Unequal Dutch labour market stimulates female entrepreneurship
Business France is represented abroad through embassies and consulates of France. Business France notes that many Dutch women work part-time, continue to earn less than men, and receive little government support for childcare. Many Dutch women, faced with the difficulties of inclusion in the professional sphere, turn to entrepreneurship to develop their careers. According to Business France, many women-founded startups have been thriving exponentially in recent years.
This is the case, for example, with The Great Bubble Barrier, a startup founded in 2017 by Anne Marieke Eveleens, Francis Zoet and Saskia Studer. The Bubble Barrier works as so. Through a tube at the bottom of the canal, air bubbles flow upwards. These air bubbles push the plastic in the canal water upwards. The water current then carries the plastic to the water’s edge, where it collects in the Bubble Barrier’s collection system. The Great Bubble Barrier is now working with the City of Amsterdam and the Dutch water management system.
Increase in startups by female entrepreneurs in the Netherlands
The number of women entrepreneurs in the Netherlands is increasing significantly every year. Other notable startups founded by female entrepreneurs are The Next Closet (sustainable marketplace for second-hand brand clothing), Plugify (an online marketplace for viewing, listening and booking live music performances) and Wizenoze (Solutions for educational platforms and publishers. In doing so, Wizenoze uses the latest artificial intelligence technology).
Borski Fund: diversity, gender equality and fair opportunities
Research shows that diverse teams are more innovative and perform better. Yet 94%(!) of Venture Capital investments end up with male-only teams. The other 5% of all Venture Capital investments go to mixed groups of men and women. Therefore, only 1% is invested in women-only teams.
The Borski Fund improves capital access for companies with a female (co) founder or helps market a product or service for women. The Borski Fund raised over 21 million euros by the end of 2019 to invest in women-led projects. The three major Dutch banks – ABN Amro, ING and Rabobank – have committed to the fund. Together with Founding partners TheNextWomen and StartGreen Capital, Borski Fund offers entrepreneurs a wide range of opportunities.
Dutch women fit well in the tech sector
The Dutch are good at commerce. They are creative, customer-oriented, social and make contact easily. Our strength is that we understand well what the customer needs, and we know how to translate that into the right technical products. There are two roles within engineering: the technicians and the product managers. And we see that Dutch women are good at product management. So with inclusion, there is a lot of profit to be made. We see that women and the qualities they bring are a perfect fit in the tech sector.
The Netherlands scores high on the Global Innovation Index
The Netherlands is in the top 10 of the Global Innovation Index, an annual innovation ranking of the World International Property Organization (WIPO). The capital city, in particular, has become an attractive European hub not only for multinationals (Heineken, Philips, Tesla, Nike, Netflix) but also for fast-growing local technology companies (Booking, Adyen, MessageBird, Catawiki, Bynder).
Chapeau! for the Netherlands from Business France
Thanks to a progressive culture and an innovation-promoting climate, the Dutch tech market is open to women. According to Business France, the Netherlands is achieving excellent results in terms of gender equality, both in society, education and the family and in terms of digital and financial inclusion.
Sources
Diversity and Inclusion in the Netherlands: Towards a Tech Ecosystem Driven by Women: https://www.businessfrance-tech.fr/2020/02/21/diversite-et-inclusion-aux-pays-bas-vers-un-ecosysteme-tech-porte-par-les-femmes/
Women in Tech: Discover the heart of European innovation and meet investors in the Netherlands: https://www.businessfrance-tech.fr/2019/11/12/women-in-tech-decouvrez-le-coeur-de-linnovation-europeenne-et-rencontrez-des-investisseurs-aux-pays-bas/
Diversiteit essentieel voor moderne en wendbare organisatie: https://hrcommunity.nl/blogs/diversiteit-essentieel-voor-moderne-en-wendbare-organisatie/