"Every new startup a potential accelerator of change," says Liselore Havermans, program manager Circular Construction and Infra at TKI Construction and Engineering, in this new episode of Helder! That's why searching for those "missing" startups feels almost like a sport to her.
Havermans grew up in an environment where creativity and entrepreneurship went hand in hand: a father who is an artist and a mother who is an entrepreneur. That combination gave her an early sense that there is no one set path. It taught her to remain curious, to seek out the absurd and to see something interesting in every person and situation. That attitude still forms the basis of her work.
At TKI Bouw en Techniek - the Top Consortium for Knowledge and Innovation in the construction and engineering sector - Havermans fulfills the role of connector. The organization acts as a catalyst for scalable innovations with social impact. Its program revolves around the transition to a circular construction economy. An ambition that is widely shared, but which in practice is still under development. Experiments abound, but real scale-up remains a challenge.
Impact occurs where vision and collaboration come together
According to Havermans, the key lies in collaboration. The circular building economy cannot be built by individual frontrunners. Governments, market parties, knowledge institutions and startups need each other. That is precisely where she sees her role: putting urgent themes on the agenda, connecting parties and bridging language and cultural differences. Because it often turns out that organizations want the same thing in terms of content, but simply do not understand each other.
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Her background as a researcher helps. Through years of qualitative research, she learned the art of questioning: always one layer deeper, looking for the 'gem' behind the story. That same curiosity drives her fascination with startups. Small players with big ambitions, still flying under the radar but with the potential to fundamentally change the sector.
My hobby is looking for startups
What fewer people know is that Havermans' work doesn't stop once the workday is over. Where others spend evenings on the couch scrolling through social media, she scours for startups. It's more than interest; it's a personal mission. She has already mapped the Dutch startup landscape around the future-proof environment and now counts hundreds of initiatives. Still, she is not satisfied yet. There should be more of them, she believes - not just out of a desire to collect, but because every new startup is a potential accelerator of change. Looking for those "missing" startups feels almost like a sport to her: who are they, what do they do, and what impact can they make in the future? That curiosity underscores her belief that real innovation often starts small, but can become big if given room to grow.
What sets her apart is her focus on meaningful impact. Growth for growth's sake does not interest her. Innovations must contribute to a future-proof living environment - something she wants to be proud of, also towards future generations. That conviction keeps her on her toes, even when reality is unruly and progress is slow.
For Havermans, the message remains clear: never underestimate what is possible when people join forces. Only by recognizing and connecting everyone's unique "superpower" can the construction industry truly transform.
