It started with code.
I studied Computer Science at The Hague Polytechnic. In 2000 I founded Mexit, my first consultancy. Seven years later we were 22 consultants. I sold the company and learned my first lesson: building is one skill, letting go is another.
Then came the bridge.
From 2002 I designed and led HIC, the Dutch trade and investment centre for Morocco, backed by the Rotterdam Chamber of Commerce and the Municipality of Rotterdam. We helped Dutch and Moroccan companies do business with each other. I later co-founded Morocco Fonds, the first fund in the Netherlands dedicated to Morocco's development and bilateral cooperation.
In 2007 I founded Bridgizz. The name says what I do.
Then came scale.
I founded the Ramadan Festival and took it to 42 cities in the Netherlands and 5 cities abroad. It taught me how to build something that belongs to everyone. I served on the board of a local Rabobank in Amsterdam and on the Rabobank Members Council. It taught me how institutions think.
Then came climate.
In 2020 I brought ClimateLaunchpad to Morocco and financed it myself. Since then more than 500 startups have been trained and coached, with 18 national finalists and 2 global finalists. I founded Women in Cleantech, the first initiative of its kind in Morocco.
What comes next?
The same thing, on a larger scale. More companies crossing the Mediterranean in both directions. More capital finding founders who deserve it. More leaders who look like the markets they serve.
When you stop learning, you stop leading. I am still learning.