Look at nature, find the future
Meinke van Oenen (2004) is an award-winning student entrepreneur and RSM alumna working on the frontier of biotech innovation. At just 17, she launched research on microalgae that became the basis for Algaenius, a startup using unique algae structures to remove salts from seawater while capturing CO2, making drinking water production cleaner and cheaper.
She has won multiple awards including the UN Gamechanger Challenge at the UN Water Conference in New York, the Dutch Junior Water Prize, the Young Lady Business Academy Award, and just last year she was the youngest featured on the Dutch Financial Times’ Entrepreneurial Talent Under 35 list.
By combining technical expertise with business insight, she aims to accelerate the development of a sustainable bioeconomy and scale nature’s solutions to fix humanity’s biggest problems.
Who or what provided your possibilities?
The Port of Rotterdam, quite literally. At RSM, I learned that innovation thrives at the intersection of technical expertise and business thinking. The most powerful solutions combine cutting-edge technology with a real business model, because only when a solution can sustain itself, can it scale to the people who need it most.
During the Visionary Voices, speakers coming from a wide variety of both business and non-business related sectors get the opportunity to inspire the next generation with their visions. During this event, a diverse group of speakers share stories about their life journey and topics they are passionate about in an intimate theatre setting. There will…