Meet the founders
Ellen Spithoven | SME and startup programs
Ellen thrives on the excitement of building programs from the ground up, with a keen focus on innovation and impactful outcomes. Having launched her career at Unilever, where she managed renowned brands like Ben & Jerry's, Ola, and Lipton, Ellen possesses invaluable insights into corporate dynamics and the art of securing their engagement. Ellen is a business development and sales expert. She is co-founder of the Digital workspace, partner of the Ready to Scale program, founder of the PIM launching customer platform and founder of the Circular Matchmaking Program. She is a networker and always seeking for new business opportunities, connecting people and thinking out of the box. She is excited to kick start projects from scratch, to scale up and reach targets!
Role within Preneurz
I’m Ellen Spithoven, and I come from a family of small and medium-sized entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship has been ingrained in me from an early age. After finishing hotel school, I worked at Unilever, where I contributed to the growth of great brands like Ben & Jerry's, Ola, and Lipton, and gained valuable insights into the SME sector.
I soon realized that I wanted to start my own ventures and make a meaningful impact. Currently, I’m a partner at Preneurz, focusing primarily on the SME sector. My mission is to stimulate educational innovation by promoting collaboration between SMEs and educational institutions. I lead teams, develop additional programs or offerings, and ensure we reach our target audience to make a difference. While our work mainly takes place in the Netherlands, we also occasionally engage in international projects.
Best experience so far
What I find most inspiring is creating something from nothing. It starts with identifying a problem and discovering opportunities. This is how the idea for the SME Digital Workspace was born in 2019. We began small to prove that the concept worked and that there was demand for it. Each year, we built upon that, improved and optimized our offerings, and, most importantly, listened closely to our customers to adapt accordingly. Now, almost five years later, we have a robust program, and I'm proud to say that we’ve helped over 2,600 SMEs. Making an impact truly excites me!
Advice for young entrepreneurs
My tip is to make time to continue engaging with your customers, suppliers, financiers, and other stakeholders! It’s essential to listen closely to the needs of various stakeholders while also being flexible and adaptable. Focus on what you do well, and surround yourself with people who are better at certain things and possess different qualities than you do!
Reasons to reach out to Preneurz
We offer a lot through our projects for entrepreneurs looking to grow, access talent, and receive support in starting their businesses. Our programs have been running for years, and we’ve already helped many entrepreneurs. For governments, we have successfully translated policies into effective programs. And last but not least, we collaborate with a great group of people, so you’re always welcome!
Unlock the power of collaboration
For more information on creating the perfect SME workspace, designing entrepreneurship programmes at universities and to become your partner in European collaborations, please do not hesitate to contact us.