In this episode, Marleen Vogelaar – founder of Ziel & co-founder of Shapeways – explains how her experience with Shapeways defined her strategic approach when launching the on-demand manufacturing platform Ziel. She breaks down her journey towards finding the right product-market fit, opting for steward-ownership, hiring pivotal talent that expedited the scaling process, and securing VC funding in the US.
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18:43 – Marleen | “We managed to cut our CO2 emissions by 90% without applying any sustainable biodynamic technology, it was just by doing it smarter.”
29:32 – Marleen | “One of the major personal mistakes I made when I was at Shapeways was that I was the inside person focusing so much on the growth and the success of the company that I never really put a lot of time in building my own personal brand.”
30:20 – Marleen | “It took me 2.5 years to build a really valuable and deep network in New York. The good thing about New York is that if you have a good idea, people get really excited about it and they do want to help you.”
41:00 – Marleen | “When we started making hospital gowns, my staff came back from furlough because they were so bored and at the same time proud that they could make a difference.”
50:50 – Marleen | “I think what has really changed in the Netherlands is that there is excitement to be working for a smaller business and I hope it evolves further.”
52:09 – Marleen | “If you want to scale your business in the US and you are being your Dutch self, this really doesn’t work.”
