The story of Bram Sprangers
Bram was looking for purpose in his work and found it at Invest-NL. Together with his colleagues, he wants to make a difference. And that doesn't always come easily. It also often requires a good deal of perseverance.
Bram works as an Investment Manager in the investment team on investment opportunities that accelerate the climate transition: “My role includes sourcing promising, impactful companies, analyzing these propositions and managing the portfolio.”
At Invest-NL, you are involved from day one in the entire investment process of a deal.
Before Bram started at Invest-NL, he interned at two venture capital funds. Bram: “That’s when I realized for myself that I really enjoy investing in start-ups and scale-ups, but I missed the aspect of purpose in the work.” That’s what he found at Invest-NL. “Here, we accelerate the climate transition by focusing on impact and return. And in that order.”
He enjoys working at Invest-NL. Bram: “At Invest-NL, you are involved in the entire investment process from day one. You have a lot of freedom to take on tasks yourself. In addition, Invest-NL has a broad mandate, allowing you to pursue many different types of deals: venture capital, a fund, and project financing. That results in a steep learning curve.”
The motto of Invest-NL (we make financeable what seems unfinanceable) he sees in practice every day. This really surprised Bram: “Some projects are not yet 100% investor-ready. Instead of dismissing them, time and effort are taken to make the financing, and thus the growth of the company, possible. That willingness and drive to enable impactful initiatives appeal to me greatly.”
There is a collective drive to accelerate the climate-neutral economy of the future.
That also requires a certain type of employee. Bram: “At Invest-NL, we work with professional and dedicated individuals who have a passion for making the energy transition possible, people who don't get easily discouraged. Sometimes, that's really necessary. There is a collective drive to accelerate the climate-neutral economy of the future.”
And Bram concedes that it can sometimes be challenging; “But it's great that we do it together. We share the will to make a difference. And yes, sometimes you really have to push through.” Bram is not unfamiliar with persistence. Until the age of 19, he competed in elite cycling. Bram: “From that, I gained a lot of perseverance and a real winner’s mentality. And that helps me daily.” He is inspired by a quote from Barack Obama: “We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it.” Bram: “And that’s just how it is. It’s about taking action.”