Opening tiende editie ImpactFest, Fokkerterminal, 30oktober 2025

Good morning everyone,

The morning after the day before. Welcome to ImpactFest, The Hague’s festival of business for the greater good. What a pleasure to see you all here today. It is wonderful to once again welcome so many entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, researchers, and innovators. Ten years of ImpactFest and ImpactCity. That is something to be proud of.

Before we look ahead, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on why we are here.
We live in a time under pressure. Geopolitical tensions and wars are shifting attention away from the climate and the natural world, even though that attention remains as urgent as ever. The international legal order, which we in The Hague have championed for more than a century, is under strain. As Mayor of the City of Peace and Justice, this deeply concerns me. That is precisely why this year’s theme is so fitting: “Under Pressure – Brace for Impact.”

But this pressure does not paralyze. Ten years ago, ImpactCity began with a clear idea: good intentions need a good business plan; or, as we have come to say, doing good and doing business. Since then, we have connected profit and purpose, ensuring that solutions take root in practice. That idea resonates deeply with me. Major social challenges are not only solved at the global or national level, but also from the ground up. By local governments and changemakers who work for peace, equality, climate change, and the environment. By people who see opportunities, who collaborate, and who turn ideas into action.

Like previous editions, this tenth ImpactFest is not a top-down event. It is a gathering by and for investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and NGOs who are driving change. Here, connections are made, between capital and vision, between experience and energy.

The Hague provides the foundation for this: a strong business climate for companies that aim for more than profit alone. Space to test and to scale up. A network that connects knowledge, capital, and society. In this way, ImpactCity has grown into a powerful ecosystem with hundreds of startups and scale-ups. It has driven change, created jobs, and led to Europe’s largest impact campus: the Titaan.

For these entrepreneurs, and those of tomorrow, access to capital is essential.
With the arrival of the Draper Richards Kaplan (DRK) Foundation in The Hague, we have already welcomed a major international player. But that’s not all. Several investment funds are now active here, including the well-known 4Impact, and more recently, the Social Impact Fund The Hague, which focuses specifically on social challenges within our own city.

In a time of pressure, it is vital that Impact-entrepreneurs can find one another. That they can guide each other and together present a clear entry point for investors. That is the strength of ImpactFest. A place where meetings lead to pilots, partnerships, and jobs.

I would like to thank all sponsors and partners who make this possible, in particular: the Province of South Holland, Rabobank, Stichting DOEN, RVO, Pels Rijcken, Unknown Group, and SOMI.

The pressure is high, but so are the opportunities. ImpactFest 2025 looks back on a decade of building, while also highlighting opportunities for the future.

I wish you all an inspiring tenth ImpactFest.