and director at Tekkoo, an organization that helps startups and established organizations with sustainable innovation. She is also the initiator of Circular Factory, a start-to-scale-up program for circular startups in collaboration with BlueCity.

We'll cover the following topics:

• Profitable business models in the biobased economy;
• The journey of building a 21st century peel collector; 
• How to convince investors to build a 10 Million Euro demo plant;

Links mentioned:

• People: Lindy Hensen, Sytze van Stempvoort, Bas van Wieringen, Silvia ten Houten, Ronald van Raaij, Diederik van Dommelen
• Companies: PeelPioneers, Tekkoo, BlueCity, Jumbo, Renewi, European Circular BioEconomy Fund, Doen Foundation, BOM, Natures Principles, SUNT, De Clique,  Circular Factory, InvestNL, Polestar Capital
• Other: Week van de circulaire economie; 
• Media: Lindy at Upstream Festival, Rabobank Duurzame Innovatieprijs, Xavier Rudd - Follow the Sun

As a chartered accountant Pavle Beslic started his career at Deloitte - after which he decided to go independent and stumbled into the world of recruitment. That inspired him to found Staffyou, now one of the fastest growing on-demand staffing platforms in Europe. 

He's been recognized as one of the Netherlands' top young entrepreneurs by Quote and has earned accolades from FD Gazellen and Deloitte Fast 50. And when he's not in the business world, you might find him on a boat or in the boxing ring.

We'll cover the following topics:

• Innovating the temp staffing business;
• Going from Chartered Accountant to startup founder;
• Getting punched in the face.

Links mentioned:

• People: Pavle Beslic, Micky Chen, Albert van Ommen, Liselore Lugt, Bastian van de Belt, Seda Cin
• Companies: Staffyou, Quote, FD Gazelle, Deloitte Fast 50, EY, Ahoy, De Kuip, Getir, Minite Works, Rebels.ai Lox MJR Tom
• Other: Definition Register Accountant (RA) / Certified Public Accountant (CPA), De Meent Rotterdam, Gladiatoren aan de Maas
• Media: Trailer of Pavle's fight at Gladiatoren aan de Maas, Ice Cube - It Was A Good Day 

Fonger is an experienced leader in the energy sector. He obtained his PhD in mathematics and physics at Oxford University, after which he worked as a strategy consultant and McKinsey and as head of a Eneco Smart Energy Lab. Since then, he was the CEO of Brainbay, and a cofounder of Blockheating - the scale-up that recycles data center energy.

In this episode, we'll cover the following topics:

• His rather bold mission to slow down global warming
• The difference between Corporate venturing and a running a startup
• The hard part about climate tech

Links mentioned:

• People: Fonger Ypma, Boyan Slat, Menno van Dijk, Dirk van den Berg, Peter Molenaar
• Companies: Arctic Reflections, Eneco, Brainbay, Blockheating, The Ocean Cleanup, Scaleup Nation, Protect Our Winters
• Other: www.hackyourcareer.com 
• Media: Cold as Ice - Foreigner 

Niels Verwij is a successful e-commerce entrepreneur. He started dekbed-discounter, a disruptive online duvet webshop, in 2014 from scratch. It disrupted traditional retail and soon became one of the most successful e-commerce companies in the Netherlands. 

Today, as the CEO of Jamani, he oversees multiple businesses, including Dekbed-Discounter, Boxspring Lease, KoopJeDeal.nl, and WoonQ. At the age of 34, Niels has built an impressive portfolio, solidifying his position in the industry and securing him a place in the Young Quote 100.

In this episode, we'll cover the following topics:

• Finding a sweetspot in e-commerce
• Growing 3800 percent in 4 years time
• Keeping focus when opportunities seem unlimited

Links mentioned:

• People: Niels Verwij, Jarno Goesten, Maurice Rustwat, Erwin Paaij, Frank Waagmeester, Dorus Galama, Ronnie Overgoor, Ben Mandemakers
• Companies: Dekbed Discounter, Jamani, Boxspring Lease, KoopJeDeal.nl, 123vloerkleed.nl, Groupon, Daydealers.nl (no longer exists), Pannendiscounter (no longer exists), Repeat, HelloPrint, Billink 
• Other:  Song: Lucas & Steve - I want it all

Joost is the founder and SeaEO of The Seaweed Company. A global pioneer in developing high-quality seaweed applications, with farms in the Netherlands, Ireland, Morocco, India and Greenland.

After a corporate career at P&G and Pepsico, Joost  worked with leadership teams allo over the world to help them create a better future, until he met Edwin Sneekes and Stefan Kraan, his co-founders in 2018. He is a frequently asked speaker and he published two books: “The 15-Minute Inbox” and “The Couple Company”.

We'll cover the following topics:

• Why we should re-align business and nature
• The role of seaweed in the food transition
• What you run into when scaling aqua farming. 

Links mentioned:

• People: Joost Wouters, Edwin Sneekes, Stefan Kraan, Gunter Pauli, Anske Plante, Rogier Wilmink, Lenny van Klink, Rebecca Wiering, Jennifer Breaton
• Companies: The Seaweed Company, Colruyt Group, PepsiCo, P&G, BlueCity, ONS Schiedam, Municipality of Schiedam, Van Oord Ocean Health, Salacia Solutions
• Other: Book “The 15-Minute Inbox”, book “The Couple Company” (no longer available), Sustainable Food Award,  
• Media: Your Ancestor - Nynke Laverman

Koen is the co-founder and CEO of Solarduck, the Dutch leader in offshore floating solar. He started his career as a management consultant, before he joined Damen Shipyards, where he was the Director Strategy and Business Transformation. 

Koen is a member of The Economic Development Board of the Drecht Cities. And although his home is in Nijmegen, his office is… in… Rotterdam!

In this episode, we'll cover the following topics:

• Offshore floating solar;
• Starting a business in your forties;
• How to prevent rookie mistakes as a founder;

Links mentioned:

• People: Koen Burgers, Don Hoogendoorn, Mare Straetmans, Karlijn Gerris, Luuk Visser, Jonas Skattum Svegaarden, Joerek Kohutnicki, Peter Paul van Voorst tot Voorst
• Companies: SolarDuck, Damen Shipyards, Buienradar, Skoon, Blue Invest, Katapult VC, Link VC, TU Delft, TNO, Maritime Research Industry Netherlands, Deltares, RWE, Impuls Corporate Finance, Platform Zero
• Other: Article: “from Tiel to Tokyo: how Koen Burgers is scaling offshore solar power with Solarduck”, Nijmeegse 4-daagse
• Media: Podcast Episode 37 - Rebekah, Sunny Days van Armin van Buuren & Josh Cumbee