We are Unknown. A group of explorers with the same ambition: to fuel founders to answer their calling to venture beyond known. We’re a global organization and a diverse team at our HQ in The Hague. Find out how we work, check out our vacancies and come join us.
Yuri de Zeeuw
Insights
Joost Bax
Campus
Prof. Eric Claassen
Advisor
Roos de Vries
Project Management
Aurelia Fiumarelli
Head of Events
Jurgen Nieuwenhuijsen
COO
Anne Gierveld
Marketing
Rolando Trejo
Scouting
Gert van Veldhuisen
Africa
Anthony Hobrow
Asia
Elisabeth Bergendorff
Project Management
Bas Rogaar
Investment
Hendrik Halbe
CEO
Edward de Jager
Chairman
Jasper Warmenhoven
Head of Scouting
Angelique Schravendijk
Finance
Sebastian Quiroga
Marketing
Noortje van Heijst
Head of Investment
Load all 78 team members
GOING BEYOND
TOGETHER
Achieving results with each other,
and our partners.
Working together is our success.
EAGER
Doing what we can to fuel founders.
We take the extra mile to make it succeed.
RESOURCEFUL
Being creative in finding ways to achieve goals.
We have a solution-driven mindset.
CURIOUS
Excited to explore and learn something new.
We go beyond known.
HUMBLE
Being open, honest and real to ourselves and others.
We show up, not off.
Join us and take a dive into the unknown
Make an impact
Meet the founders that are shaping our future on a daily basis. Explore the newest technologies in areas like biotech, AI and neurosciences.
Work with industry leaders
We work with innovation departments of industry leaders on solving challenges through startup solutions. We’re at the forefront of open innovation.
Grow with us
We take unlocking potential serious within the core of our organization: our people. We have a reflection and training program with a professional external coach.
Vacancies
JUNIOR PROJECT MANAGER
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JUNIOR PROJECT MANAGER
ABOUT US
We are Unknown Group. Our team represents over 20 different cultures, speaking 12 languages with different expertise such as startup scouting, corporate venturing and investment. Our mission is to support impactful ventures on team, traction and financials to scale them out of the unknown. We aim to fuel founders by connecting them to industry leaders, such as corporations and governments in order to scale their unconventional solutions beyond known
YOU WILL
- Drive corporate-startup collaborations, supporting founders from all over the world in their journey beyond known
- Take responsibility for multiple large projects & programs and drive the implementation, coordination and client success
- Be responsible for the setup, concept, execution, and aftercare of the projects you take on
- Lead a team of 5-10 people within your role, and coordinate & work closely together with multiple senior team members throughout the organization;
- Be responsible for client engagement & satisfaction
- Build experience in a vast amount of industries and domains
ABOUT YOU
- Passion and enthusiasm for startups – be a true venturer in the unknown
- 1-3 years of experience in a relevant role, knowing the ins and outs of running successful corporate-startup innovation programs
- Strong organizational, planning & coordination skills
- Strong communication skills in English; both written and verbal
- A global mindset, comfortable working with colleagues of diverse nationalities, business cultures and backgrounds, based across the world
- An ability to work under pressure, often to tight deadlines, and to be flexible in your approach to achieve this
- A proactive and interesting approach to work; be a team player and take initiative to improve yourself and processes and people around you
- Eligible to work in the Netherlands
WHAT WE OFFER
- A fast-paced international environment, where people enjoy working together and learning from each other
- The opportunity to communicate with industry leaders and startup founders across the world
- A considerable amount of responsibility and freedom to grow and develop yourself
- Working in our new innovation hub in The Hague – Titaan, along with your colleagues and the innovation ecosystem
- Growth and career opportunities
- Enjoying everyday lunch provided in the office
- Travel expenses reimbursement provided
Interested? Then we are looking forward to seeing your application and getting in touch with y
Apply for a position
BUSINESS DEVELOPER
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BUSINESS DEVELOPER
ABOUT US
We are Unknown. We are a global organization with people from all around the world and a core team at our HQ in The Hague. Our mission is to support impactful ventures on team, traction and financials to scale their unconventional solutions beyond known and enabling them to fix the future. As investors and open innovation partners of global industry leaders, we fuel the most promising founders to create impactful businesses and solve global challenges.
We believe that founders turn the world’s problems into opportunities by venturing beyond known. We find and fund the most promising ventures globally and bring their solutions to scale through collaborations with industry leaders via our Venture Engine® methodology.
YOUR ROLE
- Work with large industry leader companies to effectively turn their collaborations into bottom line results.
- Work with a dynamic sales team that is at the heart of the innovation ecosystem and drive corporate start-up collaborations
- Be responsible for clients’ engagement, driving propositions and new businesses.
- Build your own ecosystem of innovation leaders and stakeholders
- Get responsibility over your own client segment in one of the transitioning domains that we focus on
- Design and unlock valuable opportunities, taking responsibility for account management and customer success
- Work closely together with senior members of a variety of teams within the organization
- Have the opportunity to grow by taking an active role in our commercial team, developing new business and improving yourself and the people around you
ABOUT YOU
- An entrepreneurial, creative and customer-focused mindset, ability to create customized solutions based on client needs
- Strong interpersonal skills to communicate and build relationships with external and internal stakeholders
- A global mindset, comfortable working with colleagues of diverse nationalities, business cultures, and backgrounds, based across the world
- An eager approach to work; be resourceful and a team player as well as take initiative to improve
- 2-5 years of relevant experience in the open innovation sector
- Strong communication skills in English (and Dutch is a pre) both written and verbal
- B2B client experience is a plus
- Immediate availability is a plus
- Eligible to work in the Netherlands
WHAT WE OFFER
- A fast-paced international environment, where people enjoy working together and learning from each other
- The opportunity to communicate with industry leaders and startup founders across the world
- A considerable amount of responsibility and freedom to grow and develop yourself
- Working in our new innovation hub in The Hague – Titaan, along with your colleagues and the innovation ecosystem
- Growth and career opportunities
- Enjoying everyday lunch provided in the office
- Travel expenses reimbursement provided
Interested? Then we are looking forward to seeing your application and getting in touch with you.
Apply for a position
HR-medewerker
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HR-medewerker
The following vacancy is in Dutch as Unknown Group is specifically looking for Dutch speaking candidates;
Unknown Group is per direct op zoek naar een HR-medewerker. Als HR medewerker bij Unknown Group bied je ondersteuning direct aan de COO en de CFO. Je voert gesprekken met personeel en ondersteunt bij diverse HR projecten. Samen zijn jullie verantwoordelijk voor een juiste uitvoering van het HR beleid binnen Unknown Group.
Heb jij een afgeronde HRM opleiding of heb jij minimaal 2 jaar gewerkt als intercedent? Ben je een kei in het schrijven van vacatures en het voeren van een juiste personeelsadministratie? Ben je ambitieus om de HR afdeling volledig in te richten voor de toekomst van Unknown Group? Dan is dit de perfecte vacature voor jou om de volgende stap in jouw HRM carrière te zetten!
WIJ ZOEKEN JOU ALS JE
- De eerste hulplijn voor het personeel van Unknown Group wil zijn
- Nieuwe werknemers goed wil begeleiden zodat alles goed geregeld is voor hun 1ste werkdag, maar natuurlijk ook bij uitdiensttreding zorgt voor een goede afronding
- Vragen wil beantwoorden van onze collega’s over loon, vakantie, pensioen, werkuren of wat dan ook!
- Diepgaande kennis hebt over personeelszaken zoals: sociale documenten opstellen, contracten opmaken etc.
- Graag je kennis bijhoudt op het gebied van wet- en regelgeving
- Vaardigheden hebt op het gebied van salarisadministratie en het up-to-date houden van het HR-systeem.
WAT JIJ MEEBRENGT
- Je wilt continu op de hoogte zijn van de laatste trends en ontwikkelingen binnen HR
- Je werkt uiterst nauwkeurig en discreet
- Je kunt je goed inleven in anderen
- Je staat stevig in je schoenen
- Je bent flexibel en klantgericht
- Sterke communicatieve vaardigheden in woord en geschrift, zowel in het Nederlands als in het Engels
- Je kunt goed overweg met software in het algemeen
VOOR JOU BETEKENT DIT
- Een leuke, dynamische, uitdagende baan in een zeer sterk groeiend bedrijf
- Ruimte voor jouw eigen ideeën
- Een startsalaris tussen de € 2.200 en € 2.800 bruto per maand ( o.b.v. een fulltime dienstverband, kennis en ervaring)
- 8% vakantiegeld en vakantiedagen worden niet bijgehouden, maar bij twijfel tussen de 4 en 6 weken per jaar.
- Reiskostenvergoeding
- Pensioenopbouw
- Een zeer afwisselende baan voor 32 tot 40 uur in de week
- Hardwerkende, gedreven en gezellige collega’s, met korte lijnen
- Een open en ongedwongen sfeer, waar veel wordt gelachen
- Flexibele werktijden
EEN GREEP UIT JOUW TAKENPAKKET
- Je weet via een werving en selectie proces de juiste kandidaten aan te trekken voor Unknown Group
- Je ondersteunt bij het ontwikkelen en implementeren van instroom-, doorstroom- en uitstroom processen
- Je bent verantwoordelijk voor het opstellen, vernieuwen en/of beëindigen van arbeidsovereenkomsten, addenda en vaststellingsovereenkomsten
- Je zorgt ervoor dat de personeelsadministratie up-to-date is en ondersteunt bij de on- en off boarding van nieuwe collega’s
- Je fungeert als sparring partner van de COO en de CFO.
Apply for a position
Internships
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PROJECT MANAGEMENT SUPPORT
ABOUT US
We are Unknown Group. Our team represents over 20 different cultures, speaking 12 languages with different expertise such as startup scouting, corporate venturing and investment. Our mission is to support impactful ventures on team, traction and financials to scale them out of the unknown. We aim to fuel founders by connecting them to industry leaders, such as corporations and governments in order to scale their unconventional solutions beyond known.
YOUR ROLE
- Assist the project management team by driving everything forward from planning to implementation
- Work on innovation projects for corporate clients, governments, and NGOs and support them in finding and recruiting startups and scaleups globally to collaborate together
- Get experience in a vast amount of industries and technologies and learn the corporate and startup language.
- Performing administrative tasks such as scheduling meetings, taking minutes as well as keeping track of and reporting on project progress.
- Talking to an extensive network of partners, corporates, ecosystem leaders and startups from all over the world.
- Have the opportunity to grow in your responsibilities and manage projects for our corporate clients.
ABOUT YOU
- You are a student enrolled in a Dutch University and like being in an international environment
- You are currently in the latter years of your Bachelors or enrolled in a Masters with academic background in any of those: business administration/ innovation management/entrepreneurship
- You like hands-on work and responsibilities from day one
- You are available at least 4 days a week and don’t mind working in an office
- Strong communication skills in English; both written and verbal
- An ability to work under pressure, often to tight deadlines, and to be flexible in your approach to achieve this.
WHAT WE OFFER
- A fast-paced with environment with flexible and hybrid working conditions
- The opportunity to communicate with industry leaders and startup founders across the world
- If the circumstances allow it, the possibility to stay at the company after your internship
- A considerable amount of responsibility and freedom to grow and develop yourself
- Various fun team activities and events
- A monthly base compensation
Interested? Then we are looking forward to seeing your application and getting in touch with you.
Apply for a position
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STARTUP SCOUT
ABOUT US
We are Unknown Group. Our team represents over 20 different cultures, speaking 12 languages with different expertise such as startup scouting, corporate venturing and investment. Our mission is to support impactful ventures on team, traction and financials to scale them out of the unknown. We aim to fuel founders by connecting them to industry leaders, such as corporations and governments in order to scale their unconventional solutions beyond known.
ABOUT THE JOB AND UNKNOWN
As a Startup Scout for Unknown Group you scout for and engage with the most promising startup founders in the world. If analyzing cool, but sometimes complex, new technologies is your thing then an internship at Unknown might be the place for you. Besides the technical element, communicating with founders is key in this job, so don’t be afraid to pick up a phone! If you want to blend business with technical, this is an ideal position. What does a typical day look like as a Startup Scout? The morning could be spent scouring our databases for the best precision fermentation startups to connect with a large dairy manufacturer, over lunch you meet with your project team to discuss a plan of attack for a selection meeting, and the afternoon is spent in video calls with hydrogen startup founders you are looking to connect to a major Oil & Gas firm.
LEARNING GOAL & TASKS
- Extending knowledge of startup ecosystem and open innovation
- Learning how to prioritize and work with several responsibilities
- Learning how to assess startups on team, traction, financials, business model & market, client fit
- Learn business savviness by regularly communicating to business founders
- Broadening knowledge of upcoming technologies and trends in a wide range of technology verticals such as; energy, food & agri, manufacturing and more
ABOUT YOU
- You are a student enrolled in a Dutch University and like being in an international environment
- You are currently in the latter years of your Bachelors or enrolled in a Masters
- You like hands-on work and responsibilities from day one
- You are available at least 4 days a week and don’t mind working in an office environment with a big group of like-minded individuals
- You have a passion for entrepreneurship and new technologies
- You like engaging with founders and entrepreneurs across the globe
- You are good at speaking and writing in English, this is an international environment
WHAT WE OFFER
- A fast-paced with environment with flexible and hybrid working conditions
- The opportunity to communicate with industry leaders and startup founders across the world
- If the circumstances allow it, the possibility to stay at the company after your internship
- A considerable amount of responsibility and freedom to grow and develop yourself
- Various fun team activities and events
- A base compensation of 400 euro a month
Interested? Then we are looking forward to seeing your application and getting in touch with you.
Apply for a position
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BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
ABOUT US
We are Unknown group. Our team represents over 20 different cultures, speaking 12 languages with different expertise such as startup scouting, corporate venturing and investment. Our mission is to support impactful ventures on team, traction and financials to scale them out of the unknown. We aim to fuel founders by connecting them to industry leaders, such as corporations and governments in order to scale their unconventional solutions beyond known.
YOUR ROLE
- Work in a dynamic and energetic commercial team in the sales process
- Learn the ins and outs of a commercial career, from lead identification to negotiation to deal closing
- Connect with corporate innovators around the world
- Identify client needs and work on the creation of proposals
- Generate new leads through interesting ideas and targeted goals
- Coordinate sales effort with team members by connecting and reaching out to potential new and existing clients around the world
ABOUT YOU
- Passion and enthusiasm for innovation and startups – be a true explorer into the unknown
- A proactive approach to work; be a team player and take initiative to improve yourself and processes and people around you
- Strong communication skills in English; both written and verbal (proficiency in Dutch, written and verbal is a plus but not required)
- Being in the final year of your Masters is a plus
- Preferably academic background in business administration, strategic management/entrepreneurship/innovation management and other relevant studies
WHAT WE OFFER
- A fast-paced international environment, where people enjoy working together and learning from each other
- Enjoying everyday lunch provided in the office
- A considerable amount of responsibility and freedom to grow and develop yourself
- Various fun team activities and events
- A base compensation of 400 euro a month
INTERESTED?
Then we are looking forward to seeing your application and getting in touch with you.
Apply for a position
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Facility Management
ARE YOU
Are you passionate about entrepreneurship and ready to make a lasting impact on our processes? Are you a person for which taking responsibility in operational activities comes natural?
Do you like working with people and do you have an eye for detail? Looking to take on a new challenge to start building a community of 50 impactful startups and scale-ups?
Unknown Group is looking for an enthusiastic and go-getter intern that wants to take on the challenge with us to build our next campus in the heart of the Hague impact scene: Titaan. Within this internship you will get a lot of responsibility and be part of a small and dedicated team.
YOU WILL
- Support in arranging all operational and facility management activities for our new innovation campus in the Hague; Titaan
- Joins several meetings with potential future suppliers and vendors and work on the further collaboration
- Support on the operational activities of several events that will be hosted at the new campus
- Support on getting new startups and scale-ups into the campus; from lead generation to onboarding
- Build and manage a fun, collaborative, high-performing culture and the best environment for our community and our startups;
WE ARE LOOKING FOR
- Passion and enthusiasm for entrepreneurship and startups;
- A relevant degree (or studying) in the field of event-or facility management (or similar)
- Proactive, flexible, independent and with an eye for detail
- Native/fluent in Dutch and, above all, strong communication skills in English; both written and verbal;
- A global mindset, comfortable working with colleagues of diverse nationalities, business cultures and backgrounds, based across the world;
- A proactive and interesting approach to work; be a team player and take initiative to improve yourself and processes and people around you.
AND WE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH
An open and informal office culture, where people enjoy working together and learning from each other. We are a group of explorers; curious, eager, resourceful and humble.
At Unknown Group, we believe in responsibility from day one and provide you with the possibility to develop your personal ambitions on the job.
When COVID-19 is not an issue anymore, you will work in our office in The Hague with the team, but also with the option to work (partly) remotely.
Apply for a position
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Event Management Associate
ARE YOU
Interested in managing large scale international events?
Do you like to make the impossible possible? Are you looking for an internship? We are organizing over 100 events a year, all around the world, from Miami to Ouagadougou, from Seoul to Sao Paulo.
All with the aim to unlock opportunities for startups. There is not a place or concept that is impossible for our event team. Will you join us? Unknown group is looking for a creative and proactive Event Management Associate!
YOU WILL
- Be a full member of our event management team and get to know our Get to the Ring Global competition, making your impact with your own ideas;
- Work on executing Get in the Ring events in all corners of the world;
- Work in the logistical execution of multiple events around the world for clients like: EIT, Ministry of Defense, or our own Global Meetup;
- Making sure our client journeys are top-level;
- Connect with people and cultures around the world via our partner events;
WE ARE LOOKING FOR
- Passion and enthusiasm for innovation and startups; be a true explorer into the unknown;
- Strong organizational skills with an ability to prioritize tasks according to business needs
- Strong communication skills in English
- Not afraid to pick up the phone when needed
- Ready to quickly develop yourself in the event management field
- A global mindset, comfortable working with colleagues of diverse nationalities, business cultures and backgrounds, based across the world
- A proactive and interested approach to work; be a team player and take initiative to improve yourself and processes with people around you
AND WE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH
An open and informal office culture, where people enjoy working together and learning from each other. We are a group of explorers; curious, eager, and resourceful. At Unknown Group, we believe in responsibility from day one and provide you with the possibility to develop your personal ambitions on the job.
When COVID-19 is not an issue anymore, you will work in our office in The Hague with the team, but also with the option to work (partly) remotely.
Apply for a position
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DIGITAL DESIGNER
ARE YOU
Are you a Digital Designer with an interest in speaking the startup language, and want to work in a dynamic, international environment with responsibility from day 1? Do you have a creative mindset and passion for design? Do you get energy from realizing inspiring and effective content? Are you looking for an internship?
Unknown Group is looking for a creative and detail-oriented designer to join our team and help us evolve our brand!
YOU WILL
- Create new and exciting illustrations and content, regarding our cool brands such as Get In the Ring and client branding;
- Guard and build upon Unknown Group’s newly implemented branding and visuals;
- Design and design a lot: websites, reports, interfaces, digital advertisements, banners for social media, and podcast branding, among others.
- Work in our dynamic tech team, contributing to our own brand-creatives and ensuring high quality projects are completed in a timely manner;
- Edit and design effective and inspiring internal reports and presentations as well as impressive podcasts and animated digital advertisements;
- Get responsibility from day 1, we value creativity and the ability to think outside the box;
- Work with a team consisting of designers, PRs, content marketeers, digital marketers, and podcast/video producers in our Unknown studio.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR
- Passion and enthusiasm for startups – be a true venturer in to the unknown;
- A proactive approach to work – be a team player and take initiative to improve yourself, our processes, and the people around you;
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in a creative field;
- Design skills are required and an affinity with Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign;
- Excellent communication skills in English; both written and verbal
- A creative mindset and result-driven person, passionate about creating effective assets and creative content;
- A global mindset, comfortable working with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and nationalities, based all over the world;
AND WE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH
An open and informal office culture, where people enjoy working together and learning from each other. We are a group of explorers; curious, eager, and resourceful. At Unknown Group, we believe in responsibility from day one and provide you with the possibility to develop your personal ambitions on the job.
When COVID-19 is not an issue anymore, you will work in our office in The Hague with the team, but also with the option to work (partly) remotely.