FINDS Guide concept wins the first Meester Koetsier Entrepreneur Award

TMO Fashion Business School students Maureen van Mulekom and Teun Van Bleijswijk have been awarded the Meester Koetsier Entrepreneur Award. Their innovative FINDS Guide concept has won them an investment of 15,000 euros and a further 10,000 euros of media and marketing promotion. “It’s great that this encourages young people to conduct research into new possibilities,” said Van Bleijswijk.

“It’s been a learning process” continued Van Bleijswijk following the award ceremony. “A great deal of hard work certainly went into it too, particularly because we had to make our own contacts in the industry”. The students were enlisted together on TMO’s new entrepreneurial course over the past six months, which ‘encourages young promising talents to realise innovative fashion start-ups as independent entrepreneurs’. The most promising concept was rewarded with the Meester Koetsier Entrepreneur Award.

Van Mulekom and Van Bleijswijk, winners of the award developed an ‘online social platform which facilitates shopping with shopping routes’ while taking part in the entrepreneurial course. The concept, which still needs to be developed further and introduced to the market, was created from the students’ own experiences whilst shopping. The jury was very impressed by the idea. “It’s a great name and it’s a strong concept. The presentation was very impressive too. A few minor issues still need to be sorted out, but some great progress has been made, especially in the business model. It has become very realistic” the jury explained.

New TMO entrepreneurial course: “New talents are involved in the market”

Van Mulekom and Van Bleijswijk are now going to resolve some practical matters, such as the registration with the Chamber of Commerce. Hoping to be globally active in five years’ time, once they have expanded in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. They see the award investment as a great start. “It’s great that young people are not going to be encouraged to instantly start working for a boss, but instead conduct some research into other possibilities. It’s normally the established names which progress in the market, but new talents are also being involved now”, according to Van Bleijswijk. “It’s also very useful that we are receiving feedback not just from teachers, but also from experienced industry people” Van Mulekom adds. In addition to Mariëtte Hoitink, others like Marc Kooiman from Miinto are also involved in the course.

The entrepreneurial course is also a major step for TMO, says Mariëtte Hoitink, board member of the Meester Koetsier Foundation and a member of the jury that awarded the prize. “The Meester Koetsier Foundation is very honoured to be part of this and to be able to provide a contribution to future entrepreneurs. This is the Dutch fashion business school and this is what they are being taught.” Especially in times like these, Hoitink thinks. “Business models will change over the forthcoming years. I think it’s interesting when a concept makes me feel energised - then it’s certainly worth something.”

The new entrepreneurial course is setting out to offer opportunities to fashion business students. “We want to offer opportunities to students who really want this and who are suitable for this. Implementing the ideas will allow the students to realise future innovations in the fashion industry. We are in need of new, refreshing ideas,” according to the TMO education manager Chris van Veldhuizen at the time of the concept launch. “A great deal has happened in just a few months’ time, both progress and setbacks, but definitely plenty of encouraging moments.” he added.

Photo courtesy of TMO