WOMEN IN TECH

Looking for a low-key way to connect female entrepreneurs in the Rotterdam Central District, Joyce Kornet-Vreugdenhill, general manager of CIC Rotterdam, joined forces with Annwa Roleau, founder of the tech firm Lox Solution, to organize a quarterly Women in Tech brunch. “We were struck by the ongoing under-representation of female leadership in the sector”, Joyce explains. “It’s amazing to organize an event to get them all together, in a trusted and familiar setting, to share experiences and throw around ideas.” The female founders are all at the helm of fast-growing tech firms and talented teams, and each have their own set of ambitions and challenges at their companies. We’re pleased to introduce you to these female executives and their booming businesses!

Marsha Goei Breeze

“Tired of all the countless hours of swiping and chatting on Tinder, we decided it was time for a dating app designed for actual dates. That became Breeze! If you get a match on Breeze, you can’t chat with each other. Instead, you fill in a date picker and then we organize your first date at one of our partner bars in your chosen city. This way, you skip the online chitchat and go straight to meeting each other face to face! We have organized over fifty thousand Breeze dates so far and are growing fast in the Netherlands. We have plans to expand abroad this coming year, so stay tuned…!”

Terry Spoon And Christel Schuurman

“Please ask m is the new SaaS software for the B2B hotel market. m helps to process, centralize and automate business requests, enabling hotels to focus on what really matters: their guest experience. We – Christel and Terry – are the co-founders of this start-up specialized in creating innovative software solutions for the hospitality industry. Christel has always been passionate about technology and its potential to solve problems and make life easier. Despite not having a background in computer science, with determination and hard work, she taught herself the skills to become a key player in the development of our company’s product. Terry joined Please ask m in 2020 as its first employee, after a few years freelancing in the hospitality industry. It is very inspiring to be women in tech and we hope to encourage others to work in this dynamic world!”

LINKY AND MICKY CHEN MINITE.WORKS

“Minite.works was founded by us, two sisters, Linky and Micky, and is a digital platform that links companies to top students vetted by us to work for them on a freelance basis. We cover marketing, sales, ICT, research and design through to finance and accounting. We operate on the principle of ‘no cure, no pay’ and work exclusively with top-performers –the top twenty per cent of students – to guarantee quality. Minite’s mission is two-pronged: on one hand we help companies grow and put them in touch with top young talent, and on the other we help students build up a strong CV, hone their skills and meet prospective employers. We collaborate a lot with universities and are growing rapidly. With more than 9,000 students already, we are well on our way to our objective of 100,000 talented students by 2025!”

Anna Roleau Lox Solution

“I am the co-founder and chief commercial officer of Lox, an AI-based solution that helps e-commerce companies manage delivery issues. Lox was founded in 2020 and is a spin-off of Helloprint. Launched during COVID time, Lox supports more than 100,000 e-commerce companies across Europe. In the coming year, we are planning to scale the product, grow our customer base and build the team. Our ambition as a SaaS product is to become the touchstone in Europe for delivery issue management. Lox is therefore investing heavily in its tech stock. If you are looking for a new adventure, feel free to reach out!”

Graci Lla Van Vliet Closure

“After a death, Closure helps the bereaved by terminating all of the deceased’s subscriptions and contracts for them. This way, we eliminate the customer service workload related to handling an organization’s deceased customers and enable them to offer an excellent customer experience. Having experienced how greatly we can support both organizations and families after a passing, we are on a mission to provide customer care solutions for other key moments in life as well, such as debt restructuring, marriage and divorce.”

Want to read more about Closure and their ambitions? Flip over to page 45!