Last week, the eighth edition of ImpactFest at the Fokker Terminal in The Hague concluded with an awards ceremony on the main stage. Here the winners of the Haagse Vernieuwers challenge were announced, who collectively received €22,500. In addition, the Rabo Impactfonds handed out several cheques with a total value of €140,000 to innovative initiatives. Pels Rijcken also awarded a financial contribution from the Pels4Good Fund of €20,000 to a startup that promotes access to justice.
The Haagse Vernieuwers challenge encourages startups and growing companies in The Hague that develop innovative solutions to pressing social challenges, such as climate change and food shortages. With previous winners such as Naïf Care, North Sea Farmers and Weco, the challenge has firmly established itself in The Hague’s impact ecosystem. The competition is organized each year by ImpactCity, a program of the municipality of The Hague.
The most innovative entrepreneurs from The Hague
The final of the Haagse Vernieuwers competition took place during ImpactFest, the leading event in Europe for everyone who wants to make a positive impact. The winner ‘Best Innovator’ with a prize of €15,000 is Feelou: this startup developed a unique pregnancy bra that grows with the changing body. The incentive prize of €5,000 goes to Wattrogen: developer of vertical wind turbines for residential and urban areas. In addition, GreenAnt, a startup that supports climate action using satellite data and artificial intelligence, was awarded the audience prize of €2,500.
Saskia Bruines, Alderman for the Economy is delighted with the outcome: “I think it’s fantastic to see that Feelou, Wattrogen and GreenAnt have been named winners of the Hague Innovators Challenge 2023. We as a city can be proud of that. ImpactCity is one of Europe’s leading clusters for companies that combine doing good and doing business. Through this initiative, the municipality facilitates innovative sustainable entrepreneurs to start and scale up their businesses. And we see in recent years that more and more sustainable entrepreneurs are consciously choosing The Hague to locate.”
Support for innovative themes thanks to Rabo ImpactfondsRabobank has been a partner of ImpactCity since 2019, and together the parties support entrepreneurs in The Hague with a sustainable mission. Rabobank has been involved in the content of ImpactFest’s program for many years and this year used the event as a stage to present checks from the Rabo ImpactFonds.
The Rabo ImpactFonds targets organizations and startups with an innovative idea that contributes to food transition, energy transition or an inclusive society. To Fairm, VanHier, WeCo, Memsys, MycoFarming and North Sea Farmers, Rabobank awarded a total of €140,000 at ImpacFest.
Improving access to justice with Pels4Good Fund
With a special fund, Pels Rijcken supports projects or activities that make it easier for people and smaller entrepreneurs to determine their legal position or to obtain justice, regardless of origin, position or legal question. After a pitch round of the three nominees Visual Contracts, LISI and De Leidse Rechtswinkel, the jury designated Visual Contracts as the winner.
About ImpactCity and ImpactFest
ImpactCity is one of Europe’s leading ecosystems for organizations that combine “doing good and doing business. With ImpactCity, the Municipality of The Hague facilitates entrepreneurs and other impact makers with innovative solutions in starting and scaling up their businesses.
ImpactFest started in 2016 as an annual event where the ImpactCity ecosystem can meet in a casual festival atmosphere. It has grown into an international “must-attend” event in the world of impact.
Initiator ImpactCity organizes the event together with the Municipality of The Hague, Unknown Group and KplusV. ImpactFest is made possible by the Province of South Holland, Rabobank, Oxfam Novib, DOEN Foundation, Clockwise and B Lab.
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