In this 11th episode of Building the Dream, my co-host Gideon van Kleij and I had a conversation with Bart Lubbers, co-founder of Fastned – Europe’s fast-charging network for electric vehicles, fully powered by 100% renewable energy.Bart shares the full story: from bootstrapping Fastned with 200 highway locations and zero capital, to growing it into a 350+ station network across Europe with €100M+ in annual revenue.We talked about:How Bart and his co-founder turned a bold idea into reality – starting with nothing but timing and belief.Why infrastructure is really about location, and how they secured public land along highways.Building a mission-first company culture that prioritizes kindness, vision, and accountability.Raising capital from everyday investors through bonds instead of traditional VC.How Fastned navigates grid congestion, public regulation, and geopolitical headwinds.What’s ahead: scaling to 1,000 stations by 2030, entering new countries, and staying focused on long-term impact.Bart also reflects on his earlier ventures, including Metro Holland, and lessons learned from his father – former Dutch Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers – on leadership, dreaming big, and building trust.An inspiring and pragmatic episode for any founder building infrastructure, impact, or both! 🎧 Listen now. This Episode is recorded in Dutch.
--------
1:14:25
--------
1:14:25
Seenons and Beyond
Jorn Eiting has carved out a unique path in the world of entrepreneurship and business. With a career spanning diverse industries, Jorn eventually co-founded Seenons, a groundbreaking company dedicated to making waste streams more sustainable. After leading the company to success, Jorn decided to take a step back, entrusting Joost to steer the business as he transitioned to a new role. Today, Jorn continues to make an impact as an advisor and investor at ROM InWest, where he supports innovative startups and ventures.In this episode, Jorn shares his journey from a varied career to launching and scaling Seenons, the lessons learned in letting go as a founder, and how he’s channeling his passion for innovation into helping others achieve their dreams. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or a seasoned founder, Jorn’s story will inspire and offer valuable insights!
--------
49:25
--------
49:25
Engineering Earth's CO2 Future
I’m thrilled to continue our podcast series with Rob van Straten, CEO of Skytree, a leader in Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology. 🚀Skytree, originally founded by Max Beaumont started as a spinoff from the European Space Agency (ESA) and is leveraging its space-inspired tech to revolutionize carbon capture here on Earth. In this episode, Rob shares his remarkable career journey, from his leadership experiences to his passion for innovative technology. We also dive into the cutting-edge DAC system Skytree is building, designed to capture CO₂ directly from the air at an efficiency level that’s putting them on the fast track to becoming a market leader. 🌍 Apart from that he explains why the business case especially in the Netherlands in so interesting since the greenhouse/horticulture needs added CO2 to grow their products well.Rob offers a behind-the-scenes look at the engineering challenges, the vision that keeps Skytree moving forward, and what it takes to lead a groundbreaking startup - initially for many years without any revenue... Whether you’re fascinated by aerospace innovation or curious about his opinion on the controversy that also exist around DAC technology; this conversation provides a deep dive into the intersection of innovation and leadership. 🎙Thanks Rob for all your insights! I learned a lot. All the best positioning Skytree for long-term success!
--------
1:03:59
--------
1:03:59
Turning ESG Data into Business Power
As we gear up for the Climate Tech Summit on October 22 in Amsterdam, I’m excited to launch a special podcast series featuring five incredible entrepreneurs who are driving real impact through their ventures.In this first episode, I had the privilege of sitting down with Lenny van Klink, the visionary co-founder of Salacia Solutions. 🧜♀️Is ESG data or the CSRD just a compliance burden for your organization? 💡 Think again! Lenny explains how rethinking these insights can actually unlock massive business opportunities. 🌱📊We dove deep into his career journey, spanning consultancy and governmental roles, which eventually led to the founding of Salacia, the first ESG tracking & reporting platform capable of handling big data at scale. Their bootstrapped success story is a great inspiration for many other founders.Businesses like Salacia Solutions are transforming the way companies approach sustainability. What’s often viewed as “compliance” can become a powerful competitive advantage for future growth. 🌿💼Thank you, Lenny, for the inspiring conversation and for sharing your invaluable insights. Keep pushing!
--------
46:06
--------
46:06
Vision to Victory
Michel did everything to nurture his start-up for > 5 years before it could pay him a first salary. Another 7 years later (+- 3 million ARR, + 175 clients and +-3,8 million end users) he did a massive textbook exit.No external startup capitalNo sales & marketingPure focus on building the best productAnd waiting for the momentum…Listen to my latest podcast with Michel Visser, the co-founder of Eesysoft (now Instructure).We talked about his career full of commercial roles that led to the foundation of his first compant Eesysoft together with his partner Jan; how they built that and sold it to a strategic buyer (Instructure) in the middle of the Covid crisis when their business skyrocketed.His time in Purmerend & BarcelonaHow to use your “golden handshake bonus” from your last job to start a businessTaking a job next to your startup to give it time to growWaiting for the momentum to scaleHow to build a great company cultureBeing ghosted during an exit processHow Covid helped Eesysoft to grow and bring exit opportunitiesHow life changed after exitingHis new AI adventures!His biggest failure and best advices (hint; don’t invest in boats)And much more!Eesysoft is a wonderful example of a company that has grown quietly, has made a few small pivots by carefully looking at the needs in the market and has managed to take action at the right time. And all in a very pleasant and controlled way. For me, Michel has always been the epitome of control itself. Much respect for these achievements; and I am very curious to see how Michel's comeback in Edtech will turn out during the current AI revolution.Thanks so much Michel for your time and a highly interesting conversation!
Rome was not built in a day, and neither are successful tech scale-ups. Join us on a captivating journey as we delve into the personal stories of 12 Dutch Tech Titans who transformed their tech startups into industry giants.In "Building the Dream," we take you on an exploration of their remarkable journeys, filled with challenges, triumphs, and life-changing experiences. These tech pioneers share their intimate stories and insights into the rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship. Who are these extraordinary individuals, and what valuable lessons do they have to offer?Get ready to be inspired by the real-life stories of resilience, vision, and determination in the world of Dutch tech entrepreneurship.Host of the podcast: Leopold van Oosten, CEO & founder of Amsterdam Standard.
Netherlands