Green EYE The Netherlands

18/09/2019

Success story of Silvia Foderaro at Min2

‘’I learned how to approach international clients and developed a different and deeper understanding on designing’’.

Hi Silvia! Could you tell us a bit more about yourself and why you decided to participate to the Erasmus for Entrepeneurs program?
‘’My name is Silvia. I came from Italy and I always studied and working all my life in Italy before starting the Entrepeneurs program. I always wanted to know more about what was happening in other countries in the field of for Architecture, such as the Netherlands.
When I signed up for the program, I wanted to start an exchange with an Host Entrepreneur in Netherlands, since The Netherlands is one of Europe’s most innovative countries in the field of architecture. It was quite hard to find a match, but then I got approached by VMVT.

Lynn Spendel found my profile and saw my potential. She connected me to Host Entrepreneur Jetty Min from the Min2 bouw-kunst Studio. The interview with Jetty Min went well we decided to start the exchange. Lynn from VMVT assisted me during the whole process. I could always reach out to her for questions and she always supported me: she was a great help during my whole stay. At the end of April 2019, I arrived in Netherlands and started the experience. In the beginning it was quite hard, being in a totally different country all by yourself. But if I could do it over again, I would.’’

Who was your host entrepreneur and what was the company like?
‘’My Host Entrepreneur was the architecture studio of Min2 bouw-kunst in Bergen. I worked for Min2 as a designer. Maarten and Jetty from Min 2 are both architects and art designers, dedicated to focus on designing with natural and sustainable materials.
They welcomed me with great enthusiasm and I always felt at ease and free to express myself. ‘’

What did you work on during the Exchange?
‘’During my stay, I have mainly worked on several different projects. For example, I assisted in a project about renewing the interior of buildings. In addition to this, I worked on an innovative and particular design project for a innovative camping.’’

What did you learn from the Exchange?
‘’During my exchange I learned how to approach international clients. I learned to exchange impressions and ideas with a large group of collaborators. Moreover, I learn how to communicate appropriately in a language different from my mother tongue. I have mastered computer programs and designing programs.
But above all, I learned a different and deeper approach to designing. This certainly made this experience unforgettable and highly formative. Really, I love my work even more after this and I'm more sure about the way I want to improve my self within my own company. ‘’

And how did Ms. Jetty Min, the Host Entrepreneur of Silvia experience the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs exchange?
Jetty Min: ‘’We participated in the program for quite a few years already. We hosted several new entrepreneurs and we were glad to welcome Silvia in our team during her exchange. We tried to involve her in different projects from the beginning till the end, so she could learn the whole process of a architectural project. For Min2, having an exchange with an Italian (starting) entrepreneur was fruitful. Silvia kept us up-to-date- about architectural trends and innovation within the field of design in Italy, which was useful for us.’’

03/07/2019

NEW ADVENTURE IS CALLING!

Are you a company and willing to share your skills with a starting entrepreneur? Participate to the Green EYE program! Interested and looking for more information? Contact hiemstra@innovation to explore the possibilities of the program.

19/06/2019

Successful exchange with Spanish New Entrepreneur

I am Olaf Noorbergen (Sport Nature, Eindhoven). My mountain bike clinics aims to give a unique experience. Giving a personalised experience KI am focusing on what the person is looking forward to learning. We also offer his services as a leisure activity. The motto of my company is “Ideal for a corporate getaway or weekend break”.
Motivation
This is the first time that I participate in the Erasmus program for Young Entrepreneurs as Host Entrepreneur. I decided to do it as a way to give the opportunity to other entrepreneurs to get some experience and knowledge before venturing into this world, something that would have helped me a lot. Since Juan contacted me I was interested in his plans and his profile. He had very good ideas, quite clear and that in turn could fit into my future plans for the company. You could tell he had a strong will to do important things and learn, so I thought of him as the perfect candidate. We agreed to the terms together with the IOs so he could stay with me for a 4 months period..

Work during the exchange
The first weeks were of adaptation, in which I taught him the company's workflow and gave him some basic tasks such as the agenda, answering emails, etc ... Little by little, it was also integrated into the accounting tasks, processing the payments and being aware of the assets of the company and how they
were profiting, among other things. He showed great learning capability so it was easy to trust him to take on some tasks requiring greater responsibility. This was a great help because it gave me the possibility to make more experiences that this is what my company is about. Weekly we had a small meeting to solve doubts and in which we brainstormed possible ideas to improve. One of them was the event that we held in early April, in addition to many others that will serve me in the future and in which I would like to have Juan. Once he got adapted and with more advanced knowledge we were developing a little more his business plan, so I could solve doubts and inconveniences thanks to my experience. The possibility of uniting the projects and developing both together arose, but due to certain drawbacks, we saw that it was not possible in the short term but we might consider it for the future. The following months went on pretty much the same way, except for a few times we went together to some events, which were days to get away from the routine and enjoy at the same time

Activities during the exchange
The first weeks were of adaptation, in which I taught him the company's workflow and gave him some basic tasks such as the agenda, answering emails, etc ... Little by little, it was also integrated into the accounting tasks, processing the payments and being aware of the assets of the company and how they were profiting, among other things. He showed great learning capability so it was easy to trust him to take on some tasks requiring greater responsibility. This was a great help because it gave me the possibility to make more experiences that this is what my company is about. Weekly we had a small meeting to solve doubts and in which we brainstormed possible ideas to improve. One of them was the event that we held in early April, in addition to many others that will serve me in the future and in which I would like to have Juan. Once he got adapted and with more advanced knowledge we were developing a little more his business plan, so I could solve doubts and inconveniences thanks to my experience. The possibility of uniting the projects and developing both together arose, but due to certain drawbacks, we saw that it was not possible in the short term but we might consider it for the future. The following months went on pretty much the same way, except for a few times we went together to some events, which were days to get away from the routine and enjoy at the same time

Learnings – quotations
Olaf: "For my part I could not be more satisfied with the exchange, Juan has been an excellent partner these months, bringing new and fresh ideas and an external and objective point of view. The objectives that I marked before starting were fulfilled and some of them exceeded my expectations. I finish this experience with a notable improvement in my company and a clearer and more concrete vision of where I want to go, as well as new business opportunities and, of course, new contacts. I will be happy to participate again in welcoming new entrepreneurs".
Juan: "When reviewing my stay in the Netherlands with Olaf I am more than satisfied, It has exceeded my expectations both professionally and personally. I have enjoyed and learned as never before, showing what I am capable of and knowing I still have a way to go. The expectations are now superb and the possibility to continue collaborating with Olaf is open. Possibly we can consolidate a professional relationship and unite our businesses. My conclusion is that it has been an incredible and very productive experience in every way, I would repeat it without any hesitation".

14/09/2018

Remember the entrepreneurship game adVENTURE we played at the EYE coaching day last year? We developed and optimised the game over the last year. Super proud to be a Finalist at the International Business Learning Games Competition 2018! Next week we will travel to Lisbon to collect the first prize 😉 see www.adventurethegame.nl and www.businesslearninggames.com

02/01/2018

GreenEYE 2 gaat per 1 februari van start. Dat biedt kansen voor nieuwe entrepreneurs voor een entrepreneur-entrepreneur uitwisseling. Meld je aan bij [email protected] of [email protected]

06/12/2017

Houd jij van Escape Rooms, event management, experience design, games, groepen mensen, organiseren en projectmanagement? En zoek je een stage in 2018? Mail dan nu naar Karen Sikkema om ons te vertellen waarom jij de beste stagiair(e) bent voor ons!

10/10/2017

Geplaatst op 10 oktober 201710 oktober 2017 door Karen SikkemaInternationale workshop Design4Enterprise Zet design in om jouw bedrijf of organisatie te verbeteren! Kom op 31 oktober naar de Wintertuin en maak kennis met Strategic Design en gaming om jouw onderneming een boost te geven! Kom naar de g...

28/07/2017

Partly thanks to the great design work of our New Entrepreneur .sarlani and of course her skilled host Sergios and his team, IamExpat has a fantastic looking new website!

IamExpat is an English-language online media platform providing up-to-date information, expat news, job listings, housing services and lifestyle tips for internationals in the Netherlands.

12/05/2017

A great Entrepreneurship workshop day today. Proud to present Rebelance as the Entrepreneurship Battle Winner! More info about this super promising startup later.

12/05/2017

Great productive atmosphere here today at the workshop day!

13/04/2017

Hey, we are planning a small get-together on May 12th for Erasmus-alumni & interested, both Dutch and international. We are thinking about some general startup-support topics such as branding, financial planning and a fun game to uncover your startup's 'Mission'. Furthermore, the new Entrepreneurship Battle Winner will pitch. And of course you can ask us about the Erasmus exchange programme. So: are you interested to come? And in what of the abovementioned topics? And what are convenient times? Please let us know in either PB, mail ([email protected]) or comments below, so we can make a solid planning and arrange some fantastic food ;)

09/04/2017

Ook starten with the WHY? https://www.trivento-spark.nl/workshop-merkgedreven-enterprise-design-op-11-april/

Op 1 november deden we de belofte om een Enterprise Design beweging te starten in Nederland. Op 11 april 2017 organiseren we alweer de tweede Enterprise Design Meetup om hieraan invulling te geven. Marloes Sikkema neemt ons dit keer mee in Merkgedreven Enterprise Design.