On the 1st of April, the NAB and ImpactCity hosted a conversation on the impact of the recent Dutch elections on impact entrepreneurship and impact investment. During the event, the speakers: Coos Santing (ImpactCity), Michel Scholte (Minister of New Economy), and Laure Wessemius-Chibrac (Stichting NAB), focused on solutions, constructivism, and strategies to tackle the challenges and barriers brought by the new coalition.
It was highlighted, by Laure Wessemius-Chibrac and Coos Santing, that the Dutch government is poorly focused on sustainability, therefore relying on policymakers is not enough. Nevertheless, policymakers, social entrepreneurs, investors, and collaboration are the recipe for an efficient sustainability-driven ecosystem.
Michel Scholte shared about his journey as a social entrepreneur and his role and contributions as an advocate and figurehead of social entrepreneurship, in his position as the Minister of the New Economy. Scholte also shared his thoughts on investment for impact, the financing of SDGs, and the effect of the Green Deal on SMEs and start-ups.
Laure Wessemius-Chibrac brought forward the power of finance for good. Laure highlighted that there is still a lot to do to improve the ecosystem, namely, mapping to start inspiring others and measuring, transparency for accountability, dealing with the mismatch between supply and demand of capital, and more.
To wrap it up, the speakers had the chance to answer curious questions from the public on impact investing, social entrepreneurship, and the influence of the newly elected Dutch government.
If you would like to (re-)watch this conversation, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXYrGU43A5E