{"id":7074459,"date":"2026-10-03T15:09:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T15:09:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7074459"},"modified":"2026-10-03T15:09:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T15:09:27","slug":"dutch-startup-changemakers-annegien-blokpoel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7074459","title":{"rendered":"Dutch Startup Changemakers: Annegien Blokpoel"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Annegien Blokpoel has been an entrepreneur for almost 20 years and a business angel for the past 12. She is the author of two books: \u2018Maak Je bedrijf meer Waard\u2019 (Improve the Value of Your Company) and Eerste Hulp bij Groeien (First Help When Growing Your Business). She also gives workshops, lectures, and tailor-made sessions according to the Maakjebedrijfmeerwaard (MBW \"™\") methodology she developed. Find out how she entered the startup world, how she\u2019s shaping the Dutch ecosystem, and what lessons for founders she shared with us.
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1. Hi Annegien, thank you for agreeing to do the interview. Could you tell us a bit about your background and how you entered the startup world?<\/b>
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<\/span>I have a background in banking, so I come from structured finance in a merchant bank. My company was acquired by Fortis, which was listed on the Belgian and the Amsterdam stock exchange at the time. I did investor relations for Fortis, so the international capital markets were my clients. I was in corporate life for ten years, so in banking, direct investor relations, corporate communication, and corporate finance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Almost 20 years ago, I became an entrepreneur. I was first a strategy advisor for the same type of companies I used to work for, and then I got all these SMEs as clients, and I wrote two books: \u2018Improve the Value of Your Company\u2019 and \u2018First Help When Growing Your Business\u2019 focused on SMEs in growth mode. While I was helping them with hands-on strategy work, I trained consultants on the job in assisting founders to grow their business. I would only invest once in a while in tech startups.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The first time I started to invest in startups was 12 years ago, and then in 2016, I transferred my program for SMEs, including the consultants and all their clients, and I had my head and hands free, so I developed into an active business angel. For five years now, I have been seriously investing and have become more and more a venture builder.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. You\u2019re the Founder & Managing Partner at PerspeXo<\/a>, an independent strategic consultancy that has been supporting entrepreneurs since 2008. Tell us more about your mission and the idea that got it all started.<\/b><\/p>\n

My mission is to help companies grow successfully. PerspeXo is doing different types of work for different type of companies\/leaders, with different organizational and strategic challenges. I\u2019m the core, and I work with people that I know very well on these projects for clients. If there\u2019s a complicated strategic job for larger companies, I can fall back on some very outstanding professionals. If it\u2019s about SMEs, I work together with people that know how to deal with smaller companies<\/span><\/p>\n

3. What is it about the startup world that particularly attracts you, and how are you shaping Amsterdam\u2019s ecosystem?<\/b><\/p>\n

What attracts me is that the energy level is high. My energy level is high too, so if I work with several startups, I\u2019m basically at my own energy level. The impact of startups is significant. When you work with large companies, there are many zeros in financial transactions, but the growth rate is so much higher with startups. Working both in the corporate and the startup world suits me well, and I love the mixture of the two.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When it comes to the ecosystem, I\u2019m also quite well connected in Israel and throughout the Netherlands. I try to help startups by making connections to the right investors, the right networks and with hands-on strategy work.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. As an advisor, could you share the top 3 lessons for founders you learned over the years?<\/b><\/p>\n