Top Tips from the Capital Connectors
Insights from Rabobank’s Stefan Lohuis and Startup Amsterdam’s Ruben Nieuwenhuis
Amsterdam Capital Week is around the corner! So we hope you practiced your pitch, printed your business cards and are ready to make meaningful connections. For some last minute tips we spoke to Stefan Lohuis, SME Manager at Rabobank, and Ruben Nieuwenhuis, Director of StartupAmsterdam and one of the founders of Amsterdam Capital Week.
Stefan Lohuis, SME Manager Rabobank
1. As SME Manager for Rabobank, how do you help companies make meaningful connections with investors?
“We do that by being a partner in finance for SMEs and creating real value. There’s a lot of money going around, but it’s important to find the right combination of funding. Sometimes we do a part of the financing, but a lot of the time we help curate and oversee the connections and investments.”
2. What’s the most meaningful professional connection you’ve ever made and how did you make it?
“That’s the connection with entrepreneurs with whom I not only had meaningful business, but also personally inspired me. A few entrepreneurs actually come to mind. I made these connections by being open and vulnerable, and really getting out there in the network. I’m out meeting people for Rabobank quite a lot and the meaningful connections happen when you also dare to show your true self.”
3. What’s the number one thing all startups and founders should do to connect with potential business partners and investors?
“Show us that you have the right team — the right human capital — and the ability to carry it out. I see a lot of entrepreneurs that have beautiful ideas, but they’re not always able to execute. We often see that the idea and the business proposition are good, but the skills are missing.”
4. Are events like Amsterdam Capital Week important in finding those connections?
“Of course, and what helps most is that it’s capital week and not startup week. You see a lot of network meetings and get togethers where people have a drink and a fun talk but they don’t actually get anywhere. That’s why I think it’s so important that this week is purely about capital — put your money where your mouth it. If you’re clear about your goal and what you want to achieve then you can create value as an event.”
5. “Fake it till you make it” or “Be Yourself”? Which one do you think works better?
“Be yourself. Fake it till you make it can fall under being yourself but it has to be a clear fit. Of course you need courage and perseverance to make it as an entrepreneur or startup, but if you’re not yourself it’s not going to work. It starts with being yourself.”
Ruben Nieuwenhuis, Director Startup Amsterdam
1. As Director of Startup Amsterdam how do you help companies make meaningful connections with investors?
“That depends on the situation. Sometimes I personally connect them, but they have to do their homework on who they want to speak to and why. Other times I make sure that the other person is expecting a call for max. 20 minutes. Then they have to pitch themselves and make sure that within that time there’s a spark. Sometimes I’ll coach people by saying, ‘If you want to have a connection with this or this person you should focus on this.’ Usually, I like to create the preconditions to make something meaningful happen.”
2. What’s the most meaningful professional connection you’ve ever made and how did you make it?
“When someone asks, ‘What’s the best Bee Gees song?’ Well, that’s a question you can’t answer, because as a fan you never have a favorite song. You have many. So when it comes to every connection, no matter how tiny, it can be as meaningful as a big connection. What’s more important is that you believe in the power of making meaningful connections.’
“A week ago we launched a project and someone emailed me with, ‘Hey, I launched this book and I’m asking for some feedback from you.’ He didn’t ask what he could mean for me. Immediately he was asking for something, instead of being part of a network of meaningful connections. It’s super important and relevant that people come from a sharing perspective first.”
3. What’s the number one thing all startups and founders should do to connect with potential business partners?
“Have true human interest in the other person, because then you connect. It might be through their hobbies or passion for art, or enthusiasm to travel the world or worries about their family. Startups and founders especially should be doing this.’
“Your first client or customers really need to love your product. They need to have a deep human interest and you need to know about them. Who are they? Why are they triggered to do business with you? Why do they want to buy your product? Why are they paying for a solution that you came up with?”
4. Why are events like Amsterdam Capital Week important in finding connections?
“That’s the nature of any event, meeting people. The same goes for tech events. People gather, they want to have fun, they want to be inspired, they want to learn, they want to connect.’
“Furthermore, Amsterdam Capital Week is unique because there are so many tech events in the world, but there are no tech events fully focused on the topic of funding and investment. There are a lot of generic tech events and a lot of vertical based ones, but none are specifically focused on matching, learning and meeting people to activate funding.”
5. “Fake it till you make it” or “Be Yourself”?
“Be yourself, of course.”
Amsterdam Capital Week is the week of events from 25th–29th of September when 2500+ startups and scale-ups from all over Europe make meaningful connections with over 500+ investors. Rabobank and Startup Amsterdam are two of Amsterdam Capital Week’s main partners.
