You may have seen Meike Baretta bouncing around the corridors, as she's been setting up the Dutch branch of S&L consultancy since February. S&L is a very cool, driven consultancy whose mission is to be a flywheel for change by focusing exclusively on charities and mission-driven organisations. She is founding S&L Netherlands with Petra Hoogerwerf - a highly experienced, creative and analytical consultant and supervisor specialising in change management and impact strategy - and Bér English - a wildly smart communications strategist who earned his spurs in the cultural sector and campaigning corner.
Turning the tide on everything that threatens our fragile planet (and therefore ourselves, isn't it?) requires a super-strong civil society. With the right help, they believe, the new world will be radically better. S&L has been present in Belgium for some time. More than 30 consultants now work there for more than 200 Belgian and European organisations and NGOs. Come and visit the Workhotel and she'll be happy to tell you more.
BIYU — stands for "Bob is your uncle", loosely translated as "Klaar is Kees". Founded in 2020 to be a really good alternative to buying products that you sometimes have to put on the market. You may have seen the delivery service's electric cargo bikes cruising around town. You could rent anything from a pressure washer or carpet cleaner to a DJ set, speakers, drills, saws, prams, as well as Teslas and Microlinos, for a few hours or a few weeks. Last year, in 2024, they were forced to change course. The organisation is in the process of transforming from a b2c company to one with a b2b SaaS proposition. Where they used to serve consumers, their customers are now rental companies, helping them, for example, to fully automate the operational back end of the rental process. If you want to know more, come and see Fabian or Frans at the Workhotel, where they spend one or two days a week.
Frans Biegstraaten is an entrepreneur at heart, with a background in software and hardware. After 10 years in Hong Kong, he moved to Amsterdam East with his wife and children in 2019. He can be found with a good book, a nice techno track or if he knows how to sail. Fabian Englishman loves sailing too, but you can also find him in the mountains, with his cello and at BIYU since 2023 because he wants to create positive change. With a new circular economy that puts social and natural capital at the centre, to be precise. Hear hear!
Duregy is a sustainability and transition agency that mainly focuses on the transitions in the field of Energy and Circularity. We can be deployed in many roles and work from both product orders and secondment. The photo shows Duregy's team during a team outing at Meerlanden recycling center in De Kwakel. Curious about what we do? Pop into Lab 1.07 on Wednesdays and have a chat with Erik Maas.
