Theme: Be Brave

This year we honor the brave. Our theme of 2019. Because before we step out of our comfort zone, we like to be inspired. To see that there is a path we can walk on. We found eleven brave ones who are courageous enough to inspire you with their idea. Who are brave enough to step on that red dot on November 5th in The Maaspoort. Are you brave enough to join?

Theater de Maaspoort
Oude Markt 30
Venlo, Limburg, 5911 HH
Netherlands

Bilal Najja

Bilal is an 18 year old typical Dutch youngster who also has Moroccan nationality. He is a technical business student, with a strong interest for politics, studying at Fontys University of Applied Sciences.

Chantal Linders

Chantal Linders’ (48) background and gained expertise is within the fields of ICT with a strong focus on Software Development for Mobile Application. Having severe bladder infections and taking antibiotics for these infections for over 20 years, a counselor changed her life by almost solely focusing on her eating habits. She never had those infections again. Now helping people and caring for others is Chantal’s life goal. She did a lot of research on why we have a lifestyle that’s not good for our physical and mental health. Why do we make bad choices? She used the answers to build a journey that lasts 12 weeks. During that journey, the emphasis is on nutrition, exercise, relaxation, positive thinking and social environment.

Dannie van Osch

Dannie is a motivated postdoctoral researcher and chief business officer of the startup Vertoro with knowledge in the fields of chemical engineering, chemistry, process engineering and physical chemistry. He is a former Young European Talent and CAS Future Leader. He is ambassador of the Young European Talent program, One Young World and one of the first ambassadors of IMPACTR, a platform with as mission to make sustainability the ‘new normal’. During his Bachelor education he decided to focus on two points that were important to him; the communication of science towards both scientist and non-scientists and working on innovative and sustainable topics. He achieved this by doing his minors in education and communication and working on innovative projects in both chemical engineering and chemistry topics during his academic career. During his academic career he focused on topics that include microreactor technology, spinning disc reactors, visible light photo catalysis, innovative solvents, and lignin valorization.

Ellis Jansen

Born in Caldas da Rainha (1985) in Portugal, Ellis moved to the Netherlands in 1991. In 2009 she got her Bachelor’s degree of Art, majoring in Photography at the Academy of Fine Arts in Maastricht (ABKM). Photography gives Ellis the opportunity to register everything that she finds beautiful, special and wondrous, making photography the perfect medium to communicate her message. She really enjoys working on assignment. In addition, she continues to develop her personal work to keep surprising others and herself. Ellis directs the scenes that she photographs and if what she wants is not immediately possible, she waits until she finds the element that she is looking for. Ellis’ strongest area is portrait photography.

Floris Meijer

While Floris’ life was going downhill, it’s just that what made him reach the top. While actually going downhill as a professional free style skier, Floris Meijer (30) broke his back about seven years ago. “While flying mid-air taking a risky free style ski jump, I knew I was flying too high and too far to execute the jump and land it to perfection. Now paralyzed from the waist down, Floris, a paralympic athlete, is on route to the Beijing 2022 Paralympics. Being a professional skier before his accident, getting all the help an athlete needs, he states: “my perseverance to become as independent as possible is what makes me feel like a human being again. A person first, handicapped for sure, but with the ability to reach the top.”

Jev Kuznetsov

Jev Kuznetsov, MSc Applied Physics, studied at the Technical University Delft. As a creative and result-oriented innovator with more than 14 years of experience in a hightech R&D environment, he works at the intersection of science, engineering and business. He excels at early stages of technology development, identifying and answering the most critical questions. He delivers technology recommendations, invention concepts and prototypes in his aim to invent and develop breakthrough products and technologies. The goal of the 40 years old Russian-born Dutch engineer is to use smart robotics to help farmers and our population to become 100% organic.

Joseline Jacobs

Joseline, a former teacher and now a headteacher, calls herself strict but fair. After her childhood in the south of the Netherlands, she did a study that not many girls have done, namely engineering. “There certainly were challenges for me as a girl”. Now she is seen as a ‘power woman’ by her community. Her idea originates in relation to her character as a little child, where she did her best to explore and discover. Joseline describes herself as a woman with perseverance and says that her best friend is Google. She wants to know everything. And her goal is that her pupils and teachers have fun while they learn or teach.

Lee Immerzeel

Lee Immerzeel (42) is born and raised in Sittard-Geleen, The Netherlands. After a rough childhood and a journey of trial and error he found his passion in personal development. Lee is an accredited Executive Coach. He works as a Master Coach, Coordinator and Workshop Facilitator. He believes that human beings exhibit amazing potential. If you believe and work hard, the possibilities are endless. He assists individuals and teams to become the best version of themselves in life and/or business. “It’s about connecting at the core, creating clarity, inspiring and being able to transform self-limiting beliefs. We are indeed born with an amazing potential!”

Linette Mak

Linette’s curiosity stems from her background as a behavioral scientist and her interest in global food culture and eating habits. On Linette’s journey through the world of tempting food she performs experiments to find out for herself and she seeks out special testimonies from connoisseurs of both food and love. She shares her experiences through lectures, food sensations and blogs. Linette studied Behavioral Sciences at Tilburg University. Once graduated, she decided to pursue her passion: agriculture and horticulture, which, of course, is not unusual for the daughter of a fruit grower. “I grew up on a farm and the farmers’ life feels like a part of my identity.” She has now been self-employed for three years. “At first, I delved into the subject of eating culture in Wageningen, The Netherlands. This has more to do with the rituals and customs surrounding our food and rather than about what we eat. Presently, I enjoy working together with ‘food innovators’ who try new things, often using local products.

Nila Patty

Nila (26) is a young Indonesian graduate student with an ambition for a more sustainable future. Her dream of getting involved in science was achieved by finishing a Bachelor’s degree education in Life Science at HAN Nijmegen (NL) followed by a Master’s degree in Medical Biology with Science, Management, and Innovation specialization at Radboud University. With a feeling of urgency to change the world, she started to live without waste since January 2016. This idea of zero waste allowed her to open a new door and start a new network in the green capital team of Nijmegen. She successfully delivered her message to challenge the citizens of Nijmegen to reduce their waste by introducing a 30-day challenge to reduce waste; The Nijmegen Waste Challenge (de Nijmeegse Afval Challenge). She gave workshops and lectures related to the plastic pollution topic. She also provides consultation on waste reduction from individual scale to institution and company scale.

Peter van Paridon

Peter van Paridon (60) is a global innovator and business development executive with a Ph.D in Biochemistry. He has broad experience in several management positions in R&D, sales and business management in Biotechnology, Starch processing, Feed enzymes, Meat; Dairy Ingredients, Engineering Plastics, Bio-Energy and Bio-based Materials. Experience includes running large global teams, product development and growing large global businesses. Extensive experience with Innovation programs and (corporate) start-ups.

Xue Li

Xue Li, born in Jiaozuo (China) now living in the Netherlands for almost 15 years, was always fascinated with business and technology. After studying Electronic Engineering and Supply Chain Management she rolled into the consultancy world at EY & Capgemini helping her customers with business intelligence. With a track record of more than 10 years in management consulting, she engaged in strategic transformation programs across the globe, focusing on high-tech, consumer goods, and retail sectors. With the Chinese culture deep in her roots and more than 15 years working in Europe, she started a next career phase in bridging and enhancing the business collaboration between China and Europe in emerging domains i.e. semicon, digitalization and Artificial Intelligence.