06 June 2019
Jubilee edition Saxion Entrepreneurs Award has 2 winners
Entrepreneurship is more than just doing it. It is challenging yourself to look for opportunities and creative solutions, to have and keep a focus, to dare to follow your feelings and to have the guts and the strength to persevere even when things are not going well for a while. In other words, being passionate about your profession and always going for the best result. Qualities that we at EW Facility Services motivate and strive for every day. Young entrepreneurs can often use some support for entrepreneurship. An extra push to turn dreams into a successful company. In order to stimulate this and to help them with this, we, together with Saxion, created the Saxion Entrepreneurs Award 10 years ago. On 5 June not 1 but 2 winners were announced in the Wilminktheater in Enschede!
And the winner is
Bas Dijkhuis and Karel Kloeze of Brand Your Merch won the GESTART! category with their pitch during a thrilling final. With this, they receive a prize package worth €10,000.00, including a year-long support from EW Facility Services. The winner in the START category is Anouk Tanke with Sassive. She wins a prize package worth €7,500. She too will be supervised by the facilitiy service provider. Bas Cornelissen, Director EW Facility Services: "Good to see that there was so much entrepreneurship on stage during the final. We have two winners who have gone through a great development during the course of the project. I look forward to supporting Anouk, Bas and Karel in the next phase of their business. For one the conversion of an idea into a company and for the other the further development of their company." In addition to the start-up capital and support from EW Facility Services, the price packages consist of a varied range of products and services. For example, printing credit, membership of network associations, accounting package, professional photo shoot and video and coaching. Everything to help them on their way.
About the winners
With a passion for fashion and marketing, Bas Dijkhuis and Karel Kloeze are building and strengthening the personal brands of the world's top 150 DJs with Brand Your Merch. The company designs and produces that custom-made, high fashion clothing. With the help of smart online marketing and e-commerce strategies, Brand Your Merch is fast becoming the indispensable branding partner in the entertainment industry. They help MATTN, Blasterjaxx, Julian Jordan, Brooks and Skink (from Showtek) to realize their dream: their own private label clothing line.
Anouk Tanke's mission with her company Sassive is: "To give every woman self-confidence in the lingerie she wears." Probably women all over the world recognize themselves in the problem; lingerie that shines through your clothes. An outfit is therefore quickly put aside, but Sassive's invisible lingerie offers the solution. By choosing the lingerie in your own skin colour and fit, this struggle is a thing of the past. The focus is not on your lingerie, but on 'you and your outfit'!
Jury
The jury consists of experienced entrepreneurs who have a strong connection with the goal of the Saxion Entrepreneurs Award: chairman of the jury Bas Cornelissen (General Director EW Facility Services), Bob Vos (Switch IT Solutions), Marco Aarnink (Print.com), Judith Lansink (MET Architects) and Rob ten Hove (National Forensic Research Bureau). This professional jury has been involved throughout the entire process and has not only assessed the business concepts, but also the development of the person behind the plan. Bas "The combination of a good idea and really being there as a person with passion and self-confidence makes for a successful entrepreneur. One of the biggest challenges for us as a jury is finding this combination. Bas, Karel and Anouk, have this in them. During the process they have proven to be the right men and woman behind the idea. They have also really done 'brain picking' and used our knowledge well to further fine-tune their plans. I have every confidence that they will be and remain successful with their company."
About the Saxion Entrepreneurs Award
The Saxion Entrepreneurs Award is an initiative of Saxion and EW Facility Services and stimulates entrepreneurship among (former) students. This entrepreneurial competition also contributes to the appreciation of entrepreneurial students of Saxion. The Saxion Entrepreneurs Award was organized for the tenth time this year. For the first time, a distinction was made between Saxion students with an idea (START!) and Saxion students or alumni with their own company (GESTART!). So in this anniversary edition we have two winners.
