Corporate Venturing & Entrepreneurship Summit 2024

Vareska van de Vrande

Vareska van de Vrande is Professor of Collaborative Innovation and Business Venturing at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM)

Vareska joined RSM in 2007 after completing a PhD in Industrial Engineering and Management Science at the Eindhoven University of Technology. Her expertise focuses on the areas of corporate venturing and collaborative innovation, including external technology sourcing, corporate venture capital investments, strategic alliances, and corporate-startup collaboration. Other research interests include (corporate) entrepreneurship, patents, and venture capital. She has published articles in leading academic journals, including the Journal of Operations Management, Strategic Management Journal, Research Policy, the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, the Journal of Product Innovation Management, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, and the Journal of Business Venturing. At RSM, Vareska teaches courses and modules in Strategic Management and Corporate Venturing at the graduate and post-experience level.

In addition, Vareska is also the Academic Lead at Erasmus Enterprise and a certified LEGO SERIOUS PLAY facilitator.

Mª Julia Prats

Professor Prats' main area of interest is the entrepreneurial process, which includes the identification, evaluation, and implementation of opportunities in any context. Part of her work focuses on developing strategies and systems that help established companies achieve profitable growth. In recent years, she has developed a line of research focused on open innovation and how corporations work with startups. Over the years, he has had the opportunity to develop this area of interest through teaching, research projects, and consulting.

Professor Prats was nominated for the Kauffman Emerging Award for her doctoral thesis and has published in international journals and conference proceedings, aimed at both the professional field and the academic community. The latest research has been featured in recent articles in Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review. She is also the author of teaching material and has collaborated on several books on topics related to entrepreneurship and strategy.

At IESE, she teaches courses on Entrepreneurship and innovation and growth strategies in a wide variety of programs, including MBAs and International Executive Education. He has been Visiting Professor at the Wharton Business School, IPADE (Mexico), INALDE (Colombia) and the Asia Pacific University (Philippines) among others.

Currently, Professor Prats seats in the Board as non-executive Director in two companies: an international Consulting, Engineering and Architecture professional service firm and an industrial company. She also serves on the Advisory Committee of two professional service firms and works as an independent consultant on innovation and growth strategy projects. Finally, she is actively involved in several foundations with local projects for the youth, projects in Africa on health and sustainability and a Think Tank related to the work of the home.

Bjorn Tremmerie

Bjorn Tremmerie executes and monitors investments in Venture Capital Funds in Europe and is in charge of a portfolio of over 150 European VC funds at the European Investment Fund (EIF). Bjorn is involved with the Dutch Venture Initiative Funds-of-Funds where he is an investment committee member and is also a member of KfW Capital’s Advisory Board. Previous role responsibilities include the management of the European Angel Fund co-investment programme that features more than 100 enrolled Business Angels through which co-investments in start-ups are implemented. Bjorn also previously led the EUR 3.2bn ERP-EIF Dachfonds programme that EIF administers on behalf of the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), an initiative dedicated to the German VC market. Before joining EIF, Bjorn worked for a globally active VC fund. He started his career at ING in investment banking.

Marc Jansen

As part of BOM (Brabant Development Agency) Marc and his teams contribute to the development of and invest venture capital in early and later stage growing companies in Life Sciences, MedTech, Ag-tech, Deeptech as part of Regional Development Agency in Brabant, the Netherlands.  Setting the right governance and selecting the right teams and co-investors is part of our strategy. We also have a fund-to-fund mandate and pro-active venture development programs which enable us to catalyze development of companies which want to create impact in various societal challenges. Furthermore BOM invests in renewable energy projects with proven technologies as well in pilot project with new technologies. BOM is the most active Dutch VC investor over the past 5 years.

Marc’s professional background includes various leading positions within ABN AMRO Bank, Deutsche Bank and over the past 10 years within BOM. His educational background includes Master in Finance at Tilburg University, various courses at Amsterdam Institute of Finance, INSEAD (Risk Management in Banking), Saïd Business School at Oxford University  (Impact Investing), EESA Erasmus Governance Institute. Besides various Advisory Board seats Marc is part of the NVP Academy committee.

Marc has 25 years of experience in Finance/Investments in the complete risk-return range of investment products from (pre-)Seed Capital to straight syndicated loan facilities with main focus on translating company's strategies and risk profiles into the appropriate financing structures with the right governance attached to it. Clients range from early stage start ups to midcap-companies across all industries as well as the public sector. Marc has been involved in financing over 2.500 companies and funds and has been being trusted advisor to many  entrepreneurs.

Marina Biniari

Marina Biniari is an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Sussex, in the UK. She has been studying corporate venturing since 2002. Over the years, she has developed a keen interest in advancing knowledge on how established organizations can renew and grow by pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities in a purposeful and continuous manner. In her research, she explores how socio-psychological dynamics and organizational designs influence employees' entrepreneurial behavior, or what practitioners call "intrapreneurial" behavior. Her research has been published at the Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Organizational Behavior, and Small Business Economics. Her teaching supports her research interest as she had designed and delivered modules in the areas of strategic renewal, dynamic capabilities, corporate entrepreneurship, and new venture creation. As part of her teaching, she has coached over 100 company-based projects.

https://profiles.sussex.ac.uk/p604947-marina-biniari/about

Tristan Lavender

Tristan Lavender is the founder and chair of the Philips Neurodiversity Network, a global Employee Resource Group (ERG) with over 900 members that aims to raise awareness and understanding of neurodiversity at Philips. Tristan is also a regular writer and speaker on neurodiversity in organizations, drawing from his lived experience as an autistic person and 17 years of experience working in professional services. His mission is to contribute to a world where every mind can thrive. Outside of his neurodiversity advocacy, Tristan works as a senior content strategist, writer and editor in the global Philips communications team.

Ingrid Verheul

Ingrid Verheul is Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Department of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship of the Rotterdam School of Management. She started her academic career at the Erasmus School of Economics where she did a PhD. on the topic of gender differences in entrepreneurship and co-edited the book: Entrepreneurship: Determinants and Policy in a European-US Comparison published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 2002. Her research on entrepreneurship has a strong interdisciplinary focus, aimed at creating a better understanding of what drives individual entrepreneurial behavior and performance – with an emphasis on inclusive entrepreneurship. Research projects cover the topics of female entrepreneurship; (mental) health and entrepreneurship; necessity-based motives; and the challenges and talents of neurodiverse entrepreneurs. Her research is widely cited in popular media and in renowned academic journals in the field of Entrepreneurship, Management and Economics (e.g., Journal of Business Venturing; Small Business Economics; Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice; International Small Business Journal; Academy of Management Perspectives) as well as in journals in Psychology and Medical Sciences (e.g., Applied Psychology; Journal of Happiness Studies; Journal of Economic Psychology; European Journal of Epidemiology). She teaches entrepreneurship courses to BSc. & MSc. students and has recently developed the training Onbeperkt Ondernemen (Entrepreneurship Unlimited) for entrepreneurs with ADHD, jointly with the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECE).

Felix Zwart

Felix is Director of Research of NVP ( (Dutch Private Equity & Venture Capital Association) & Part-time PhD at RSM/Erasmus University

Felix' research interest has always been at the crossroads between markets and government. At Utrecht University, he obtained an undergraduate degree in sociology, a graduate degree in public economics, while also pursuing history courses. Since 2011, he has been involved with all the research efforts of the Dutch Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, NVP. The research programme of NVP is part of the European Data Collection, a pan-European data collection effort and one of the largest databases on private equity and venture capital activity in the world.

At RSM, he combines his interests and mixed methods background with two distinct research projects. The first is a government policy history of Dutch equity financing policies for SMEs since the 1930s. The second is a quantitative paper on the influence of private equity ownership on toxic waste emissions and process innovations in US production companies.

May Wu

May is a Director of the Finance Project Office at Nexperia, a Netherlands-headquartered global semiconductor company with a rich European history and over 14,000 employees across Europe, Asia, and the United States.  With a solid accounting and finance background, May brings 10+ years of management consulting experience throughout the lifecycle of M&A & projects management. May joined Nexperia in 2022 as a project leader and manages strategic projects to support Nexperia’s growth ambition, such as M&A, new legal entity setup, and process improvement projects. Nexperia acquired Delft-based Nowi in November 2022 and May was the project leader during both the acquisition and integration phases.

Before Nexperia May worked at TCS Europe's M&A team as an M&A consultant, where she focused on digital transformation projects triggered by M&A transactions, including carve-out / separation as well as post-merger integration. May started her career at IMAP Netherlands, an international M&A consultancy firm. She successfully advised both buy and sell side clients across various industries throughout the deal-making process.

May holds a master's degree in business administration from RSM, Erasmus University Rotterdam, and a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. May is a CFA charterholder.

Simon van der Jagt

Simon van der Jagt co-founded Nowi in the Netherlands in 2016, a startup focused on energy harvesting power management IC. He served as the CEO until its acquisition by Nexperia in Q4 2022. Nowi achieved notable success, winning several innovation awards, securing $12M in funding and growing to 30 people in Delft prior to its acquisition.. They developed an innovative power management IC for energy harvesting, enabling superior performance in a smaller, cost-effective, and simplified manner.

Recognizing the potential of Nowi's technology, Nexperia seized the opportunity for further development and commercial expansion. The collaboration between the two companies has facilitated the enhancement and diversification of their offerings in the rapidly growing field of energy harvesting, meeting the rising demand for sustainable and user-friendly power solutions across various industries.

Simon obtained his bachelor's degree in Industrial Design Engineering and master's degree in Strategic Product Design from Delft University of Technology.

Ceciel Kempers

Ceciel is business developer within the corporate venturing team of Alliander, the biggest regional grid operator for electricity and gas in The Netherlands. Ceciel's main focus lies on venture building and corporate startup collaboration which supports Alliander in making the transition towards a sustainable energy system, with a specific focus on grid digitalization, automation and robotics.

Before joining Alliander in 2021, Ceciel worked as a business consultant at PwC with ample experience in the creation of innovation operating models and new product and service offerings for multinational companies in a wide range of industries. Ceciel holds a master's degree in innovation governance and ethics of technology from University of Twente, and a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering.

Anthony Viellevoije

Anthony Viellevoije is Partner of StartGreen Capital and Investment Director of PDENH, a EUR85m climate Tech fund.

With a varied background in mergers & acquisitions and as an entrepreneur, Anthony has been active at StartGreen since 2014. He leads its climate tech VC activities and has built a successful portfolio of innovative growth companies. He invested early in leading climate tech disruptors like Sympower and Dexter Energy Services (grid balancing), Chaincraft, Fairphone and MX3D (circularity), Triple Solar and Asperitas (sustainable heating).

Business passion
Anthony is driven to achieve impact through technology and smart revenue models. He believes in ventures that think big, yet that iterate quickly on each and every lesson learned. His envisaged biggest risk is not taking any risk at all.

Coenraad de Vries

Coenraad de Vries is Co-founder and Managing Partner of StartGreen Capital and Oneplanetcrowd.

The mission of the Oneplanetcrowd and Startgreen is to finance sustainable innovation by Venture Capital, Crowd funding or Project finance. With these finance instruments Oneplanetcrowd provides sustainable entrepreneurs and energy project developers custom-made finance solutions. The company is founded in 2006 and has 485 million euros under management.

Oneplanetcrowd is the largest sustainable Crowdfunding Platform in the Netherlands (active since 2012; as part of Start Green group) and was recently merged with Invesdor Group. Together, both companies are a leading Crowdfunding platform in the EU. Invesdor/Oneplanetcrow is active in Germany, Austria, Finland, and the Benelux, with 180.000 investors and more than 531 million assets financed.      

Previously Coenraad worked in the banking industry in several management positions.

His personal ambition is to accelerate a sustainable change in the financial industry.

Luca Berchicci

Luca Berchicci is professor at the department of Strategy Management and Entrepreneurship, Rotterdam School of Management (Erasmus University). He received his Ph.D. in Innovation Management at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering of Delft University of Technology. He worked as a research fellow at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne. His primary interest lies at the intersection of strategy, entrepreneurship, and innovation. He investigates how managers and entrepreneurs develop, exploit and transfer the firm's capabilities for greater performance, either market-based or non-market based (i.e., environmental performance). His research has been published in journals such as Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Management Studies, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Research Policy and Academy of Management Annals. He is co-editor of Strategic Organization and associate editor of Organization and Environment. His teaching focuses on strategic management, venture creation and growth. He also acts as business advisor to new ventures to help them start and grow.

Jan Willem Nieuwenhuize

Jan Willem co-founded ING Ventures in 2017 and has been a member of the investment committee from the start. He has been responsible for investments with highly complex stakeholder fields and served on Boards of regulated entities in various European countries.

Jan Willem has 20 years of experience in the financial industry, of which 17 years as a principal investor in venture capital, private equity and risk-bearing debt solutions. Prior to co-founding ING Ventures, Jan Willem worked for ten years in the principal investments team of ING Wholesale Banking, where he started as an associate and left as a managing director. Jan Willem holds a MSc in Econometrics from Erasmus University Rotterdam and lives in Den Bosch with his wife and three children

Chris Eveleens

Chris Eveleens is senior researcher at the Rathenau Institute. In his work he studies the research and innovation system in the Netherlands, in order to inform and improve politics and policymaking on science, technology and innovation. He has a background in innovation studies and did his PhD on support programs (incubators and accelerators) for innovative entrepreneurship. Before he worked at Rathenau Institute, he worked for the Dutch Advisory Council for Science, technology, and Innovation (AWTI).

Yu Liu

Yu Liu is an Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam. She holds a Doctor of Science Degree from Aalto University, Finland. Her research is at the nexus of network strategy and entrepreneurship and focuses on how network resources affect venture outcomes. Her recent empirical interests range from cross-border venture capital, unicorn firms, to entrepreneurial ecosystems. Her research has been published in top management outlets such like Academy of Management Journal and Research Policy. She serves as ad-hoc reviewer for many top management and entrepreneurship journals including Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, and Research Policy. 

Mirko Benischke

Mirko is an Associate Professor of Global Strategy in the Department of Strategic Management & Entrepreneurship, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. He is also the Academic Director of both the BSc International Business Administration (IBA) as well as the BSc Business Administration / Bedrijfskunde (BA) programs. He holds a PhD from the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

His teaching interests are focused in the areas of strategy, corporate governance, and international business. He has taught a variety of courses at the executive (full-time MBA and executive education), graduate, and undergraduate levels. In 2018 and 2019, he has been awarded the "Professor of the Year Award" for my undergraduate course on International Business.

His research focuses on three main themes: (1) strategic decision-making of senior executives (CEOs, top management teams, and Board of Directors), (2) multinational corporations’ internationalization strategies, and (3) climate change adaptation. In my research, He primarily draw on behavioral decision-making and institutional theories. His research has been awarded the prestigious Haynes Prize by the Academy of International Business and has been accepted for publication in the Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of World Business, the Academy of Management Perspectives, Human Resource Management (US), Strategic Organization, and International Business Review. His research has also been covered in the Harvard Business Review.

He is currently serving as Associate Editor for the Journal of Management Studies. Additionally, He is serving on the editorial boards of the Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of World Business, Global Strategy Journal, and the Multinational Business Review; He also serves as Representative-at-Large for the Academy of International Business Western European Chapter and previously held a similar role for the Global Strategy Interest Group (Strategic Management Society). In 2018, I became a high performing member of the Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM).

Peter van Gelderen

Dr. Peter van Gelderen is a Managing Partner and co-founder of Icos Capital, with a PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Trained as a theoretical / computational physicist, he started his career in R&D in quantum physics, nanotechnology and innovative new materials at Philips Research Laboratories. Thereafter, he has worked as a consultant and manager at Deloitte Consulting on strategy and innovation assignments for large corporates and highly innovative technology start-ups and scale-ups. He also advised government bodies such as the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy on sustainability policies and innovation ecosystem building.

SInce 2006, Peter is one of the founding managing partners of Icos Capital as well as Chief Investment Officer, responsible for investment strategies. Over the years, Icos Capital has developed a unique collaborative corporate venturing model with strong collaboration with corporate investors, promoting collaboration between inovative young companies and large corporates with worldwide scale-up and roll-out capabilites, through win-win partnerships. Icos is currently investing from its recently launched fourth venture fund with focus on decarbonization in Food Systems, Sustainable Chemicals & Materials, Industry Digitization and Carbon Tech. 

Icos Capital invests in Europe and Israel, in scale-ups with strong technology platform, such as industry biotech, precision fermentation, and regenerative AI. Some examples of high profile Icos Capital portfolio companies in ClimateTech are Carbon Clean (UK, carbon capture, and "soonicorn" as identified by Tech Tour), Photanol (NL, sustainable chemicals), Squirro (CH, generative AI), Holiferm (UK, cost competitive bio-chemicals through precision fermentation), InnovoPro (IL, plant-based proteins) and eAgronom (EE, egenerative agriculture). Peter has invested in dozens of companies and gained many years experience as an active Supervisory Board member for a range of companies in food tech, chemicals, materials and carbon tech.

Thomas Standaert

Thomas Standaert is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Ghent University and project lead for the annual AI Barometer commissioned by the Flemish Government. He obtained his PhD in Business Economics from Ghent University. His research interests include government venture capital, high-growth entrepreneurship, and the AI-powered innovation

Jan Jacob Vogelaar

Jan Jacob Vogelaar is a senior policy officer at the innovation policy directorate of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. He is also a part-time PhD candidate at the Utrecht University School of Economics, where he conducts research on entrepreneurship and venture capital policy. Before joining the Ministry, he worked for regional development agency InnovationQuarter.

Kris Vander Velpen

Kris is Executive Education Director at Flanders Business School and part-time guest lecturer at KU Leuven (Faculty of Industrial Engineering). He is (co)-author of several management articles and management books: How To Breed Gazelles (Kluwer 2013) and Solutions for the financial challenges of social entrepreneurs (Die Keure, 2020). Kris is particularly interested in business modeling, social entrepreneurship, and analytical and synthetic thinking patterns.

He holds an MBA from Cornell University, a degree in Commercial Engineering (Computer Data Processing), and a Bachelor's degree in Thomistic Philosophy from KU Leuven.

Additionally, he is also an independent consultant, building and implementing tailor-made top-line growth practices within large companies and organizations (J&J, OCAZ, Sabic, Soudal, DCM, Mr Mallo, Blenders...) and sector-relevant growth and innovation platforms (Flanders Make, InnoEnergy…). He has held (and still holds) key positions within government agencies (advisor to the Flemish Minister of Economy, Science and Innovation….) and fast-growing companies (Vulpia Group…). Previously, he was responsible for Fortis Venturing worldwide; today, he still serves as a director on various intra- and entrepreneurial companies

Maurice de Rochemont

Dr. Maurice de Rochemont is a lecturer in the Department of Strategic Management & Entrepreneurship at Erasmus University Rotterdam, where he teaches entrepreneurship & strategy and provides guidance to new entrepreneurs. In addition, Maurice serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Eindhoven University of Technology, supporting high-tech startups by providing mentorship and strategic advice to new ventures.

Previously, Maurice worked in private equity at Advent International, one of the largest US-based PE firms, and in corporate strategy at a global pharmaceutical company. He also launched a startup that won the FD Gazellen award twice as one of the fastest-growing companies in the Netherlands.

Maurice completed a PhD in Industrial Engineering and Management Science at Eindhoven University of Technology. He has a keen interest in emerging technologies and disruptive innovations, such as AI, blockchain, and quantum computing.

Karim El Oteify

I’m an entrepreneur,facilitator, and consultant passionate about creating safe spaces for diverse people to be their authentic selves. You might wonder: How did I get from one melting pot (Cairo) to another (Rotterdam)?

Looking for a diverse environment, I arrived in the Netherlands in 2018 and immediately fell in love with its entrepreneurial culture and opportunities. I launched two projects supporting the growing international community: BGMT, an online platform for young internationals, and Assist NL, a relocation service for young professionals.

Later on, I specialized in systemic change management and diversity and inclusion. This blended nicely with my background in marketing and communications, fueling my holistic approach to storytelling and community-building.

I bring 5+ years of experience balancing one foot in creative communications strategy and the other in diversity, inclusion, and systemic change management. I thrive within projects and roles that combine both.

Hans van de Velde

Hans van de Velde is working as a coach since 1998, he is an expert in people-at-work. Hans is entrepreneur, has ADHD and dyslexia. Before he has been working in different organizations: a cleaning business, judge-secretary at the Rotterdam court, lecturer at the university, and from 1989 till 1997 he owned a business in legal software. Hans is trained as therapeut/trainer and has a degree in law (LL.M.).
Equisto provides caching of employees for employers (large and small companies, educational institutes and local/central governments)

Geert Duysters

Geert Duysters is professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Tilburg University. He currently acts as Dean of the Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TISEM). He has worked with many multinationals, NGOs and governmental organizations all over the world on topics like Strategic Alliances, Corporate Entrepreneurship and Blockchain. As an entrepreneur he established 3 Internet companies.

Christopher Sabel

Dr. Christopher Sabel is an Assistant Professor in Strategy and Entrepreneurship at RSM in the department of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship. He holds a Ph.D. from BI Norwegian Business School and an MSc from Stockholm School of Economics. Before starting an academic career, Christopher worked as a consultant for Monitor Deloitte, focusing on commercial strategy and M&A in the pharmaceutical industry. Christopher’s main research interests are in corporate-startup collaboration, particularly focusing on employee allocation, corporate venture capital investments, and corporate spinouts. Christopher is also very interested in hearing about startup M&A, so chat him up if this is of interest to you too!

Workshop: Corporate Venture Capital: Which investment practices generate value for startups?

Corporates often struggle to communicate their value to startups and are sometimes even perceived as “too dangerous” to partner with. However, some approaches to venture investing do unlock more value for startups than others. This session brings practitioners and academics together to discuss how corporates can impact ventures and to discuss practical approaches for how managers can make their corporate venture capital more attractive for startups and venture capitalists.  

Corina Kuiper

Corina is the Managing Director of Corporate Venturing Network and auteur of the book “Corporate Venturing, managing the innovation family”. Over the past 25 years, Corina has held a spectrum of strategic management, business development and financial management positions. She has worked in different functional areas, in start-up environments as well as in established business settings. Her company the Innovation Family supports several large corporations on Corporate Venturing and New Business Creation. She regularly lectures as a guest speaker across several international universities and business schools and speaks at international conferences and seminars.