Leadership that Disrupts the Default. Not just words, but work.

How two leaders hack systems — from capital to climate — to activate collective power.

What if purpose isn’t something you claim, but something you organise? In this edition of the EHV Innovation Café, two purpose rebels explore how real change happens when you redesign who gets access, who gets heard, and who gets to build the future.

Featuring:

Tessa de Flines — Fractional COO, angel investor & co-founder of AtVenture Platform
“Diverse founders don’t need fixing. The system does.”

Dirk van den Berg — Founder of Protect Our Winters (POW)
“Protecting nature starts with mobilising the people who love it.”

Together with these architects of collective power, we’ll explore how purpose becomes powerful when it shifts from personal intention to collective activation— through systems, structures and communities that disrupt the default.

Whether you’re a founder, designer, technologist, policymaker, educator or curious do-er, this is your space to listen, learn and connect. Expect bold insights, honest reflections and an open, welcoming conversation.

We are Inclusive by Default and Give to Grow.
The future belongs to the people who build it — together.

Moderated by Charlotte Grün

Thursday, December 4th, Walk-in from 17:30 | Talks from 18:00
@ Kazerne, downtown Eindhoven
Free entrance, English Spoken, Open to All

Special Guests

Tessa de Flines — Rewiring Investment & Inclusion

Tessa de Flines is a co-founder of AtVenture Platform, Fractional COO, advisor and angel investor who helps impact-driven founders turn operational chaos into clarity, structure and momentum. After 18 years in senior roles at GE and ABN AMRO, she moved into entrepreneurship, co-founding Masters of Scale and later AtVenture Platform — an initiative unlocking angel investing as a tool for systemic change. She champions diverse founders, democratises access to capital and fights to close the gender funding gap. Her leadership rewires who gets to invest, who gets funded and who gets to build tomorrow’s companies.

Tessa operationalises change not as idealism but as infrastructure, unlocking both new investors and new founders. By investing, organising and redistributing, she changes who gets access to capital, power and growth.

Dirk van den Berg — Turning Passion into Climate Power

Dirk van den Berg is the founder of Protect Our Winters (POW), a fast-growing movement uniting athletes, scientists, creatives and brands to take meaningful climate action. Drawing from his background as a tech founder, he mobilises outdoor communities through education, collaboration and activism — transforming love for nature into organised climate power. From bike-to-vote campaigns to national mobility events and international alliances, Dirk builds a movement that makes climate action unavoidable and collective.

Dirk builds a fast-growing community of athletes, creatives, scientists and brands who accelerate climate impact together. He moves people — literally and figuratively — using the love for nature as a lever for systemic change.

Be part of the conversation. Join us for drinks, talks, and new connections!

Our city is full of hidden Tech & Design gems that fuel transformation. Now is the time to unite their superpowers. What visions do they hold for creating an attractive, sustainable world for us and future generations? What groundbreaking experiments and prototypes are they developing to boost our society forward? How can we learn from each other and contribute to this shared mission? Join us for an inspiring event where ideas and connections come to life!