The Netherlands Advisory Board on impact investing (“NAB”) and Co-Financing our Future (“CoFoF”), the two largest impact investor platforms in the Netherlands join forces to strengthen their shared objectives to accelerate the growth of impact investing and to support the development of the Dutch impact investment eco-system.
Creating the leading impact investing platform in The Netherlands
The NAB and CoFoF are organisations for and of impact investors committed to strengthening the growth and effectiveness of the Dutch impact investing market and to helping accelerate the transition to a sustainable and inclusive society. The NAB aims at raising awareness of, addressing barriers to, and increasing confidence in investing with impact. It does so by engaging public and private stakeholders to cooperate, inspiring by increasing awareness and understanding of impact investing, and catalysing impact investment by strengthening the eco-system. CoFoF wants to stimulate co-financing in the impact investment sector and has created a peer-to-peer organisation of impact investors, a safe space for exchange of knowledge and experience, and for actual deal-sharing. It does this for instance by organising gatherings and events for its members and affiliates.
The joining of forces will bring together close to 50 direct members, leading Dutch impact investors. The member bases of the two organisations are complementary, with CoFoF predominantly harbouring purely specialised impact investors, amongst which both smaller funds and larger institutional funds, and the NAB a more diversified group, including larger asset owners, asset managers and NGOs as well as specialised impact funds.
Yvonne Bakkum, Chair of the NAB, comments: “Global challenges urge us more than ever to act. Our combined power represents the full width of the Dutch impact investing community. Together we can move more forcefully towards our target of directing at least 10% of assets under management to impact investments by 2025, with a specific 4% allocation to emerging markets by 2030.This is crucial for catalysing the large-scale changes needed to achieve the SDGs."
Merijn ten Thije, Founder of CoFoF: “After 6 years of many events with inspirational speakers and moderators and co-sharing 100+ deals it is time for the next step. With joining forces with the NAB we can professionalise and have access to a worldwide network of impact minded investors. With CoFoF we try to make it easier for impact entrepreneurs to raise capital. A way these processes can move much faster if investors find each other more rapidly and collaborate more efficiently.”
Next steps
The joint activities will be consolidated under the NAB structure and governance. CoFoF community members are invited to become NAB community members. The NAB Board will also welcome Merijn ten Thije, Impact Investment Principal from DOEN Participaties. He brings a wealth of experience, especially in the early stage and growth capital segment and in market building. Next year a second CoFoF member will join the board to complete the joining forces and represent the broader community.
