WE FUEL FOUNDERS TO FIX THE FUTURE

Venturing beyond known

Unknown Group supports entrepreneurs to scale their solutions that contribute to a better world: “fuel founders to fix the future”. We believe the future is broken and founders have the solutions to fix it as they turn the world’s problems into opportunities.

Unknown Ventures
Health
Chemicals
Food
Energy
Education
Manufacturing

We go all-in with entrepreneurs

We contribute by developing more and better entrepreneurs, creating environments to increase the success rate of startups and increasing the impact of startup solutions.

Unknown Solutions

Find, fund and, unite startup solutions together with the industry to solve global challenges.

Unknown Spaces

Provide the right environment for impact startups to work, connect and test their solutions.

Unknown University

Develop skills and mindset to create and scale impact solutions.

A dedicated team of explorers

We are a group of explorers with the same ambition: to fuel founders. Our team represents over 20 different cultures, speaking 12 languages with different expertise such as startup scouting, corporate venturing and investment. You can find us at Titaan our HQ in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Margarita Racheva

Unknown University

Georgina van Lijf – González

Executive PA

Erwin Retel

Venture Portal

Giedre Birmontaite

Unknown Solutions

Giels Brouwer

Venture Portal

Gleb Nam

Venture Portal

Roos Bijl

Finance

Edward de Jager

Chairman

Nitya Andjani

Unknown Solutions

Nazanin Jabalameli

Unknown Solutions

Lucas Franse

Unknown University Finance/Investment

Jorinde Wilbrink

Partnerships

Angelique Schravendijk

Finance

Frank van Heesenwijk

Beyond Real Estate

Linda Nieuwenhuijzen

Unknown Spaces

Yuri de Zeeuw

Unknown Solutions

David Schrooten-van der Meer

Venture Portal

Noah Paul

Investment

Load all 53 team members

Meet the board

Edward de Jager
Chairman
Hendrik Halbe
CEO
Madelon Bangma
CFO
Hans Peddemors
CIO
Jurgen Nieuwenhuijsen
COO

Global reach, local presence

Europe

South East Asia

United Arab Emirates

Africa

Latin America

North America

Innovation can come from everywhere. That is why we have a global presence to engage with founders and innovators around the world. We have 300+ network partners in 110+ countries.

Our strategic partners

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  • Equals

  • Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECE)

  • Get in the Ring

  • Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN)

  • HighTechXL

  • ImpactCity

  • Maritime Sisters

  • Oneplanetcrowd

  • Teku.tech

  • VENGEAN

  • We Share – Revolving funding for impact

Equals

Committed to equality and more diversity in the workforce, EQUALS is supporting women in the growth and development of their careers.

Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECE)

Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECE)

Founders of Unknown Group supported the Erasmus University with their valorisation activities. This resulted in the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECE). Unknown Group managed and grew ECE into Europe's leading entrepreneurship centre until 2021.

Get in the Ring

Get in the Ring is a global startup competition active in over 200 cities. We give opportunities to unconventional solutions in all corners of the world, to prove their solutions and solve 21st century challenges. Working alongside industry leading partners, we support the scale and impact that startups make across the globe.

Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN)

The Global Entrepreneurship Network operates a platform of projects and programs in 180 countries aimed at making it easier for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a business.

HighTechXL

Venture-building accelerator that builds teams of entrepreneurs and tech talents around the most advanced technology in the world.

ImpactCity

The Hague is the city for entrepreneurs who want to build a better world. As ImpactCity, The Hague offers a wide range of opportunities and services to entrepreneurs and other impact makers with innovative solutions.

Maritime Sisters

Maritime Sisters

Working towards a futureproof maritime future. Innovation partner for a rock-solid strategy, appealing projects and impactful collaborations in the maritime sector. # Getpropelled

Oneplanetcrowd

Going beyond crowdfunding

The leading European sustainable crowdfunding platform, Oneplanetcrowd matches sustainable and social enterprises to impact investors

Teku.tech

Reimagine software development

Teku.Tech are pioneering sustainable software development, helping companies optimize their processes via bleeding edge solutions.

VENGEAN

A creative branding engine

A creative branding engine on a mission to energise enterprise, with a vengeance.

We Share – Revolving funding for impact

Fostering a community mindset that prioritize impact over profit, becoming the go-to funding platform supplying funding for education and social entrepreneurship.

Our Story

2022

Opening of Titaan campus

Titaan will be developed as a state-of-the-art 13,000 m² campus to house Europe’s most impactful scale-ups that are working on creating the world of tomorrow. A powerhouse of positive impact.

2021

Introduction of the Venture Engine® Investment model

Unknown developed the Venture Engine® methodology; a corporate venturing model that effectively turns venture collaborations into bottom line results.

2021

Merge with VenturesOne

Unknown Group merges with investment firm VenturesOne adding investment expertise to the shared ambition to fuel founders to bring their solutions to scale.

2019

Active in +110 countries

Get in the Ring competition is active in 110 countries worldwide, offering a platform for thousands of founders every year to validate, test and scale their solutions.

2018

Founding of Unknown School offering continuous learning to founders

Global School for Entrepreneurship is initiated to shape founders with the skills and mindset to launch and scale impact solutions. Offering continuous learning to founders in all stages of their growth.

2012

Launch of Get in the Ring

Unknown Group launches the Get in the Ring Foundation. The first global start-up competition.

2008

Europe's leading entrepreneurship centre

Founders of Unknown Group supported the Erasmus University with their valorisation activities. This resulted in the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECE). Unknown Group managed and grew ECE into Europe's leading entrepreneurship centre until 2021.