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How are we working torward more diversity and inclusion

How are we working torward more diversity and inclusion

Everyone is included. Diversity is wonderful, but without inclusion it leads to nothing more than a collection of different people. The benefits of diversity only materialize when all those different people work together, when different thoughts come together, different opinions are heard, different voices communicate. That's inclusion, making sure diversity works. Inclusion is making use of differences. Indeed, it is encouraging the expression of those differences. Inclusion is necessary to bring out the power of diversity.

Equal opportunities for female entrepreneurship? We are making that happen.

Diversity and inclusion are high on our agenda. Not because we have to, but because we believe that a diverse entrepreneurial base leads to better ideas, stronger teams and more impact. That's why we are actively committed to equal access to finance, with a special focus on women entrepreneurs, and have been doing so as a partner of Code-V since 2023.

Code-V: accelerating with data, actions and investments

Code-V is a broad public-private alliance of more than 65 parties. The goal? Equal access to capital and support for women entrepreneurs. Because the numbers don't lie: only 13.7% of all business funding in the Netherlands reaches women, while they represent 37% of entrepreneurs.

Code-V works for change through three pillars:

  • Insights: data and research to reveal where things are going wrong
  • Interventions: concrete actions that remove barriers
  • Investment: targeting money and resources for inclusion

We participate as a financier and as an organization that wants to keep learning and improving. Within our own processes and together with other parties.

More about Code-V? Visit www.code-v.nl

What did we do before Code-V?

Our involvement in this theme is not new. From our role as investor and connector, we have already taken several steps in recent years.

Webinar on diversity in SMEs
We organized a webinar titled "Diversity & inclusion; how do I do it? The webinar shared tips for promoting diversity and inclusion. Because despite numerous studies showing that mixed teams perform better, there is still too little focus on diversity. This is also true in the world of startups and funders. For example, over the past twelve years, some ninety percent of the growth money spent in the Netherlands went to startups with only men at the helm.

Internal awareness
We also set to work internally. We collected data on our portfolio, sharpened our policy and spoke to each other. Diversity is now a regular part of our investment discussions.

Whitepaper
We wanted to bring others into our thoughts and wrote a whitepaper about it. A white paper for both investors and entrepreneurs. Investors because our work brings us to the table with them on a regular basis. Entrepreneurs because we want to help them with their growth plans and give them tools on how to deal with diversity and inclusion within the organization.

Toolkit Diversity & Inclusion
Together with partners, we developed a practical toolkit for entrepreneurs and investors. With tools, insights and examples to get started right away.

Stop Talking, Start Doing!

We are taking steps but at the same time we do not have all the answers. That's why we started talking to inspiring players in the northern ecosystem. We spoke with entrepreneurs, investment managers, ecosystem developers, educational institutions and policy makers. Together with them we developed a Toolkit based on the idea: Stop Talking, Start Doing. In the toolkit you will find the tips and tools you need to use diversity and inclusion as a means to promote creativity and innovation and increase the success of your business.

Change starts here. Start doing! Check out the D&I toolkit.

NOM vision on diversity & inclusion

We have articulated our vision of diversity & inclusion as follows:

"To us, it doesn't matter where you were born, what you believe in, how old you are, who you love or whether you are distant from the job market. Above all, we are curious about you. Your story and the path you want to take. We would love to help you on that road towards growth. This can be personal growth as well as professional growth.'

Fundright: the basis for Code-V

We were affiliated with Fundright, an initiative of Dutch investors with the same ambition: equal opportunities in access to capital. Fundright has since merged into Code-V. What remains is the conviction that things must be done differently. And can be done better.