Inside edition 3 of the Circular Factory Program: Understanding the road to funding

Raising funding is always a challenge, but it’s especially tough for circular entrepreneurs working to scale their production. The landscape for funds focussing on this critical phase is limited, and building factories adds a layer of complexity when balancing risk and return. A strong financial plan and a strategic funding mix are essential – themes that took center stage during the expert sessions.

Key insights from the morning sessions

• Bas van Wieringen, Founder of PeelPioneers, shared their journey of raising capital through multiple funding rounds, along with his key lessons. He highlighted the importance of timely engagement with investors, being clear on what you ask of them and understanding the process from their perspective. A crucial tip? Research your investors as thoroughly as they research your company, ensuring a good match between your values and theirs, the fund’s strategy, style and added value.

• Elwin van Rooijen, Senior Investment Manager at @Invest-NL, gave an inside look at their investment process. He explained how his team evaluates ventures, what they look for in potential investments, and the steps entrepreneurs can expect when engaging with them.

While the participating startups differ in areas like feedstock sourcing or plant design, when it comes to finance, they all face a shared challenge: finding it. Each participant is working on piecing together a funding mix (‘blended finance’)—subsidies, private investments, and debt—to make their vision a reality.

Collaboration and intervision in the afternoon
After lunch, participants took the opportunity to reflect on their own progress and discussed their Objective Key Results (OKRs) while giving each other feedback and receiving feedback from Bart van den Heuvel, Learning & development manager at Circular Factory. With this they will further develop their OKR roadmap toward the next investment round. 

The final Deep dive day will focus on Team & Impact. Stay tuned for the last recap in this series. In the meantime, check out the profiles of the participants and learn more about their stories.

The third edition of the Circular Factory program is made possible thanks to our financial partners: Gemeente Rotterdam, Stichting Ondernemersbelangen Rotterdam, the Rabo Foundation and Invest-NL.