Meet the 17 Dutch social entrepreneurs heading to SOCAP in San Francisco

After the successful mission of last year, this year another Dutch delegation of 17 social startups and entrepreneurs will travel to San Francisco to represent the Netherlands at SOCAP.

From October 23-26  the Social Capital Markets (SOCAP) conference in San Francisco, California will host thousands of impact investors and social entrepreneurs from all over the world.

SOCAP18 will convene over 3,000 impact investors, world-class entrepreneurs, and innovative cross-sector practitioners dedicated to increasing the flow of capital toward social good. Its annual flagship event in San Francisco has become the leading gathering of the social capital markets, with more than 20,000 participants since its founding in 2008.

Willemijn Verloop

“Dutch entrepreneurs are innovative front-runners who work well together,” said Willemijn Verloop, Co-Founder & Partner at Social Impact Ventures, via Sprout.

Researchers at McKinsey previously calculated that 5,000 social enterprises have been set up in the Netherlands over the past 5 years, with sales increasing 75 percent to 3.5 billion euros, according to Sprout.

“This means that these companies are responsible for an impressive 3.5 percent of the GDP growth of the Dutch economy in the last 5 years. We share the knowledge and experience of how the Netherlands has achieved this growth and which players have been crucial for this, at SOCAP with the international community,” added Verloop.

These are the 17 startups and entrepreneurs who will put the Netherlands on the map as impact leaders at SOCAP:

African Clean Energy

African Clean Energy, represented by Ruben and Judith Walker, has as its mission to use clean energy and smartphone technology to lift people out of poverty and connect them to the world.

Closing the Loop

Closing the Loop, represented by Joost de Kluijver, has as its mission to rescue end-of-life phones from emerging markets and recover the embedded materials in the safest possible way.

Coolfinity

Coolfinity, represented by Maarten ten Houten, is a proud, independent start-up founded to bring cooling, through fridges, where it isn’t yet. The products are specifically designed for long and frequent power outages in tropical countries.

DriveTag

DriveTag, represented by Kristian Winge, is on a mission to help fight climate change by enabling drivers everywhere to take control and reduce their personal carbon footprint and improve their safety, without having to give up driving.

EVERLESS

EVERLESS, represented by Joost de Muinck Keizer, is a line of design-centric products that enhance the lifestyle of the conscious consumer of the future and empowers the minimal lifestyle through high-end design and sustainable technical innovation.

Future Proof Shipping

Future Proof Shipping, represented by Richard Klatten,  is a network organisation that offers commercial, technical and financial services to enable the transition to zero-emissions shipping.

GreenerU

GreenerU, represented by Ajay Varadharajan, is a mobile app that helps you keep track of, and improve your lifestyle’s health and sustainability performance through personalized advice.

HumanSurge

HumanSurge, represented by Loek Peeters, brings together experienced humanitarian professionals from various disciplines on a single platform where they can signal their immediate availability for deployment in emergencies, thereby enabling organizations to complete specialized response teams overnight.

Khaloom

Khaloom, represented by Jesse van de Zand, combines fashion, sustainability, and traditional hand weaving into beautifully crafted high-end fabrics.

Makers Unite

Makers Unite, represented by Thami Scheichler, is a social enterprise where local people and newcomers meet to design and make sustainable products with a story.

Moyee

Moyee, represented by Guido van Staveren van Dijk, is a company that makes “radically good coffee with radical impact” and not only sources their specialty beans in Ethiopia, but roasts them there as well.

People’s Pension Trust

People’s Pension Trust, represented by Marijn Bergsma, is a company licensed by the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA), Ghana, to provide trustee services for the Ghanaian workforce, particularly, those in the informal sector, and is a subsidiary of People’s Pension Holding based in the Netherlands.

SCOPEinsight

SCOPEinsight, represented by Lucas Simons, has as its mission to transform agricultural sectors by increasing the market inclusiveness of professional farmer organizations and agribusinesses.

SweepSmart

SweepSmart, represented by Silvia de Vaan and Niels van den Hoek, turn waste pickers into waste managers. They collect, segregate and recycle the waste, thereby offering a professional waste management service.

The SocialMedwork

The SocialMedwork, represented by Sjaak Vink (Neelie Kroes recently stepped in),  is a social enterprise helping people everywhere access the latest medicines more quickly and for countries where medicines are not available, it provides access.

Upset Textiles

Upset Textiles, represented by Pals Brust, brings a groundbreaking recycling technology to India that can produce 100% recycled cotton for a similar price as virgin cotton.

YAPILI

YAPILI, represented by Enya Séguin, is a telehealth solution that connects people seeking health advice to local and international professionals by delivering Health@Hand in African countries.