Fair Ventures

Derk Norde

Founder / Director

Derk Norde studied Population Biology at the University of Amsterdam. In 1996 he pioneered on a research- and conservation project for sea turtles on the island of Bonaire (Dutch Antilles).

After his graduation and and having set up a Internet company, he further developed himself in the area of entrepreneurship and international management, by getting a European postgraduate masters degree (EPCEM). In this period he also worked in the Dutch Parliament as an advisor for the Liberal Democrats, covering international development cooperation and environmental policy issues.

"In 2003, after a research project on the cocoa supply-chain in Ghana, I founded Fair Ventures together with John van Duursen, following a long-standing interest in business development. After initial project management and finance acquisition projects in Africa and Asia, our company rapidly expanded, mainly accelerated by setting up the 'Business in Development Challenge', the worlds first international buisness plan competition for profit and poverty reduction. In 2005, we took a next step by developing the BiD Network, an online community for entrepreneurship in developing countries. Here entrepeneurs can meet, share, compete and find investments for their plans.

I'm currently responsible for executing our international entrepreneurship program in Latin America, where I also live. Over the last 5 years, I have assessed over 350 business cases, and have learned to identify success factors. This lead me to believe that knowing your target group and sector is key for long-term success in providing services to start-ups"