The Scale Lab

In this episode of The Scale Lab, we deconstruct the entrepreneurial journey of Robert Vis - the founder & CEO of MessageBird. Together with our hosts - Joe & Constantijn - we will follow Robert’s exciting path as a founder. We will dive into the origins of MessageBird, while our guest will be sharing all his learnings about raising funding, building a sustainable company culture, and thinking globally from day one. Listen in to find out what Silicon Valley has taught Robert and which warning red flags he raises for the Dutch tech ecosystem.

In this episode, Joëlle Frijters - cofounder of Improve Digital - uncovers the important moments of her entrepreneurial journey: from bootstrapping until €80 million in revenue to selling 85% shares of Improve Digital to Swisscom in 2016. Joëlle further outlines the challenges & opportunities she faced as a female entrepreneur: raising first VC funding, attracting unconventional talent, and discovering the right market to expand to.

In this episode, Marleen Vogelaar — founder of Ziel & co-founder of Shapeways — explains how her experience with Shapeways defined her strategic approach when launching the on-demand manufacturing platform Ziel. She breaks down her journey towards finding the right product-market fit, opting for steward-ownership, hiring pivotal talent that expedited the scaling process, and securing VC funding in the US.

In this episode, Chris Hall - founder of Bynder - shares his expert view on what it takes to build a successful SaaS company. Chris explains why perfect product-market fit is not always a necessity for your product to take off and pinpoints the elements that determined Bynder's long-term success. Listen now to hear valuable tips & tricks on scaling a SaaS company beyond Dutch borders.

In this episode, Jitse Groen - founder & CEO of Takeaway.com - shares his path to becoming an entrepreneur. He reflects on the specifics of the Dutch mindset of entrepreneurship as well as elaborates on the strategy behind the company’s aggressive acquisition and active market expansion. Listen now to discover what made Takeaway.com a leading global online food delivery company.

In this episode, Manon van Essen - founder of Magioni - is revealing the ugly truth of what it takes to be an ambitious entrepreneur. Manon shares her fascinating path - from baking 10 vegan pizzas a day in her kitchen trying to find the ideal recipe to filling in the shelves with Magioni products at Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Superunie, etc.

In this episode, Mark de Lange - founder of Ace & Tate - is sharing the stories behind the brand that revolutionised the eyewear industry in Europe. He is explaining how branding was crucial for the expansion of Ace & Tate and what the biggest challenges were on his entrepreneurial journey. Mark reveals his management style and how he is working with his team to offer his customers high quality, thoughtfully designed glasses at a fair price.

In this episode, Michiel Muller — founder and CEO of Picnic — takes us through his entrepreneurial learnings and shares his vision for the future of Picnic and the online supermarket industry. He elaborates on the importance of risk-taking as a founder as well as sheds light on the challenges that come when you want to democratise food delivery. You will learn more about Michiel’s view on what an efficient talent recruitment system means, the importance of scalability and how to go about choosing your investors with long-term commitments.

In this episode, Taco Carlier — founder and CEO of VanMoof, shares how he and his brother Ties redefined the e-bike market in the Netherlands and around the world. Picking the right sales strategy, raising ten million dollars with equity crowdfunding, and going for a hybrid funding strategy only scratch the surface of how VanMoof is exporting the Dutch cycling culture abroad. Listen now to get practical insights into building a successful international business.

In this episode, Joe and Constantijn introduce us to The Scale Lab: what the purpose behind this podcast is and the value it holds for the Dutch tech ecosystem. They also reflect on the challenges and opportunities faced by the Dutch startups and scaleups - the need for active talent acquisition, adopting a global business mentality set for internationalisation, providing more brutal honesty when giving feedback, and having higher ambitions when building a business.