The story of Wouter van Westenbrugge

Wouter's role is senior investment manager, also known as ‘deal team captain’. “This means I am responsible for making new investments. From start (finding interesting companies) to finish (transferring the money) and beyond. After we have invested, we stay closely involved with all the important subsequent steps of the company. Further building and growing the business. That is highly rewarding.”

Wouter has been active in the impact investing world for over 10 years. “My belief is that Invest-NL has the most meaningful mandate to make a significant impact on the climate transition: high risk appetite, large budget, and a lot of flexibility in how to deploy it effectively. That is where you can truly make a difference, and that is also the reason why I wanted to work here.”

“What has surprised me most about Invest-NL so far is the freedom and responsibility you are given. Also to develop yourself – alongside your main task (in my case investing) – in other areas. For me, this is recruitment, selection, and further building the team. That in turn leads to broader personal development. Further, very nice: the great flexibility in your working hours. In my case, essential to keep our young family with two daughters happily together.”

“My colleagues are all mission-driven and critical thinkers who want to contribute to demonstrating that it’s possible; that we can make an impact through our work. That is very exciting to experience. And also inspiring. Sometimes, there’s really some fierce fighting and quick decision-making to achieve results. That’s also necessary, so it’s great that such a shared drive exists.”

The open attitude, impactful mission, and entrepreneurial spirit within Invest-NL make Wouter quite proud. “At a party, I talk about the interesting investments I have been allowed to, and will, make on behalf of Invest-NL. I also always try to briefly gauge whether there might be another contact related to start-ups, investment projects, or other investors present. You never know!”

Wouter studied Econometrics and Environmental Sciences. “During my studies in Econometrics, my world became increasingly more abstract. Everything could be captured in financial models where you could certainly make a lot of money. But something was bothering me. Earning money is a very hollow goal – and through those models, very little often changes in the real world. Meanwhile, the current ‘way of doing’ is unsustainable. The turning point came when I watched Al Gore’s film ‘An Inconvenient Truth’. From that moment on, I dedicated everything I could to combating climate change. I switched to Environmental Sciences, specialised in sustainable energy, and started working with the goal of making as many resources available as possible to facilitate the climate transition. And this has given me more fulfilment than any model ever could.”