About The Spindle

The Spindle connects innovators among Dutch and global actors into an online and offline movement for inclusive, sustainable development.

Our story

The Spindle connects innovators among Dutch and global actors into an online and offline movement for inclusive, sustainable development.

It was initiated by Partos, the association of Dutch NGOs working in international development, in the conviction that there’s a huge innovation potential amongst the Dutch organizations and their southern partners.

With The Spindle we take up the challenge to translate the abundance of ideas into innovative approaches and solutions. The Spindle builds on the experiences of Partos with joint learning and innovation initiatives by its members, in most recent years taking place as part of the Partos Learning Platform.

The Spindle is financially made possible by a grant from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The grant secures a 5-year programme during which we will prove our value in two ways: by connecting and empowering innovators in inclusive and sustainable development – and secondly by creating an ecosystem that thrives innovation. The Spindle supports ideation, facilitates innovation, showcases successes, monitors trends and builds and facilitates an online and offline community.

In light of the trends and existing challenges we decided in consultation with Partos member organisations – in the development of strategies and the implementation of programs – to focus on four themes: civic power, inclusion, new forms of cooperation and the innovative use of data.

Do you have a burning question, remark or just want to get in touch with The Spindle? Please contact us via info@thespindle.org and we’ll get back to you soon!

The Spindle | Partos
www.partos.nl
Ellermanstraat 18b
1114 AK Amsterdam-Duivendrecht
The Netherlands
+31 20 320 99 01
info@thespindle.org

Africa J Bwamkuu

‘Problem-solving’ and ‘innovative’, international experience on project design and implementation, managing human knowledge and ICTs to enable good governance and stimulate development and social change.

Alexander Medik

Alexander is on a mission to establish innovative multi-stakeholder partnerships to disrupt development cooperation. He is a creative problem solver, digital enthusiast, optimist, activist, facilitator, and interdisciplinary scientist.

Anna Snel

Design thinker and researcher, teacher and speaker on the importance of sustainability, creativity and innovation.

Anna Vroegop

Anne is founder and Director UX Academy BV. With more than 12 years of industry experience, Anne combines a strong mix of holistic UX leadership expertise with Concepting and Art Direction skills.

Anoek Nuyens

Theater maker, writer and journalist who makes socially engaging and documentary theater on the crossroads of politics, science, culture and history.

Babah Tarawally

Writer, storyteller, freelance journalist and philosopher. Fled in 1995 from Sierra Leone’s civil war and spend seven years filing asylum application.

Caroline Williams

Founder and Head Rebel at The Do Good Only Company which focuses on tech for good, digital inclusion, social entrepreneurship and combating digital imperialism with technology like data and AI.

Casper Koomen

Casper Koomen is sensemaker and innovation consultant at blau lab. He does consulting and works with design around ‘smart life’ and the impact of new technology on people, planet and society.

Cees Hoogendijk

Cees’ mission is the humanization of organization.

Diderik van Wingerden

Developer of digital products for a better world. Pragmatic Idealist, Facilitative Leader, Product Architect: always integrating technology, user experience and business into the optimal solution. Asks why.

Elien Rogaar

Works for Perspectivity, dedicated to helping build sustainable organisations and societies. Consultant, trainer, facilitator of social labs and organisation development processes. She loves complexity.

Jacintha Scheerder

Out-of-the-box future-thinker and -dreamer, fond of using different (scientific) foresight methods to bring the unthinkable and ‘unknowns’ a bit closer.

Tatiana Glad

Initiator of Impact Hub Amsterdam and co-founder of Waterlution, social entrepreneur, facilitator and change strategist, works across sectors and cultures to enable whole system innovation.

Clara Bosco

International development professional with experience in design, management, monitoring, evaluation and learning, multi-actor development initiatives, participatory governance, active citizenship & power.

Bram Alkema

Disruptive thinker. Expert in communication, business model innovation, B2B marketing and cross-media. Independent business and policy advisor. Teacher new media strategy at various business schools & universities.

Bram Buscher

Professor and Chair at the Sociology of Development of Change group at Wageningen University: a.o. the political economy of conservation and development, the politics of energy and extraction.

Kinsuk Mani Sinh

Post-doctoral research fellow for frugal innovation at the International Institute of Social Studies, focuses on the process of innovation both in developed and developing economies.

Maite Vermeulen

Research journalist and writer. Believes that a better world starts with a better understanding of the world. Wants to bring the world far away as close as possible.

Marc Vloemans

Market and business developer: intrapreneur and entrepreneur. Bridgebuilder, open source communities and tech-commercial ecosystems. Comfortable at the crossroads of commercial, technical, financial and organizational expertise.

Margreet van der Pijl

Owner cross-media agency Society Works. Passion for innovation and working directly with people to create effective tools and products for a more sustainable planet.

Melanie Rieback

CEO at Radically Open Security, the world’s first non-profit computer security consultancy company, hacker, social enterprise adept, disruptive thinker en do-er.

Pieter Paul van Oerle

Innovation Lead of Accenture Netherlands and Strategy Director of The Next Web. President of the Board of 1%Club. Visionary and strategist.

Rob van Hattum

Creative Director at NEMO and Film Director for Science Programs at VPRO. More than 30 years of experience with science, technology, sustainable development, cleantech and innovation.

Roek Lips

Independent and professional media journalist, manager, supervisor and board member, independent strategic advisor, sounding board and executive coach.

Scott Kennedy

Serial entrepreneur, angel and advisor/mentor with 2 exits. Focused on strategy, biz models, growth hacking and product development for a variety of public and private projects.

Simone Veldema

(Service) designer working on the international front-line of innovation, sustainability and new services. Explores new ways of doing business, business models and innovation.