#Social entrepreneurship

Bijna drie jaar na de lancering van de eerste versie van de groenblauwe kaart van Amsterdam en 3.000 exemplaren verder, hebben we een tweede - herziene - druk van #UrbanNatureAmsterdam gemaakt. Maandagavond 21 maart werd tijdens Vier de Lente! in Pakhuis de Zwijger het eerste exemplaar uitgereikt aan de nieuwe groenburgemeester van Amsterdam.

Wat is nieuw in deze tweede versie van #UrbanNatureAmsterdam? Ontdek bijvoorbeeld 🌱 de eekhoornbruggen in het Gijsbrecht van Aemstelpark, 🌱 twee nieuwe stadsparken, 🌱 het monumentaal groen of de eerste tiny forest van de stad, 🌱 nieuwe stadse Trage Tochten, 🌱 de natuur in de 'Port of Amsterdam', 🌱 nieuwe partners, 🌱 informatie over natuur inclusief bouwen of 🌱 de vernieuwde top-10 lijsten met dingen die je in de stad kunt doen.

Op de voorzijde van de kaart zie je letterlijk hoeveel groen en blauw in Amsterdam is te vinden: de parken, (binnen)tuinen, plantsoenen, natuurspeeltuinen, sportvelden, grachten, meren, polders en bossen. De achterzijde van de kaart vol met informatie fungeert als een oproep aan de gebruiker: ontdek de natuur, maar draag ook bij aan vergroening van de stad.

Met dank aan Urban Good CIC en aan onze nieuwe partners Buurtgroen020, Anmec en Natuurfontein. En partners Gemeente Amsterdam, Staatsbosbeheer, Waterschap Amstel, Gooi en Vecht en Recreatie Noord Holland.

Is your company looking for a framework to accelerate and manage its positive impact on people and the planet? Join the City of Amsterdam's Building Better Business meetups and programme to pursue a B Corp or Economy for the Common Good certification!

Building Better Business (BBB) has two different tracks: B Corp and Economy for the Common Good (ECG). You can join either track to transform your business into a change agent and build the foundation for certification – if you decide to take that step.

During our online meetups, you will have the opportunity to learn more about the BBB programme and find out which path to certification works best for your company!

Please note: the 1 April meetup focuses exclusively on the ECG certification model, so do join that edition if you would like to dig deeper. You can sign up via the same Eventbrite link

The Metabolic Ventures arm has developed a Systemic Venture Framework to help entrepreneurs assess the potential of a venture to have large-scale, systemic impacts.

It acts as a qualitative lens to design, support, assess, and improve their systems.

How does it work? Take a look at the article linked below and share your thoughts.

If you are in the impact venture ecosystem and supporting the path of impact entrepreneurs, feel free to reach out to see any points of collaboration.

Is your company looking for a framework to accelerate and manage its impact on people and the planet?

Join the City of Amsterdam's Building Better Business (BBB) programme to explore how you can be part of a more sustainable and inclusive economy, and pursue a B Corp or Economy for the Common Good (ECG) certification! And sign up for this free event to hear from new economy leaders, connect with other impact-minded companies, and learn the ins and outs of the BBB tracks.

BBB event speakers

The BBB event features a keynote by Michael Weatherhead, New Opportunities and Finance Lead of Wellbeing Economy Alliance and contributions from:

- Katie Hill (B Lab Europe),
- Robin Foolen (B Corp-certified company Secrid),
- Christian Felber (initiator of Economy of the Common Good),
- Joost Broeders (ECG-certified company Baril Coatings).

Who is the BBB event for?

The BBB programme and its inspiration event are geared towards Amsterdam Metropolitan Area-based companies that want to formalise their social impact ambitions and make the transition to a sustainable business model.

BBB is powered by Amsterdam Impact (City of Amsterdam), B Lab, Economy for the Common Good and KplusV.

Op 22 maart organiseert The Present een event voor iedereen die wil ontdekken hoe zijn of haar kwaliteiten een bijdrage kunnen leveren aan een sociale en inclusieve samenleving. Tijdens deze middag vertelt Kees Klomp over het belang van de betekeniseconomie, delen ondernemers hun ervaringen en laten verscheidene bijzondere initiatieven zien hoe zij een bijdrage leveren aan het leven van anderen. Ontmoet gelijkgestemden en raak geïnspireerd door concrete voorbeelden van andere ondernemers. Ben jij klaar om te ondernemen voor de toekomst? Kom langs op 22 maart!

“Ondernemers staan voor visie, verandering en daadkracht. Precies de drie dingen die nodig zijn voor een duurzame en sociale toekomst.”

Over The Present
The Present (www.thepresent.world) is een ondernemersplatform met een frisse blik op ondernemerschap. Door middel van campagnes, events en actieve matchmaking helpt The Present ondernemers zich bewust(er) te worden van de positieve rol die zij kunnen spelen in de samenleving.

More than 50% of the European population currently lives in urban areas, a proportion that is projected to increase to almost 70% by 2050. Distributed small scale urban food growers can together make a difference in providing healthy food in cities, in a climate neutral and sustainable way. Zéger Nieuweboer, the founder of the urban food growers cooperation www.arnhemgroen.nl gave an interview about the YIMBY experience of small scale food growing.in the city.

On average, software developers tend to stay in a role for less than 2 years, with the tech industry having the highest talent turnover than any other industry. The impact of lost productivity, delayed digital initiatives and time to replace developers run into the billions globally.

On 3 March, we'll be chatting with Jieke Pan, CTO EMEA & APAC at Mobiquity, about:

👉 How to connect customer pain points to individual engineering outputs, resulting in more meaningful and fulfilling work
👉 Why psychological safety and boundaries are key to a developer’s experience at work
👉 A proactive approach to structured and unstructured growth for your engineers

One of the key priorities of the European Commission is to support the twin transition to a green and digital economy.  One way the Commission is shaping this transition is by co-creating transition pathways for more resilient, green and digital industrial ecosystems, across different sectors.

Within the scope of the Intelligent Cities Challenge, Amsterdam Region contributed to a stakeholder consultation session on 9 February 2022. Mirko van Vliet, Amsterdam Economic Board  Strategic Advisor shared the region’s experience using future scenarios as a tool for assessing developments in inherently unpredictable and complex systems. In this approach, scenarios are not forecasts but alternative images of how the future can unfold. The approach can be used to stimulate discussion and action around key opportunities, threats, driving forces and no regret measures to achieve a desired vision.

Beyond visions, achieving the digital and green transition requires concrete initiatives. Mirko shared the example of LEAP,  a coalition of the willing that aims to speed up the transition to a sustainable digital infrastructure by deploying and accelerating existing and new technologies.  One of the topics explored within LEAP is the possibility of shifting away from hyper-scale, monolithic data-centers to more flexible, distributed and disaggregated infrastructures.  LEAP exemplifies Amsterdam Economic Board's approach to building a robust ecosystem through multi-stakeholder collaboration in order to transition the data-center and digital infrastructure value chains.

Would you like to help shape the transition pathways for more resilient, greener and digital industrial ecosystems?  The Commission is inviting all interested stakeholders to co-create transition pathways for three sectors / ecosystems:

• Proximity & social economy ecosystem, consultation closes February 28
• Construction ecosystem,  consultation closes February 28
• Mobility ecosystem, consultation closes March 31

Based on the results of these consultations, the Commission will organise further meetings with stakeholders to finalise the various pathways in 2022.

For more information visit: https://ec.europa.eu/growth/consultations_en

The AMS Startup Booster is a business idea development and validation program hosted by AMS Institute, aiming to help aspiring entrepreneurs turn their gut feeling into a business. The entrepreneurs are expected to pursue an impact-driven startup in the field of urban tech.

When:
| Applications should be submitted no later than March 20th |

The program will then start in April and run until June, lasting over 3-months. The format will be hybrid, mainly digital, and where possible live at the AMS Institute (Marineterrein, Amsterdam). The program is most effective when all teams are fully committed so during the aforementioned time period there is a minimum requirement of 16 hours per week for each member.

Program:
AMS Startup Booster's core consists of 6 workshops focusing on customer discovery and problem-solution fit. During these workshops, the following topics will be addressed:

• Team fit
• Market segmentation & Customer personas
• Value Proposition & Business Model Canvas
• Hypotheses testing & Experiment design
• Pitching

In addition, a series of complementary masterclasses, peer-to-peer discussions and coaching sessions will be provided to the selected startups. We will close off with a DEMO DAY where the teams will get to showcase their business ideas and MVPs to a panel of experts and entrepreneurs.

Prizes:
For the 2 winning teams, AMS Startup Booster will offer in-kind prizes of 3K euros worth, which will include the following elements:

• Ongoing mentoring by business development experts
• A dedicated office/working space for the next 5 months
• Business promotion & exposure
• Access to a makerspace and prototyping experts
• Designing a real-life experiment in a living lab to further test the business idea
• Access to a large ecosystem of academics, city officials, private and public organizations.

In addition, connections with other programs and potential investors will be made.

For whom?
We are looking for ambitious students, researchers, and young professionals who have an awesome business idea that could impact city live and solve metropolitan challenges. Please note we are looking for teams not a single founder.

Registration:
apply for the AMS Startup Booster via this form. Applications should be submitted no later than March 20th.

Praat je met ons mee over Circuloco?

Speciaal voor de Week van de Circulaire Economie organiseren we een Co-Creatiesessie, waarin we alvast een voorproef geven op alles wat er straks op ons paviljoen op Floriade Expo 2022 te zien en te doen zal zijn.

Tijdens de Co-Creatiesessie kom je meer te weten over het ontwerp-, denk- en maakproces rondom Circuloco. Ons circulaire gebouw zal na Floriade Expo 2022 gedemonteerd worden en op de Steiger 66 heropgebouwd worden. Het ontwerp, de bouw, de invulling, de afbouw en de heropbouw: alles wordt gedaan door en met lokale makers.

Je bent (online) welkom op donderdag 10 februari, van 12:00-13:00 Doe je ook mee?

Volg ons ook op social media via Linked In en instagram om een kijkje te krijgen bij wat we allemaal organiseren!

When
Call for applications open until March 20th. The program will last from April till June.

What
The AMS Startup Booster is a business idea development and validation program hosted by AMS Institute, aiming to help aspiring entrepreneurs turn their gut feeling into a business. The entrepreneurs are expected to pursue an impact-driven startup in the field of urban tech.

Lasting over 3-months, the AMS Startup Booster 2022 will start in April and run until June. The program will be hybrid, mainly digital and where possible live at the AMS Institute (Marineterrein, Amsterdam). The program is most effective when all teams are fully committed so during the aforementioned time period there is a minimum requirement of 16 hours per week for each member.

Program:
The program consists of 6 workshops focusing on customer discovery and problem-solution fit. During these workshops, the following topics will be addressed:

• Team fit
• Market segmentation & Customer personas
• Value Proposition & Business Model Canvas
• Hypotheses testing & Experiment design
• Pitching

In addition, a series of complementary masterclasses, peer-to-peer discussions and coaching sessions will be provided to the selected startups. We will close off with a DEMO DAY where the teams will get to showcase their business ideas and MVPs to a panel of experts and entrepreneurs.

Prizes:
For the 2 winning teams, AMS Startup Booster will offer in-kind prizes of 3K euros worth, which will include the following elements:

• Ongoing mentoring by business development experts
• A dedicated office/working space for the next 5 months
• Business promotion & exposure
• Access to a makerspace and prototyping experts
• Designing a real-life experiment in a living lab to further test the business idea
• Access to a large ecosystem of academics, city officials, private and public organizations.

In addition, connections with other programs and potential investors will be made.

For whom?
We are looking for ambitious students, researchers and young professionals who have an awesome business idea that could impact city life and solve metropolitan challenges. Please note we are looking for teams not a single founder.

Registration
Apply for the AMS Startup Booster via this form. Applications should be submitted no later than March 20th.

“The essence of systems thinking is that you don't look at an object on its own, you consider everything that it is connected to.” Eva Gladek, founder and CEO of Metabolic.

How does systems thinking look in practice? A systems map is a good way to show how everything is interconnected and how different parts influence each other.

At Metabolic, we use systems thinking as a core strategy to advance our vision of a circular and sustainable economy. Check out how this approach delivers sustainable solutions.

#systemsthinking #consulting #circulareconomy

Ben jij een Amsterdamse ondernemer met impact? Doe dan mee aan de buurtchallenge Boost je Buurt!

Voor Boost je Buurt selecteren Amsterdam Impact en Impact Hub Amsterdam per stadsdeel of stadsgebied 3 à 4 (startende) impact ondernemers die werken aan de maatschappelijke uitdagingen in de stad.

Deze 24 tot 32 ondernemers uit Centrum, Nieuw-West, West, Noord, Oost, Zuidoost, Zuid en stadsgebied Weesp winnen een ondernemersprogramma ter waarde van €2.500,- en maken kans op een aanvullend ontwikkelbudget van €2.500,-, €5.000,- of €7.500,-. Tijdens de finale op 30 juni worden er drie juryprijzen én drie publieksprijzen uitgereikt.

De Boost je Buurt inschrijving start op 10 januari. De deadline voor het aanmelden voor Boost je Buurt is 25 februari 23.59 uur.

Meer informatie en aanmelden kan via amsterdam.nl/boost-je-buurt.

Ben jij ondernemer in de textielbranche en benieuwd naar circulaire business kansen voor jouw bedrijf?

In februari 2022 organiseert de CIRCO HUB Noord-Holland een track omtrent textiel hergebruik & recycling waarin je onder begeleiding concrete stappen zet in het (her)ontwikkelen van nieuwe, circulaire producten, diensten of businessmodellen.

Meer weten en circulaire kansen ontdekken? Neem dan snel een kijkje en meld je aan voor deze driedaagse CIRCO Track.

CIRCO Hub Noord-Holland bestaat uit Impact Hub Amsterdam, Noorderwind, Stichting Circulair West en Natuur en Milieufederatie Noord-Holland en draagt bij aan het verspreiden van kennis over circulair ontwerpen en ondernemen. Door het aanbieden van verschillende CIRCO Tracks helpen we MKB in diverse sectoren om nieuwe circulaire ondernemingskansen te ontwikkelen.

You're invited the No Waste Challenge 2021 Demo Day organized by What Design Can Do & Impact Hub Amsterdam!

About this event

We are very delighted to invite you to the Demo Day of the No Waste Challenge 2021, taking place on: Thursday 10th of February at 16:00 CET, organized by What Design Can Do and Impact Hub Amsterdam.

After taking part in the half-year Development Programme, 16 winning teams of the No Waste Challenge will present their project, business case, their ambitions and their biggest needs moving forward, such as funding to scale-up, strategic partners, launching customers and specific expertise.

Get to meet these amazing creative entrepreneurs and enter in conversations with them in different breakouts. We promise you, you’ll leave the digital space inspired and engaged!

RESERVE YOUR (ONLINE) SPOT HERE!

The No Waste Challenge called on creative entrepreneurs and designers all over the world to submit innovative, design driven solutions to the catastrophic waste issues the world is facing. From the more than 1400 entries, an international jury of design and climate experts selected the most professional, promising creative startups that submitted the most impactful and feasible design driven innovations to join the challenge’s development programme.

This is the second part of a 5-piece movie on RESILIO blue-green roofs. We meet an expert on participation from the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences ánd a resident from a social housing association de Alliantie complex on which a RESILIO Smart Blue-Green Roof just has been realized. We asked ourselves during the whole lifespan of RESILIO: How can we make smart sustainable solutions a hot and urgent topic for our citizens?
#participatie #socialhousing #heatstress #verduurzaming #resilientcommunities #residentengagement #indischebuurt

Dirk Dekker is the co-founder and CEO of Being, a real estate developer that develops sustainable environments with the context of these environments in mind.

“Being part of something bigger: that’s our tagline. The work we do is not about us as a company but about the bigger picture. We are part of something bigger and want to positively influence the real estate market in the Netherlands. We also want to prove that you can do something good for society and make a profit.

We’re not content to simply discover a location to build on; there has to be a need for us to add a positive impact too. For us, this means adopting a holistic approach to projects based on four impact pillars: personal impact, public impact, ecological impact and economic impact. We research each site’s history and talk to various people: an environmental psychologist or city biologist, for example. We interview stakeholders: future users and local residents and organisations. As you might expect, we put together a business case as well.

As I see it, the different perspectives don’t result in concessions but in the creation of more value, which isn’t always possible to express in euros. One good example of this is YOTEL, a hotel we developed in the up-and-coming Buiksloterham urban district in Amsterdam. Interviews showed that neighbours wanted to see more public green spaces and accessible hospitality. We listened and made sure both were included in our design. The hotel has integrated into the neighbourhood well, from both a social and sustainable point of view. We also ‘greened’ the rear façade of The Pavilion office building in the Zuidas business district, because it faces a graveyard. It’s important for people, planet and profit to be in balance.”

Biophilic design
“I’m inspired by the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) philosophy on architecture too. BIG does research to design well in extreme conditions—in the dessert or on the moon, for example. By carefully considering the context, it becomes possible to design something that complements the environment in question. Add nature into the equation and you have what is referred to in the industry as ‘biophilic design’. Mother Nature’s research department has far more experience than all the rest of us put together, so there’s a huge amount for us to learn from.

My ideal city is one with views that extend beyond the four years of a political term of office. It’s a place where residents are involved in decision-making, which is very achievable given the amazing digital resources at our disposal today in 2021. For example, I live in Amsterdam-West, where residents have been asked to vote on the € 300,000 our urban district has to spend on green and social initiatives suggested by citizens. That’s how you create a city together.”

Networks
“Green needs to be added not just next to buildings but on and in them too. And not just in stiff flowerbeds or like a green wallpaper of sorts; a far more natural approach is vital. Trees and plants communicate with and learn from each other via underground nature networks. Our job is to make sure this is possible in urbanised environments. The Fantastic Fungi Netflix documentary is a really useful programme to watch on this subject.

There’s a connection between all of the individual elements that make a city what it is. I would like to see politicians and the business sector immersing themselves in these networks far more and also looking very closely at everything happening on platforms like Amsterdam Smart City. Networks like this are essential for the future of our city and for connective growth.”

If you’d like to get in touch with Dirk, you can find him on this platform.

This interview is part of the series 'Meet the Members of Amsterdam Smart City'. In the next weeks we will introduce more members of this community to you. Would you like to show up in the series? Drop us a message!

Interview and article by Mirjam Streefkerk

At the Digital Society Showcase (DSS) we proudly share how our projects and courses activate a new generation’s potential to positively impact the digital transformation of society. Find out how to obtain a responsible, inclusive mindset, how to integrate technology in society and how to design for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).

Programme

16:00 CET | start of live talkshow
16:30 CET | opening expo (ongoing)
17:00 CET | closing the live talkshow
18:15 CET | closing the expo

Live Talk Show

At 16:00 we kick-off with an interactive and live talkshow about Transformational Leadership, Learning Revolution and Sustainability, Diversity and Digital transformation.

With topic experts we discuss the following questions:

• What is needed to lead the transformation of todays world and digital society to become more inclusive, sustainable and living-future-proof?
• How is DSS changing the learning game from within the AUAS? What impact do we think education has on the needed transformation of crumbling systems around us?
• How is the AUAS growing these topics within the organisation, education and research? And how is DSS impacting these topics via our programs and products?

Discover the 7 projects

In 20 weeks an international, highly talented group of trainees worked on finding solutions for the most urgent challenges that relate to the digital transformation of society. In multidisciplinary teams they worked with our project partners, under the guidance of a ‘Digital Transformation Designer’, their track community, and the rest of the Digital Society School team.

During the showcase the teams will show you the prototypes and explain how they contributed to the Digital Transformation of Society and the Sustainable Development Goals. The different tracks (thematic programs) will also present themselves and discuss how design, tech and social innovation can have a positive impact on sustainable development.

Discover more about the projects on our website.

Ronald Smallenburg is co-founder of Pontiflex, a start-up which designs modular bridges out of sustainable materials.

“My business partner Joris Vermeulen and I started Pontiflex a few years ago. A key motivator was the state of the Nescio Bridge for bicycles spanning the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal between the Amsterdam suburb of IJburg and the city itself. This €15 million bridge opened in 2006, but only a few years later, its steel started to rust. It served as an inspiration to start thinking about designing more sustainable bridges on a competitive budget.

Joris asked me to join him in searching for solutions. We discovered there is a huge market for bridges and other infrastructure. A major portion of the post-WW2, so-called ‘boomer infrastructure’ in the Netherlands is at the end of its lifetime—just as it is in most Western countries. It needs to be replaced, repaired or refurbished as well as expanded, especially given the growth in cycling seen everywhere in the Western world. At the same time, society requires more sustainability. We saw excellent business opportunities.”

Alternative materials
“At Pontiflex, we believe we all need to find alternatives to classic steel and concrete, the building sector’s key materials. Their production is one of the most polluting processes in terms of CO2 emissions. That’s why we started to look for sustainable alternatives to use in new construction. They include FSC-certified wood, a revolutionary bio-composite, recycled plastics and cementless concrete made from old asphalt and industrial waste. Over the years, we were granted a total of four subsidies to finance our search for the best sustainable materials to use in new bridge construction.

Our answer to modern-day challenges is to double sustainability. Our modular bridges combine easy-to-build-and-adapt bridges with circular materials. Every element of our bridges can be replaced or reused at any time, independent of each other. This means that we can quickly build a bridge, or disassemble and move it if necessary, or adapt to new conditions, including length and width.”

Conservatism
“Developing sustainable infrastructure is challenging given the conservatism in the sector. I believe that the public sector and the industry need vision and boldness. Vision for a sustainable infrastructure, boldness in daring to design and implement new constructions and materials, either as a public client or as an architect, engineer or contractor. Calculated risks are the key words here. Do your research and test thoroughly, but dare to be different and accept your losses or approve your gains.”

New generation of infrastructure
“We participate in GO!-NH, an innovation program of the province of Noord-Holland in the Netherlands. With programs such as these, we expand our network and learn from the experiences of other entrepreneurs. I’m still new to Amsterdam Smart City, but I’m open to new connections. I’m also happy to share my entrepreneurial experience in the field of sustainability.

The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, and the Netherlands in general, offers a lot of creativity. Here, there are many people with different backgrounds and ideas. The construction industry will benefit greatly if we tap into this diversity—not only because we need more technicians, but because we also need people who think differently. Women, migrants and refugees can provide the industry with new input and new creativity, which is crucial for a new generation of infrastructure.”

If you’d like to get in touch with Ronald, you can find himon this platform.

This interview is part of the series 'Meet the Members of Amsterdam Smart City'. In the next weeks we will introduce more members of this community to you. Would you like show up in the series? Drop us a message!

Interview and article by Mirjam Streefkerk

Goed nieuws: er komt per 1 februari een bedrijfsruimte vrij in het Upcyclecentrum.
Voor het Upcylcecentrum in Almere zoeken we een startende ondernemer met een geweldig plan voor een onderneming dat bijdraagt aan onze lokale circulaire economie.

De afgelopen jaren is Almere uitgegroeid tot één van de koplopers van de circulaire economie in Nederland, en het Upcyclecentrum is daar een belangrijk onderdeel van. Bedrijven en overheden vanuit de hele wereld komen naar Almere om te zien hoe wij de circulaire economie vormgeven.

Het Upcyclecentrum bestaat uit drie onderdelen: recyclingperron, ondernemers en belevingscentrum. Op het recyclingperron zamelen we grondstoffen droog in. De gevestigde ondernemers in het Upcyclecentrum mogen deze gebruiken. De ondernemers laten in hun bedrijfsruimte zien wat zij doen met deze grondstoffen. Afgelopen 3 jaar hebben verschillende ondernemers zoals “Ruik”, ‘’SEEFD’’, “Unravelau” en “Ruig & Geroest” al geprofiteerd van deze kans. En er is weer plaats voor een nieuwe startup om eenzelfde ontwikkeling door te kunnen maken.

Wil jij een vliegende start maken met jouw onderneming? Of ken je zo’n ondernemer?

Stuur dan uiterlijk 30 december jouw businessplan naar ons toe via het inschrijfformulier op onze website: almere.nl/upcyclestartups.