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TEDxAmsterdam is always looking for initiators of disruptive innovations and concrete ideas, ideas that fit our planet’s future needs; social and/or environmentally.
1-on-1 mentorship, business & storytelling training, networking & feedback events, pitch coaching, presentation and design workshop AND the chance to present on a TEDx stage.
The Impact Program is your opportunity to bring forth a prototype of a solution regarding a real-world problem. Offered by TEDxAmsterdam, this journey functions as a catalyst for positive change. Each year we source bold ideas with the potential to address pressing matters. We look for ideas that cover a wide range of fields— from global health to climate change to social justice to education.
The Impact Program is suitable for people from all walks of life with an ambitious and entrepreneurial nature. It specifically caters to those in need of guidance to jumpstart benevolent solutions within the Amsterdam region. We are not talking about idealistic dreams and utopian fairy tales but rather initiators of disruptive innovations and concrete ideas. We like to call these great minds “Pioneers”.
Pioneers are individuals on their way from an idea to implementation of their project, also known as the “pioneer phase”. The main idea is that pioneers can qualify to apply when they are still focusing on establishing the company, as well as some research and product development is still ongoing.
The following qualities are important for the pioneer profile:
For the idea to be suitable, you will want to keep in mind about whether you:
Customer Experience Coach
In her own words: “Hi there, I’m Agnese. With more than two decades of experience in both – established organisations and startups, I’ve built my skills in communication management, digital product management, customer experience strategy and management, learning design, and leadership, among others.
In addition, I actively engage in various communities that provide value to their members in a clear and consistent way. I’m passionate about empowering people to thrive, fulfill their potential and get excited about making life better (based on their private definition of it).”
Pitch Coach
In Sheila’s own words: “How can I help you shine? Whether it’s with a Pitch Workshop, or 1:1 Coaching, Speaker Training or an Online Presentation training, feedback on your content or also on your slide deck; I’m happy to share our hands-on Pitching and Presenting tools with you!”
Sheila’s session is part of our Storytelling pillar
Impact and sustainability stategist
Autodidact, essentialist, active conversationalist, purpose-driven entrepreneur, tech native, strategist, sensemaker, learning experience designer, data-visualiser, storymaker, experienced facilitator and a longtime digital nomad with Amsterdam/Berlin anchors.
The primary goal of this session is to work on how to measure the impact of the ventures and their work. With Jeroen the pioneers looked into the Theory of Change, the impact statement and what are the metrics that apply specifically to the ventures and their potential financial partners.
Jeroen’s session was on the pillar of Impact
Business Designer
Daphne is a Business Designer at Business Model Inc which is an international agency for innovation strategy and business model design. Their on a mission to design, build and grow businesses that create value for you, our society, and the world around us. Our award-winning approach is consumer driven, fast and iterative by design.
Daphne’s session is part of our Customer Experience pillar.
Associate at Convent Capital
Sanne is an Associate at Convent Capital and will work with the pioneers on their impact and approaching investors. Convent Capital is an independent Dutch investment company established in 2011. With our first fund we focus on small to medium sized companies within the Benelux that have a good track record and where we see strategic and operational opportunities to create sustainable value: organically, in new markets or via a buy-&-build strategy. With our new fund we focus on providing growth capital to innovative and sustainable companies in the agri & food markets and thereby making a positive impact.
Sanne’s session is part of the Impact Pillar.
Lecturer & PHD Candidate at the Rotterdam School of Management
Björn is an expert in leadership, strategy and personal development in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world. Working independently or in partnership with business schools, leading consultancies and other master practitioners. He gets asked by some of the biggest and most well-known organisations in the world to help them challenge their thinking, evolve their assumptions and discern the true nature of a situation.
Björn is one of two mentors who will be working with the pioneers.
Freelance Executive Consultant, Speaker and Moderator
With a passion for transforming teams and organisations, Salmaan Sana spent fifteen impactful years fostering inclusive, collaborative environments and nurturing leadership development. “Time is precious; together, we can make the world better and leave a meaningful legacy for the generations after us.”
Salmaan’s session with Susan Kessing fall under the pillar of leadership.
Mindfulness Trainer & Coach
Since 2021, Ignas is helping clients to boost their self-confidence by developing a deeper understanding of their habits and lifestyle choices. As a certified Health & Life Coach, his aim is to create a life balance that prioritizes your well-being and celebrates all aspects of your true self. He has graduated from a Health Coach Institute with a double diploma in Health and Life coaching. The track is accredited by ICF (International Coaches Federation).
His session was the kick-off and his topic was Mindfulness.
Senior Engineering Manager
A big part of being a good leader in start-up life is being able to give and receive feedback. In this session, the pioneers talked about about the types of feedback, how to dissect it to take only what is needed and how to ask for it from a variety of characters. With her experiences at Shopify and now at Booking.com, Sadhana is an expert in creating psychological safety and helping teams thrive in a healthy and professional way.
Her session was in our Leadership pillar.
Brainstormer at GGP Consultancy
Wiegertje is a connector. In her own words: “
Wiegertje is one of two mentors working with the pioneers.
Lead Acceleration Programmes Team
Susan Kessing founded the TEDxAmsterdam Impact Program in 2021 to empower impact makers, and she has been volunteering there since then. Professionally, she has spent the past ten years working in various environments, including startups, venture building, and corporate innovation. Susan’s career path starts in the position of a COO at a pioneering fintech startup, where she developed her leadership skills and gained insights from diverse entrepreneurial and innovative settings.
Co-Artistic Director at The Amsterdam Storytelling Festival
Raphael is an acclaimed theatre creator and storyteller. He moved to Amsterdam and crafted successful storytelling shows like “When Abel met Cain,” delving into human duality, “The Kingdom of Fire and Clay,” exploring ties between Iran and Israel, and the 2017 Amsterdam Fringe winner “My Father Held a Gun,” focused on war’s essence. His work garners worldwide acclaim, featuring in theaters and festivals across Europe.
Beyond performing, Raphael teaches storytelling. In 2014, with Farnoosh Farnia and Sahand Sahebdivani, he established The Mezrab Storytelling School. This is undoubtedly one of Europe’s leading schools, delving into ancient and personal stories, and examining their connections. The school employs distinct, original techniques developed by its team.
Raphael’s session was on the pillar of Storytelling.
The following qualities are important for the pioneer profile:
For the idea to be suitable, you will want to keep in mind about whether you:
Yes. The idea may have more than one founder and some team members, however, this is not a requirement.
The program will take place from mid-September to mid-November.
Yes. Attendance is part of the conditions to apply.
This independent TEDx event is operated under license from TED. Copyright Stichting TEDxAmsterdam. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Statement
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxAmsterdam, where x = independently organized TED event. At our TEDxAmsterdam event, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.
We are thrilled to invite more partners on board. Please reach out to our partner team at partners@tedxamsterdam.nl
We are a hundred percent volunteer-led organisation, all our events are not subsidised and are run on the enthusiasm of our partners, collaborators and volunteers. Each year a large group of volunteers dedicate their time and energy to set up events and build our community, acting as personal ambassadors for change and innovation. With their professional knowledge and skills, our volunteers bring ideas to life behind the scenes and on the day of our events. Be Part of This!
Keep an eye on our vacancies or follow our LinkedIn for the next recruitment sessions !
