An investment from Borski goes beyond just providing money.
Borski fund was founded based on the conviction that the investment diversity gap is real and much larger than is often thought, however that there are also ways to help close it. There is a wide array of research that indicates female entrepreneurs often deliver better results than their male counterparts, whereas >90% of VC money goes to all-male management start-ups. We believe that improving access to financing for female entrepreneurs that are looking to contribute to a better world is one of the key ways of addressing the investment diversity gap.
The fund is named after Johanna Borski. Johanna Borski was a female investor and role model to many female entrepreneurs. Johanna Borski made a fortune by investing early on in buying almost half the shares issued in “De Nederlandsche Bank” in 1814. With the profits made, she later went on to rescue the “Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij” from bankruptcy in 1840. The way Borski used funds to do good for the world in a time when investing was (even far more than today) a male-dominated business, was a source of inspiration when establishing our fund.
An investment from Borski goes beyond just providing money. Our strength lies in combining market knowledge, an expansive network, a strong entrepreneurial track record and investment experience. This means that Borski stays involved actively after providing financing. How do we do all of this? Meet our team below:
Meet the team
Simone Brummelhuis
Founding Partner
Entrepreneur and investor. Managed two early-stage funds and executed 35+ deals. Former Board Advisor at Astia (UK) and founder of The Next Women. Successfully sold her company IENS to Trip Advisor. M&A experience from Allen & Overy. Participated in 25+ deals. Expertise: Fem tech and scale-ups.
Laura Rooseboom
Founding Partner
Investor with 25+ years in VC. Built up StartGreen Capital into a significant player with €670 AUM. Proven track record in providing value creation for 40+ companies. Expertise: Climatetech, Fintech.
Bertrand van Leersum
Managing Partner
Background in chemical engineering and innovation science with 15 years of experience in VC. Built two portfolios with fund results of 2.1x and 4.7x MOI. Value creation for 30+ companies. Expertise: Deeptech, Climatetech.
Reinoud Pleij
Analyst
Reinoud Pleij is an investment analyst at the Borski Fund and is actively involved in selecting and analyzing potential deals and supporting the companies in the portfolio.
Reinoud’s experience lies in the breadth of the deal flow process: analyzing the combination of product, market, and team. This analysis and due diligence experience originated in his role as startup analyst in open innovation programs at Unknown Group and his work as investment analyst within two public VC funds at StartGreen Capital.
Jen Roberts
Associate
Jen Roberts-Woods is an Investment Associate at Borski Fund. She is actively involved with sourcing, selecting and supporting companies with a focus on healthtech ventures. Jen has a unique background in both Biomedical Science and Entrepreneurship. She has a strong network of investors and entrepreneurs to assist in deal sourcing and brings scientific knowledge and expertise into evaluating deals within the healthcare sector.
Wouter-Bas ten Berge
Analyst
Claire Tange
Venture Partner
Claire Tange, Venture Partner: 18+ years’ experience in finance, including six years as investment banker at ABN AMRO/Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). Former CEO of Fastned, leading its IPO on Nxchange (now Euronext) and Founding CFO of Dott. Founder of Joanna Invests, a community platform investing in female led impact startups within the Netherlands and UK. Expertise: Finance and structuring, engineering.
Anieke Lamers
Operating Partner
Previous Impact VC experience with five exits. More than six years fund management experience at Rubio Invest and RTL Ventures. Impact entrepreneur. Founder of Peekabond (helping families cross the world to build bonds with children) and the VC Coach. Expertise: VC, Impact Investing.
Serena Koivurinta
Venture Partner
Investor and operator with 10+ years in fintech, consulting and growth. Former Head of Product at an £8M revenue fintech. Now, she runs a profitable hospitality venture and supports a European investment portfolio generating ~£80M annually. Invests in startups and underrepresented founders in the UK. Expertise: Deal sourcing, connector, product, operations and growth strategy.
Karina Vazirova
Venture Partner
Co-founded FemTech Lab, Europe’s first women’s health accelerator (68 startups, 20K+ founders, investors and partners). Former Head of Product at ClauseMatch (AI reg-tech acquired) and product architect at Neota Logic (AI, no code platform). Qualified NY/NJ attorney. Expertise: Femtech, ecosystem-building, product, AI, B2B marketing.
Daphne Postma is junior partner and investment director at Borski Fund and is actively involved in sourcing, selecting and supporting the portfolio of companies at Borski.
She has over 13 years of experience in impact investing and energy transition. Her background includes a combination of climate tech, software, and hardware, alongside fund management and investment strategy. Daphne’s expertise spans the energy transition, fintech, and deeptech industries.
Anieke Lamers is Venture Partner of Borski Fund and mainly focuses on deal sourcing for the fund as well as portfolio support.
Anieke brings over 12 years of experience in impact venture capital and has founded a social enterprise herself. She also coaches VC professionals and is known for her skills in deal sourcing, networking, and connecting, particularly in the areas of health, education, and impact investing.
Meet the Investment Advisory Committee
Meet the Advisory Board
Meet the Future of Health Committee
Quotes
“When we look through a gender lens, disparities between men and women’s ability to access capital become quickly apparent. Across all industries—from retailers, to filmmakers, to high-tech entrepreneurs—women have historically had trouble gaining access to investment capital, despite evidence that women-led companies may deliver higher and more consistent returns.”
Stanford innovation review,
The Rise of Gender Capitalism, 2014