20 SOLUTIONS
Following Lely founder Cornelis van der Lely’s philosophy that at least 20 solutions have to be devised for every problem, a number of socially relevant initiatives have seen the light of day thanks to Lely’s efforts.
The adventure
of
Evoked Capital
'We got off to a good start, but there were
many questions and few answers'
Lely offered a group of entrepreneurial, curious colleagues a unique opportunity to learn new skills and gain experience while, at the same time, being involved in the latest start-ups. How? Through Lely Evoked, which gives employees the possibility to ‘manage’ a small fund to establish, or to invest in, start-ups.
A team of ambitious people manages a fund of €100,000 to invest in young companies. These start-ups can be starting from scratch, already exist and be working on a prototype, or simply be a Lely colleague who has a brilliant idea. And the best thing is, it is possible to join this initiative if you’re motivated to learn new things and spend a little of your private time!
Big challenge
The current Evoked team –Edwin Kouwenhoven, Mea Chong, Luc van Slobbe and Patrick Oude Voshaar – swung into action in 2019. 'We got off to a good start, but there were many questions and few answers,' says Product Specialist and Evoked member Patrick Oude Voshaar. 'No one was able to clearly explain what Evoked was or should be. Everything was open.'
This was a big challenge, but the opportunities were even bigger. So, a select group of Lely employees accepted the challenge: 'You have €100,000 to invest. This could be in the hairdressing business around the corner or you could set up a business yourself. Actually, you can do what you like. Good luck!'
'After much discussion and sharing ideas, we decided to take the direction of becoming an investment fund,' says Patrick, adding that they are already deep in negotiations with a first start-up – the exact nature of which is still secret.
Fast and dynamic
'For us, as Lely employees, it has been a remarkable transition to a world where everything is fast and dynamic. We have learnt a lot about collaboration, organising, investing, and the world of start-ups, with help and support from Lely employees including Jannet de Jong (Program Manager Start Ups), Eduard Meijer (Managing Director Naves Ventures), and Aart van 't Land (Director Business Development).'
He continues that forming a team was, in itself, a learning experience. 'And then there’s the pressure to be the first to invest in a start-up, through this scheme, with 'the best idea in the world'.'
Edwin Kouwenhoven, Manager Enterprise Cloud, explains: 'We are learning how we can combine the world of a large corporate with the ‘smaller’ world of start-ups. And we are excited to show Evoked to the world!'
'Everyone in the team is appreciated for his or her personal skills, commitment and knowledge. This ensures that we know what we can do as a team and can act quickly, deal with uncertain situations and rapidly approaching deadlines, and perform under pressure. We were also able to apply this all to our current roles with Lely.'
We are live!
EvokedCapital.com is live and we are open for business. Please take a look and let us know what you think. We’ll offer an update soon. If you would like more information or if you are interested in Evoked and consider to join this initiative, please approach directly or via info@evokedcapital.com.
'We we are
excited to
show Evoked
to the world'
'Everyone in the team is appreciated for his or her personal skills, commitment and knowledge. This ensures that we know what we can do as a team and can act quickly, deal with uncertain situations and rapidly approaching deadlines, and perform under pressure. We were also able to apply this all to our current roles with Lely.'
Edwin Kouwenhoven
Manager Enterprise Cloud, Lely Campus Maassluis
My featured core value
20 SOLUTIONS
The adventure
of Evoked Capital
Following Lely founder Cornelis van der Lely’s philosophy that at least 20 solutions have to be devised for every problem, a number of socially relevant initiatives have seen the light of day thanks to Lely’s efforts.
'We got off to a good start, but there were
many questions and few answers'
Lely offered a group of entrepreneurial, curious colleagues a unique opportunity to learn new skills and gain experience while, at the same time, being involved in the latest start-ups. How? Through Lely Evoked, which gives employees the possibility to ‘manage’ a small fund to establish, or to invest in, start-ups.
A team of ambitious people manages a fund of €100,000 to invest in young companies. These start-ups can be starting from scratch, already exist and be working on a prototype, or simply be a Lely colleague who has a brilliant idea. And the best thing is, it is possible to join this initiative if you’re motivated to learn new things and spend a little of your private time!
Big challenge
The current Evoked team –Edwin Kouwenhoven, Mea Chong, Luc van Slobbe and Patrick Oude Voshaar – swung into action in 2019. 'We got off to a good start, but there were many questions and few answers,' says Product Specialist and Evoked member Patrick Oude Voshaar. 'No one was able to clearly explain what Evoked was or should be. Everything was open.'
This was a big challenge, but the opportunities were even bigger. So, a select group of Lely employees accepted the challenge: 'You have €100,000 to invest. This could be in the hairdressing business around the corner or you could set up a business yourself. Actually, you can do what you like. Good luck!'
'After much discussion and sharing ideas, we decided to take the direction of becoming an investment fund,' says Patrick, adding that they are already deep in negotiations with a first start-up – the exact nature of which is still secret.
Fast and dynamic
'For us, as Lely employees, it has been a remarkable transition to a world where everything is fast and dynamic. We have learnt a lot about collaboration, organising, investing, and the world of start-ups, with help and support from Lely employees including Jannet de Jong (Program Manager Start Ups), Eduard Meijer (Managing Director Naves Ventures), and Aart van 't Land (Director Business Development).'
He continues that forming a team was, in itself, a learning experience. 'And then there’s the pressure to be the first to invest in a start-up, through this scheme, with 'the best idea in the world'.'
Edwin Kouwenhoven, Manager Enterprise Cloud, explains: 'We are learning how we can combine the world of a large corporate with the ‘smaller’ world of start-ups. And we are excited to show Evoked to the world!'
'Everyone in the team is appreciated for his or her personal skills, commitment and knowledge. This ensures that we know what we can do as a team and can act quickly, deal with uncertain situations and rapidly approaching deadlines, and perform under pressure. We were also able to apply this all to our current roles with Lely.'
'We we are excited to
show Evoked to the world'
We are live!
EvokedCapital.com is live and we are open for business. Please take a look and let us know what you think. We’ll offer an update soon. If you would like more information or if you are interested in Evoked and consider to join this initiative, please approach directly or via info@evokedcapital.com.
'Everyone in the team is appreciated for his or her personal skills, commitment and knowledge. This ensures that we know what we can do as a team and can act quickly, deal with uncertain situations and rapidly approaching deadlines, and perform under pressure. We were also able to apply this all to our current roles with Lely.'
Edwin Kouwenhoven
Manager Enterprise Cloud,
Lely Campus Maassluis
My featured core value