{"id":7076467,"date":"2026-10-05T04:25:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T04:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7076467"},"modified":"2026-10-05T04:25:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T04:25:24","slug":"dutch-startup-changemakers-jelle-drijver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7076467","title":{"rendered":"Dutch Startup Changemakers: Jelle Drijver"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

We talked to Jelle\u00a0Drijver<\/a>, the entrepreneur behind\u00a0 Peper in je Pand<\/a>, where he turns vacant commercial real estate into\u00a0vibrant multi-company buildings. He is also the founder of MegaExposure<\/a>, which helps you optimise your online presence. He\u2019s shaping the startup ecosystem in Utrecht by presenting, giving trainings and recording podcasts as well. Find out what lessons for founders he shared with us and what is it about the startup world that particularly attracts him.
\"A<\/p>\n

1. Hi\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Jelle<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, thank you for agreeing to do the interview. You\u2019re the Founder of\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Peper in je Pand<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, where you create multi-tenant buildings in (partially) vacant commercial real estate. Tell us more about your mission and the idea that got it all started.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I owned an online marketing business and was one of the four tenants in an eight floored building. Since the traditional real-estate agent didn\u2019t do his best to provide us with friendly inspiring neighbours to play table tennis with, we decided to build a website and use the online marketing knowledge to drive some traffic towards that site. Eighteen months later, the building was filled with 43 companies, and we were starting to build up a waiting list. Although it was not my intention (I just wanted friendly neighbours), that was the moment I realised we had a new business in our sleeve. Now, years later, this is our core business. The most awesome venue we now run is Dotslash Utrecht<\/a>. The place to be for late-stage startups and scaleups in the centre of the Netherlands.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. What is it about the startup world that particularly attracts you, and how are you shaping the ecosystem in Utrecht?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Startup entrepreneurs are ambitious, hard-working people. Their drive and passion are contagious. In Utrecht, we have joined forces with the real estate owner, the local government, corporate partners and the entrepreneurs with great ideas. This combination creates a vibrant startup and scaleup hub where the facilities, knowledge and community are present to enable the entrepreneurs and their staff to reach their goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. As an entrepreneur, could you share the top 3 lessons for founders you learned over the years?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n