MaterialDistrict Innovation Fund
MaterialDistrict takes important step towards Circular Economy with Innovation Fund
Naarden, 1 October 2019 – Materials platform MaterialDistrict has announced that from now on it will place 15% of its turnover in an Innovation Fund. Startups that have developed circular (material) innovations can receive a subsidy from the fund for participation in the worldwide known platform. MaterialDistrict aims to provide access to the platform only to material manufacturers, designers and knowledge institutions of circular materials (solutions) by 2030 at the latest.
Match-maker between material manufacturers and (interior) architects
The Naarden company, which has been organizing material fairs and exhibitions since 1998 and is therefore an important matchmaker between material manufacturers and (interior) architects, wants to make a clear statement. “Many of our exhibitors have already made circularity an important spearhead of their vision for the future and for some it is already daily practice. We want to fully support this positive development by allowing circular material innovations to find their way to the prescribing market as quickly as possible via our platform. Also the innovations of startups and parties that have insufficient resources to participate in our fairs,’ says director/owner Jeroen van Oostveen.
MaterialDistrict Innovation Fund
To reinforce the circular ambition, MaterialDistrict announced numerous measures last week to ensure that as many designers as possible come into contact with circular material solutions for the built and furnished environment.
One of these is the establishment of the MaterialDistrict Innovation Fund, in which the organization invests 15% of its turnover. Startups that have developed (material) innovations in the areas of Circularity, Wellbeing and/or Energy Transition can receive up to 75% subsidy from the fund on their exhibition participation, with a maximum of € 3500. An independent advisory committee, recently joined by Leonne Cuppen ( Yksi Expo ) and David Heldt ( Connecting the Dots ), plays an important role in scouting startups and assessing grant applications.
Ambition 2030
Van Oostveen has the ambition to only offer manufacturers of circular materials access to the platform from 2030. “More than ever, we will focus on generating contacts between designers and suppliers of innovative materials for the spatial domain, whereby the focus will gradually shift towards circular solutions.”
As a result of the focus on the matchmaking aspect of the platform, the consultancy arm of MaterialDistrict will be spun off and continued by Els Zijlstra, who will step down as creative director of MaterialDistrict. Zijlstra will independently use her knowledge, creativity and experience with her company MaterialMatchMaker to provide material advice, workshops and project-related material developments.