Ep 32 - How to Grow Impact Driven Startups with Linda Vermaat

We sat down with Linda Vermaat, Director of Innofest, a team dedicated to helping impact-driven startups test their prototypes at festivals. Due to COVID and festivals coming to a halt they’ve developed online methods to help startups kickstart their growth.

Most startups fail within the 5-year mark. According to Linda, this is due to 2 main reasons – These startups aren’t solving a big-enough problem, or they aren’t testing their product thoroughly. Linda hopes to help entrepreneurs trying to solve the issues of today by giving them platforms to kickstart their products with Innofest. In this episode, Linda also shares her vision, best practices learned along her journey, and powerful advice.

Here's What We Discussed

• [00:17] Inda introduced herself and Innofest. Linda talks about her documentary, Fix the World and Make Money, in which she traveled around the world for 
• [02:12] Linda shares her experience co-creating Professional Rebel, how she felt inclined to impact-driven startups, and how that led her to her position in Innofest.
• [03:56] Linda defines an impact-driven startup as entrepreneurs intending to make money, and start a business while solving an issue
• [04:50] The 2 things that impact-driven startups need in order to succeed
• [07:49] How Innofest can help kickstart growth for impact-driven startups by providing opportunities for networking
• [09:24] What makes your product testing successful and why festivals are an ideal testing environment 
• [12:20] The success of Innofest Test TV, an online testing environment developed due to COVID 
• [14:50] For interest in Innofest, contact Linda using the links and contact details below 
• [16:13] Where Linda gets her impact-driven related news

About Linda 

Linda Vermaat (38) lives in Amsterdam, together with Erik and their daughter Isa. She has a curious mind, is quite talkative, and loves to eat with her hands.

She is inspired by people who go above and beyond to challenge the status quo. Therefore she founded the Slow Food Youth Network, Professional Rebel & the international documentary Fix the World & Make Money; as places where these people can come together and propel each other forward.

These experiences have made Linda the perfect fit as the new director of Innofest, a function she has proudly embraced from September 2019 onwards. As a director, Linda closes partnerships, spots (new) business opportunities, and leads the Innofest troops and the Innofest brand.

Finally, Linda is a well-known speaker on sustainability (TEDX Amsterdam), a jury member of diverse startup competitions (Enterprijs), and host of sustainable innovation events (ADE Green and ASN Bank Wereldprijs). And on the side, she is a pitch coach for impact projects and startups.

 

Resources Mentioned

Learn more about Innofest here.

Contact Linda at: linda@inoffest.co

Documentary Fix the World and Make Money: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzyw7IBkKmNkC7_-p7SfFVw

White paper: https://innofest.co/whitepaper-aanvragen/

 

Quotes

“It doesn't matter if you're an impact startup or not, go and prove your product and then make the next steps. Because too much time, money, and energy is wasted if you just keep on working solely on your idea.” – Linda Vermaat 

 

“By learning a lot, you can improve your products. If [testing] runs super smoothly, I won't say it was a success because what did you really learn?” – Linda Vermaat

 

“If you have a prototype and this is the first time you have a product or a service in place, please go out and test it. Don't stay too long inside, but go out, test it, and see what kind of assumptions you have.” – Linda Vermaat

 

“If you want to actually grow your startup, most of the time, a lot of capital is needed, especially when it's a really technical startup today. You need a lot of money to actually improve your product.” – Linda Vermaat

 

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