Entrepreneurship

partners

This diverse group of people representing companies within numerous areas of business (architecture, engineering, developers, government agencies, finance) supports the development of BK-Launch, provides knowledge and guides future ventures in their entrepreneurial journey. The partners make up the Advisory Committee offering counsel on the trajectory and development of the BK-Launch platform. 

current partners

sander about oosterhoff

Sander Dorleijn was after his studies Structural Design and Architectural Design Management Systems looking for an inspiring and challenging organisation to start his career. In 2007 he joined ABT and since then he had several roles within the organisation. Stimulating entrepreneurship and (fullservice) cooperation was central to this, both within the organisation and in projects such as the New Amsterdam Court House and Terminal Schiphol. As director, Sander is responsible for business development.
ABT is part of Oosterhoff. Within Oosterhoff we develop, direct and realize progressive concepts, products and knowledge for the built environment with a horizon that reaches further than the day of tomorrow. We develop promising solutions in which man, technology, building and environment come together in a sustainable way.
As a company we invest in knowledge development and innovation. Our interest in innovation is as great as our field of work. In cooperation with our partners or clients we create new applications for materials, develop software to work out ground-breaking constructions and come up with ground-breaking concepts. And as engineers, we like to apply these innovations, naturally without compromising the safety or reliability of the end product.
We are happy to contribute to the ‘platform for entrepreneurship’ because we think it is important to pass on our lessons on entrepreneurship to the new generation of engineers and to make a connection with ambitious students who have a bright vision and a clear goal in mind.

alain about BRINK

Alain Kooiman is senior manager at Brink, a management & consultancy firm in real estate development, construction and infrastructure. He has over 20 years of experience as a consultant and project developer / manager in infrastructural and real estate projects. Alain is a Master of Science in Civil Engineering and Business Administration and has a PhD in Civil Engineering. After 10 years of entrepreneurship Alain decided to join Brink in January 2021, where he is engaged in Project Developments for clients and New Business Developments within Brink. As an example, Alain is now responsible for the development of a temporary, circular educational building at the heart of the campus of Delft University of Technology. He is also involved in project developments in the Rotterdam area. 

Brink is a company that helps public and private clients in the (re)development of real estate and infrastructural projects. Brink people are fun to work with and engaged team players who are keeping their eyes on the target and the interest of their clients and co-workers in mind and heart.  
Brink is renowned and well respected for their innovative ideas and their knowledge on a wide range of subjects involving real estate and infrastructure development and project and program management. People say we are ‘On the Brink’. That is also why we have become partner of BK Launch: to support innovative ideas that contribute to a better, more sustainable building environment. 

hans about smits vastgoedzorg

Hans van der Krogt is owner and Managing Director of Smits Vastgoedzorg since 2010.
Smits Vastgoedzorg is strong in the predictable and manageable maintenance, improvement and transformation of real estate. The way in which our clients organize their real estate role and function is subject to change. Many clients will reconsider the design of their real estate function in the coming years.
This only increases the need for cooperation. For our clients, our products and services will be of strategic importance in the coming years for achieving their objectives. We believe that in the near future the role of Smits Vastgoedzorg in the property management of the client will increase, and we will partly take over this in the long term. This means that we must be able to bear integral responsibility in the field of maintenance, improvement, transformation and technical management of real estate in accordance with the desired real estate quality, resident satisfaction and return requirements of the client (integral and per complex).
Hans started off his career as a research employee at TNO, after which he was appointed as the Organisational Consultant at TNO Industry. He advised companies within various different industries in the field of quality management and chain integration. He advised both clients and contractors within the maintenance sector on organisational development and results-oriented working methods. This has given him a broad view of the property column. He is co-author of the ‘Performance-oriented collaboration in renovation’ publication, the ‘Results-oriented collaboration in investment and maintenance guideline’ and is member of the Sustainable SROI foundation.
Innovation and entrepreneurship are of paramount importance to Smits Vastgoedzorg, in order to remain at the very forefront of the industry. That’s why we are happy to contribute to the BK-launch initiative. In order to share our experiences with ambitious students.

Its about CBRE

Its Bakker, Director Development at CBRE, joined the company in 2014. He started his career in 2009 at consultancy firm Twynstra Gudde after graduating from the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment. He now has over a decade of working experience within real estate consultancy and project development. In his current role, he focuses on helping owners of real estate with repositioning, renovation, transformation, new build and (re)development of their real estate portfolios in the broadest sense.
CBRE is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm CBRE serves a diverse range of clients with an integrated suite of services, including facilities, transaction and project management; property management; investment management; appraisal and valuation; property leasing; strategic consulting; property sales; mortgage services and development services. 
At CBRE, our mission is to realize the potential of our clients, professionals and partners by building sustainable real estate solutions of the future. From instilling confidence in today’s decisions to re-imagining tomorrow’s spaces, we thrive in complex and ever-changing environments. With deep market knowledge, superior data and proprietary technology, our multi-dimensional perspective helps you use real estate to transform your business and find greater success.
We are very happy to join and contribute to the BK-Launch initiative because we believe in stimulating and supporting talent. To help them create new ideas and work on innovations in an entrepreneurial environment, allowing them to create a better and more sustainable real estate sector.

remon about 4TU Centre for Engineering Education

The 4TU Centre for Engineering Education warmly supports the BK-LAUNCH initiative as it aims to ignite and stimulate entrepreneurial mindsets, attitudes, and behaviors in the new generations of built environment engineers. Good entrepreneurial engineering education nurtures the curiosity of students, challenges them to create added value for society, facilitates the interaction with various stakeholders and disciplines, and helps them become leaders of change, either as independent entrepreneurs or as game-changers in existing organizations. The BK-LAUNCH platform is a learning environment in the faculty of Architecture & the Built Environment that meets these characteristics perfectly and is open for all A&BE master students. So, the platform also promotes interdisciplinary learning and co-operation.
Entrepreneurial Engineering Education is one of the five core themes of the 4TU CEE strategic agenda 2022-2025, besides Challenge-based Education, Responsible Engineering & Ethics, Computational Thinking, and Teaching Excellence & Teacher Professionalization. As the 4TU CEE TU Delft management team, we are looking forward to seeing how this platform can grow to a center of expertise and set an example for other faculties, institutes, and programs.

rob about lighthouse club

Rob van Houten is board member of the Lighthouse Fonds. The Lighthouse Fonds is a fund that supports the development and sharing of knowledge in the building industry, and is part of the Lighthouse Club. The Lighthouse Club is a network to meet peers in the building and real estate industry with a focus on innovation, entrepreneurship and sharing of knowledge and experience. With 34 departments all over the Netherlands the Lighthouse Club builds on strong local roots and a platform for all professions related to design and execution in the building industry, from manufacturing to law and regulations.
The Lighthouse Club & Fonds share the mission of BK-launch as a platform for entrepreneurship. With the partnership the Lighthouse Club not only want to support to BK-Launch financially, but envision a fruitful environment that nurtures ventures, talent and innovation to which the embodied knowledge, experience and network of the Lighthouse Club can contribute and make the next step for a sustainable future.
Rob van Houten is Architect and owner of o4Rb, with over 25 years of experience in Architecture, Urbanism and Light Art in public space, and over 10 years of membership in the Lighthouse Club. o4Rb focuses on innovation in the building industry in architecture, urbanism and research with computational, parametric, sustainable and data driven design principles. In this capacity Rob van Houten is connected to the Technical University of Delft for education development and innovation.

nynke about de bouwcampus

Nynke Sijtsma has a rich history in construction and real estate. She held the position of director Transitions and Projects and Head of Architecture and Technology at The Central Government Real Estate Agency and worked for Rijkswaterstaat before she took the position of CEO at De Bouwcampus in 2019. At this time she laid the foundation for how De Bouwcampus accelerates transitions.
De Bouwcampus aims to accelerate the transition of ten different trajectories within the construction industry. These ten may be categorised within three complex and urgent social challenges: Replacement & Restoration Infrastructure, Sustainability Buildings & Environment and Reorganisation Urban Underground Space. Our approach is dynamic and specific to intervention methods that fit the unique dynamics and possibilities within each trajectory. Because of our constant attention to the development of transitions, we have evolved ourselves into an independent expert platform for construction transitions. This allows us to influence the entire chain, from factory to parliament.
“The focus on three urgent social challenges requires procedural and technical innovation, grit, determination and better ways to collaborate.” – Nynke Sijtsma

Team up!

Good to see you’re interested in teaming up with one of our ventures! Please let us know which adverts got your attention. You can also show interest in multiple positions. Just provide us with your contact iformations and we will let the company know you’re interested and they can schedule a meeting with you.

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