The regular meet-up of the ENH Innovation Café presented two small Dutch entrepreneurs, each of them with a big cause. Tessa de Flines, co-founder of AtVenture Platform, is working incessantly to make capital accessible to small start-ups that otherwise would not have it. Dirk van den Berg, the founder of Protect Our Winters (POW), has created a movement to engage industries in the fight against climate change – a force that will literally take our snow away and, consequently, the sources of water worldwide.
A big step to the world of the small
Tessa de Flines grew up in the United States, but she is originally Dutch and returned to the Netherlands with a broad perspective and an international approach. Her career path led her from senior roles in large companies like General Electric and the ABN AMRO bank to her desire to harness her knowledge and skills to help diverse entrepreneurs realise their projects.
During the session of the International Café, she talks about the misconception that diverse teams are less effective, while in fact they deliver better results and companies should aim for them. Female entrepreneurs are also underrepresented and underfunded because they tend to be more realistic than their male colleagues and prefer to promise less in terms of expected results. The investment platform that Tessa co-founded is therefore a matching platform that helps individual investors – so-called ‘angels’ on one side and diverse founders on the other to find each other, while supporting diversity and bridging the gender gap in entrepreneurship.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
A similar energy is flowing in Dirk van den Berg’s team of which athletes, creatives, and scientists. They are united by the cause of convincing businesses how important it is to aim for sustainability and think about the future of our environment. The non-profit organisation ‘Protect Our Winters’ works with various industries to advise them on what could be done to transform their business into a more sustainable one. Dirk admits that most businesses are reluctant to search for solutions by themselves and do not have a person in the company dedicated to these projects, because they are mostly focused on profits. However, some of those that realise their business could radically change in the coming decades are concerned and initiate the contact themselves.
In their large portfolio of partners are companies focused on outdoor activities, as these businesses are the most directly affected by climate change and also remind people of their lost connection with nature. The organisation is also actively involved in international summits and events that discuss the topic of climate activism.
The whole event can be watched on this link.
Author: Vanya Dobrikova
Written for Eindhoven News
