Bjorn Stolte

🚀 #Now in the Growth Stage: How to accelerate startup development with these 3 key steps, shared by Sharon Klaver , Founder & MD of Builders: 👾Data Gathering: Gather as much data as possible to inform your decisions and strategies. ⭐Validation: Ensure both your product and team are thoroughly validated through testing and feedback loops. ✨Intuition Matters: Trust your instincts and listen to your gut feelings when navigating the startup journey. #EUSS24 #Entrepreneurship #BuildingSuccess

35

6 Comments

#BCorp Insights! Here are the key findings from our recent research conducted by SPRINT Insights - Agile Research Platform, aimed at understanding the awareness and attitudes of the Dutch general public toward B Corps: 🔍 Awareness Snapshot: Only 19% of participants are familiar with B Corp companies, with 3% having experience with at least one B Corp and 16% familiar with the concept. Surprisingly, 50% of participants admitted to having no idea what B Corp means, indicating significant potential for raising awareness. 👍 Attitudes Towards B Corps: Despite limited familiarity, attitudes toward B Corps are overwhelmingly positive, with 67% of participants holding favorable views. Around 70% of participants agree that companies should prioritize ethical practices, sustainability, and social responsibility over mere profits. 💡 Purchase Intent: B Corp awareness positively influences consumer behavior, with 52% of respondents indicating an increased intention to purchase from B Corp-certified companies. Interested in learning more about how SPRINT can help you thrive? Book a demo with me to discover how our agile brand tracking provides the data you need to steer your brand's growth with precision. Rapidly growing companies need actionable insights to stay ahead of the curve and ensure they're always in tune with their customers' needs. We can help you get those fast insights.

1

In the fifth episode of the ATÖLYE Insights Podcast series, our Co-CEO Engin Ayaz hosted Colette Forma, Director of Radical Innovation at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Geert Christiaansen, founder of Specto Consulting, and ex-Philips Experience Design Studio Director. This live-recorded session was recorded in Amsterdam as part of our Impact Leaders Roundtable series, and in this particular session, the discussion revolved around how we might lead change together through the communities we foster within our organizations. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/dQ4DbPUt How do you think communities within your organizations can help foster positive change and drive innovation? Let us know in the comments below and please reach out to us if you have any recommendations for speakers for our next Impact Leaders Roundtable episodes in Amsterdam, Dubai or Riyadh! #podcast #innovation #communities #amsterdam #dubai #riyadh #communitydesign #communitypowered #design #sustainability #dei

58

3 Comments

Leadership and Innovation - 20 June - Speaker Spotlight: Bert van Appeven! Bert's vision is that leadership and organization are crucial to bring ideas to business fast. At the upcoming Leadership and Innovation event, Bert will dive into "Organizational Design for Tech Innovation: Structure and Culture," exploring essential frameworks and cultural elements needed to drive tech innovation within your organization. If you’re looking to learn how to foster innovation within your team, this is an opportunity you don’t want to miss. Secure your spot now for this #free event, get inspired, and drive your team forward! Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/e88Fpj8B High Tech Campus Eindhoven Holland High Tech High Tech NL Brainport Eindhoven Brainport Industries Campus Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM) KIVI - Koninklijk Instituut Van Ingenieurs Eindhoven University of Technology Hans Meeske Marcel Logger (Competence Lead - PPDandM Irene van Goor Saskia Peters #HollandInnovative #LeadershipInTech #SpeakerSpotlight #Leadership #Innovation #TechInnovation #Event

28

How many insights can you get from building 166 MVPs? 🤔 In the new episode of Business Savages a dear friend who also happens to be a seasoned product designer, facilitator, and innovation consultant, Charles Engelen shares quite a few, here's the top ones: 🤔 why failing in a startup can be a valuable experience 🎣 how creating new products is like fishing on Lake Geneva ⚡ best strategies for maintaining your composure while moving at breakneck speed 🔮 how to know if your innovative idea might be "too early" Curious to know more? Tune in: Spotify - https://lnkd.in/dtdS4PSa Apple Podcasts - https://lnkd.in/d5Wgq-GG YouTube - https://lnkd.in/dNXyJFfG P.S. What’s the best lesson you’ve learned from a failed project? Share in the comments! 🤓​ #Innovation #ProductDesign #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth

37

2 Comments

❓What: Liberating Structures Advanced Workshop ❓When: 25/26 June, 2025 (!) ❓When: 24 June: free, 3-hour bonus workshop to refresh/learn the basics ❓Where: Volkshotel, Amsterdam ❓Who: 50 participants from various countries The advanced workshop contains Liberating Structures that aren't part of my standard Immersion Workshop. For example: 1️⃣ "Panarchy" to understand how the system as a whole interacts 2️⃣ "Helping Heuristics" to practice progressive methods to offer help 3️⃣ "Conversation Cafe" to share challenges and ideas 4️⃣ "Improv Prototyping" to playfully develop solutions for chronic challenges 5️⃣ "Min Specs" to identify the absolute essential 6️⃣ "What I Need From You" to make clear requests for help 7️⃣ "Wise Crowds" to tap the wisdom of the whole group 8️⃣ "Simple Ethnography" to record actual behaviors of users in the field 9️⃣ "Social Network Webbing" to map informal connections and to decide how to strengthen the network to achieve the purpose 🔟 "Generative Relationships STAR" to visualize the performance of a group We'll also include unofficial structures like Myth Turning, Tiny Demons 👿, and Talking With Pixies. As a bonus, we used the concept of Strategy Knotworking as its foundation. Strategy Knotworking is a coherent set of Liberating Structures that aims to involve and engage everyone in developing and evolving sustainable strategies. Why join our workshop❓ 💤 We'll keep you from dozing off during two high-energy days. No boring PowerPoint! 🛠 Receive a digital version of all the material we use during the workshop. This means a digital copy of all the posters, exercises, and all other material. 🌎 Previous workshops contained 25 - 75 participants from ±10 different countries. This alone offers a tremendous opportunity to learn from many different cultures and organizations. 🌀 Experience how to use Liberating Structures in person, but we'll also share all our lessons learned on how to use the structures online! 🆓 The day before the 2-day workshop, we'll facilitate a 3-hour session focused on the basics of Liberating Structures. Use it as a refresher, a warming-up session, or to gain the necessary knowledge and experience if you're new to Liberating Structures. 🚀 And much more :) Sounds interesting? Sign up here: https://bit.ly/448Obvk It's also possible to run this workshop in-company. Reach out to explore the options.

13

Our latest EdTalks episode is now live, featuring an insightful conversation between host Inna Horvath and Joost de Leij, Strategist Facilitator and founder of Limelights. In this episode, we explore how to leverage AI for company growth while empowering your team to embrace innovation. Drawing from years of experience, Joost guides Frontrunners & Fortune 500 companies in turning strategy into action, using a blend of practical insights and AI-powered approaches. His work spans on-sites, off-sites, summits, and large-scale trainings, where he shares key lessons on AI-driven growth, managing change, and engaging teams to drive AI-adoption for long-term success, sharing practical insights in the episode on: 🔑 Five lessons for aligning people with AI to achieve sustainable growth 💡 Building a culture of curiosity that inspires hands-on AI experimentation 🌟 Tackling barriers to AI adoption and catalyzing meaningful change 💬 Ready to explore how to lead with AI? Listen now via the first links in the comments and discover strategies to drive innovation and engagement across your organization.

14

2 Comments

Riding the AI wave or risk being left behind?🌊 AI is everywhere: making headlines, sparking debates, and transforming industries. But Rick van Esch, CEO and co-founder of StructuredAI, thinks too many companies are still just talking about it instead of taking action. During his session at SaaSiest Amsterdam, Rick shared powerful truths about where AI stands today and how we can embrace it strategically. Here are some of Rick’s most eye-opening insights: ↪ If your company doesn’t have an AI strategy, you risk becoming irrelevant. We’re at the start of an innovation wave that will change everything, and those who prepare will thrive. ↪ The AI hype is real, but so are its challenges. Sure, AI has made stunning advancements, like GPT-4 outperforming 90% of law students on exams. But it still struggles with tasks that require human-like reasoning, like understanding complex cause-and-effect situations. ↪ Picture AI that can seamlessly interpret speech, text, and images to make technology even more accessible. While breakthroughs are happening, we’ll still face limitations, and the journey will have plenty of twists and turns. Rick’s message was clear: as AI continues to evolve, our human skills like empathy, creativity, and the ability to connect will only become more valuable. Want to dive deeper into Rick’s vision and see why he’s so optimistic about AI’s impact on humanity? 📖 Check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dg5v7cuY

5

Excited to share the conversation I had recently with my mentor John Goddard organised by the National Civic Impact Accelerator in the UK. In this final episode of their special series with John, we explore the civic university movement from an international perspective. 🎧 Listen to our conversation via this link: https://lnkd.in/dRwY3tSN I'm looking forward to hearing your takeaways from our conversation. How do you see universities shaping places in today's world? #HigherEducation #EuropeanUniversityAlliances #CivicEngagement #PlaceBasedLeadership #ChallengeBasedLearning #Interdisciplinary #Innovation #Leadership #Podcast

21

On the latest episode of Excuse My SaaS, our host Matei C. sat down with Claire Van de Voorde to unpack a hot topic in product management: why full UX redesigns often do more harm than good—and how to handle them strategically. This episode was born from a fun debate at B2B Rocks 🎸 in Paris, where Matei, Claire, and Stephane Delbecque shared strong opinions about redesigns. Here are some of the soundbites that stayed with us: 💬 "I’m always speaking about cutting down into smaller blocks... That’s what helps align technical constraints with business opportunities and design goals." 💬 "If onboarding your product takes nine months, that’s a clear sign of complexity issues. But jumping into a redesign isn’t always the answer." In this episode, we explored: 👉 How to spot the signs that a redesign is truly necessary. 👉 When it’s about UX—and when it’s about something bigger. 👉 Why focusing on aesthetics alone will derail your efforts. 👉 The risks of diving into a redesign without tackling root issues first. Check out the full episode on the ProdCamp YouTube Channel for Claire’s insights. And connect with her for more Product Management content 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eXJKHs7m _____________ 👋 New here!? We’re Excuse My SaaS, the podcast powered by ProdCamp, where we explore how value-centric SaaS(y) products go from idea to business. Follow us for bi-monthly episodes with leaders sharing strategies and real-world lessons from the SaaS trenches. #B2Bsaas #productmanagement #excusemysaas

6

3 Comments

One of the top things that make entrepreneurship hard is when you lack a community of people who are all in the same boat. So, after years of working from cafe's, flex- and home office, Buster Franken and I deemed it the right time to take matter into our own hands and create a community of startup founders in Utrecht. Instead of an anonymous flex office or a co-working space, we want it to be a tight-knit group of people working seriously on their (impact) startups. Aside from work, there's also the important things that bring us together like shared lunches, drinks, community events and work-out sessions. The beautiful thing is that the community is for and by founders, where everyone will contribute to make it their own 🔥 Here's a video tour & intro: https://lnkd.in/ecvj88HZ (yes my face looks great on the thumbnail don't you think 🤣 ) Apply here: https://lnkd.in/efVF5Xm4 :) Even more info on the Notion page: https://lnkd.in/eEbyz5GX

47

10 Comments

🌟 How does Generative AI impact human creativity? And how do we ensure it remains a force for good? 🌟 At Amsterdam AI, we are proud to collaborate with partners like the University of Amsterdam’s Responsible Digital Transformations initiative, who are tackling these important questions. Their recent article delves into the fascinating interplay between creativity and generative AI, exploring its potential to inspire innovation while also addressing the ethical challenges it raises. Amsterdam AI is dedicated to fostering AI that is human-centric, fair, and trustworthy. Together with our network of researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers, we aim to push the boundaries of what’s possible while staying true to our shared values of responsibility and ethical innovation. 💡 Curious about how AI and creativity intersect? Check out the full article: https://lnkd.in/entPBBBv Let’s work together to shape a future where AI amplifies creativity while respecting humanity. Join the conversation! 👇 #AI #Creativity #GenerativeAI #ResponsibleAI

4

Empower others to thrive by understanding the reality of periods 💪 Meet Marlou Cornelissen Founder of Period Reality an impact startup that educates about and advocates for living in sync with ones biorhythm 👋 🇳🇱 What do you do? "Hello! My name is Marlou and I am the Founder of Period Reality; a global movement to achieve gender equity through system-level change by educating about and advocating for living in sync with your cycle." 🇳🇱 Why did you start? "My journey started when I realised that turning my dreams into reality required more than just wishful thinking. "Why not be the change I want to see in the world?” So here I am, embracing my inner ChangeMaker, armed with determination, a sprinkle of humour and a mission to turn the world into a better place." 🇳🇱 How do you make change? "I make change by running Period Reality, advocating for gender equity and women's health. Addressing challenges in education and awareness, I forge deep connections with NGOs and global entities, leveraging strategic partnerships. My approach involves fostering understanding and promoting living in sync with one's cycle for lasting societal impact." 🇳🇱 Finally, why should people volunteer for your startup? "By joining, you will contribute to a global movement that empowers, educates and drives tangible progress toward a more equitable future for all!" Support a startup like Marlou's here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/g_9pyBBc Supporting everyone to live their best lives 🙌

9

2 Comments

We loved Juxtopposed’s redesign of the MKBHD Inc. Panels app. Here are the 3 Key Takeaways every Product Manager can use today. 📺 Video link in the comments __ 1️⃣ - Onboarding Needs to be Easy Once a user downloads an app, creates and account, or even find your site they've already done some discovery work and want to get into the good stuff of actually using a product. Asking a user to complete multiple steps that don't quite make sense, or require extra research, will cause a drop-off in onboard completion rates. If a user closes the session without completing the onboarding process they're less likely to return. Keep it easy and short, once a user feels setup they can then explore further. 2️⃣ - Become the Customer, Understand the Decisions Run through the process of getting set up, from discovery through to payment and beyond. What questions do you ask, what's annoying, what wouldn't make sense. As a PM it's so easy to get caught in the weeds of day-to-day product life that a step can seem obvious (it might be a button you tap without even realising). If you've done the process 100's of times for demos, testing, and debugging you might not realise what the customer actually thinks in the moment. Empathise and become the customer. 3️⃣ - Consistency is Key Your product styling and process needs to be the same throughout the entirety of the product. Headings should replicate one another, progress buttons should look the same, etc etc. It's easy (especially when an app becomes responsive with screen size) that consistency gets lost in the mix. As a PM focus on the details when playing with your product on every screen-size available to you. Consistency will make a user feel comfortable and in control 😎 #product #productmanagement #productdesign

1

1 Comment

Reserve your spot to our upcoming FREE workshop on behavioural insights and nudging for societal change!

5

2 Comments

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 - 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 🌿 The last 1.5 year have been a true discovery into the unknown, letting go of all types of comfort zones that gave me the illusion of safety; a relationship that was not aligned anymore, but still stayed, a way of life that was not purely authentic to me, but still choose living that path as long as I could, taking on work gigs that were paying good enough, but was not in line with what I envisioned if I would have followed my boldest dreams. Due to a number of “coincidences” (as we call them, but they never are) all of these so called comforting structures lost its ground and the figurative rug was pulled away under my feet. I had suddenly nowhere to go, nothing to do and nothing to find. And that was exactly what was needed in order to propel me forward to where I was meant to be (for now that is). After spending a month on the land of one of my best friends Carlijn Nelissen from ON.PURPOSE STUDIO in Portugal, I was disconnected from wifi, 4g, and all “normal” comforts. I became grounded again in… well… me! The almost forced connection to nature and the forced disconnection from ‘the grid’ was a completely transformative experience, and only later realized what the impact was it had on me. Thanks to her, my path has led me to move to Portugal. Where the lands felt free, undiscovered, raw, rough, connected and to nature in ways that I missed all my life, but never realized until it happened. Now, fast forwarded into the now; I'm so grateful for the freedom seekers that have paved the way like Carlijn Nelissen, showing that an entrepreneurial life is possible executed from a completely different perspective. In alignment with nature and taking life much more slowly than we’re programmed to from a young age. Since living here off grid now for 1.5 year on my land, I have met so many people with similar stories. Almost all people I have met here have “fled” the rat race, to live a more pure and free life, with a lower cost of living, however, still very much have the desire to be of value to society in a much more organic and natural way. So this is a little Monday morning motivation, for all the freedom seekers. There are other ways to go about it, discover what it is that you seek. What is it that you're chasing and what really means success to you? To me the greatest measurement of success is: free time. We only have a limited amount of it and can't be regained once it’s spent. For those who missed the podcast I recorded with Carlien Cavens from Unplug48, see below. Where I share a little bit more about my transition from Corporate life in Amsterdam, to living off-grid in Portugal. PS: The new dates for the ‘(UN)PLUG Your Business Retreat’ are from 7-11 October. For now, have a beautiful day! Lonneke

5

Brilliant article (and graph) bij Max Roser: the founder of one of my favorite places on the entire internet (Our World in Data). Everyone understands that some organizations and charities are more effective than others, but people underestimate just how large the differences are. People *think* that the best charities are about 1.5 times as effective as the average charity. But according to experts in, for example, the domain of global health the difference is a 100-fold! To put it bluntly: a good charity can save 2 lives with a million dollars. An extraordinary charity could save 200 lives with a million dollars. And this is not just true for global health. As Roser writes: 'Whether it is about social policy, educational interventions, or measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — dataset after dataset, we see very large differences across the various available options." The good news is that we have rigorous charity evaluators (like GiveWell for example) that help us find the best charities in the world. Roser: "This field saw a revolution in recent years, and I think it has been one of the most important trends in global development research. Before this revolution, there was a fierce debate about aid effectiveness, with some people strongly opposing it and others strongly supporting it. In the last decade, this heated debate has made space for a more clear-eyed approach that acknowledges that many charities are not effective at all while others are extraordinarily effective." GiveWell has found four charities (such as The Against Malaria Foundation) that can save a child’s life for about $5,000 in donations. I think this simple fact has enormous personal and ethical implications for most of us who live in rich countries. Remember: with a median wage in a country like The Netherlands (where I'm from) you're already part of the richest 3.5% in the world (find out where you are in the global income distribution here: https://lnkd.in/d24jz-VD). In the words of Max Roser: 'You have a great opportunity right in front of you. Many people in high-income countries have the chance to give away $5,000. Perhaps not in one moment, but it is possible for many over a longer period. Saving a child’s life is certainly something that everybody can be extremely proud of. Guided by research on differences in cost-effectiveness, many people can do this.' Here's Max Roser's article on Our World in Data: https://lnkd.in/e9GgPcBA

923

96 Comments

👯 𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲?! 👬 Wonder what it is all about? Last week I shared that the w3x: the win-win-win agency TWINSTORY app received a Computable.nl nomination for DIGITAL INNOVATION. Recognition for the great work from Royal Dutch Mint in collaboration with Free a Girl for creating the first NFT commemorative coin. (Please vote at the Computable website; still the end of this week!!) But you might still wonder what is TWINSTORY actually? Keep reading. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭?  TWINSTORY is a spin-off from THX Network | Techstars '22 that makes it easy to create and collect digital twins of collectibles and product certificates. Safe, Simple and Secure. 🪙 ⚽ 🛒 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬 TWINSTORY helps to reach new audiences, drive improved loyalty results and reach sustainability goals with Digital Collectibles. Digital Collectibles are digital twins to your physical collectibles that can be owned, shared and (re)sold. 🏭 🔌 👟 🏗️ 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐬, 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 TWINSTORY enables business growth by improving secondary market value and insights through customer Digital Product Passports. And helps delivering on sustainability goals and regulations (ESPR). Digital Product Passports are unique digital twins of your product certificates for your customers. Providing a proof of authenticity and ownership that is stored digitally and can be transferred. 🧑‍💻 👨‍🎨 👩‍💼 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 TWINSTORY offers to grow your account business by adding Digital Collectibles and Digital Product Passports with a safe, secure and business-user-friendly tool. 𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦?  Check out our site now: https://twinstory.io

6

2 Comments

Do you know how to ALIGN your vision, strategy, worldview or narrative with your future perspective in a matter of days? Just connect with our co-founder Arjan Visser to exchange and reflect ideas. #alignment #future #perspective #business #organization #system #policy #facilitation #coaching #change #strategy #vision #worldview #narrative

3