The story of Vincent Stap
Vincent is an thoughtful and entrepreneurial type who likes to choose his own path. A personal insight motivated him to dedicate himself fully to a better world. Within Invest-NL, Vincent finds all the space he needs to do so.
Vincent works at Invest-NL as a senior financial risk manager. In this role, his primary task is to advise the Investment Committee of Invest-NL on the financial risk of the investments. The choice for Invest-NL was very well considered for Vincent: “I was already familiar with the organisation before its official establishment. When the opportunity arose, I didn't need time to think. The mandate that Invest-NL has is unique for the Netherlands. There is no other investment manager active within the venture capital world that is as focused on impact and also has the resources to support companies through multiple rounds. I am eager to contribute to that.”
Every colleague is in their own way working towards a better world.
In daily practice, Vincent sees an impressive development at Invest-NL. In its short existence, a lot has already been achieved in terms of company, processes, and policy. He finds this extraordinary for such a young organization. And that is a people matter. Vincent responds enthusiastically: ”Certainly! Invest-NL is a company where many young people work with diverse backgrounds, not the standard asset management profile. Each colleague has a special story to tell and brings her or his specific contribution to the activities. This creates a unique mix of people and ambitions. There is unity. Each colleague is committed in their own way to a better world.”
All capital is purely invested to make an impact. That is unique.
Vincent enjoys sharing his work with friends: “You always have great stories about how we at Invest-NL support excellent Dutch companies with the ambitious plans they have to improve the world. All the capital is solely used to make an impact. That is unique.”
Invest-NL invests without risk. And failure is part of that. Vincent does not necessarily see this as something negative: “The impact we as an organization can have is potentially a ‘gamechanger’ for the whole world. And even when investments fail, there are still significant effects through all the technical experience gained, which can be used in other places and in other ways.”
There are always 100 reasons not to do something, but that one reason to do it is decisive.
Personal motivations lead to better choices. This was also the case for Vincent when he realized that it is very likely his daughter will see the year 2100, and therefore will have to experience all the consequences of climate change. Vincent: “Yes, it became crystal clear to me that I had to commit myself fully to enabling the energy transition. I do this through my work but also by making conscious choices in my private life. It’s about choices. There are always 100 reasons not to do something, but that one reason to do it is decisive.”