How can public funding drive inclusive innovation?
In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, I speak with Bibi van Gijzel and Merel Zimmerman from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
Merel and Bibi share how RVO builds diversity into its funding criteria, from who manages the money to who receives it.
You’ll hear why visibility matters, how non-technical experts can drive innovation, and what founders need to know about the Innovation Credit and Seed Capital schemes.
Key Takeaways from episode 102
Here’s what you’ll take away from listening to episode 102:
💡 What every founder should know about Innovation Credit and Seed Capital
📊 How diversity is built into the funding criteria at team, fund, and portfolio levels
👀 Why being visible matters, and how non-technical women are changing the system from within.
Plus, you’ll hear how ambition, impact, and being a role model can absolutely live inside government work.
When you’re ready to listen and learn how RVO funds inclusive innovation, find episode 102 of Women Disrupting Tech on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.
Or hit the play button below👇.
How RVO Funds Inclusive Innovation with Merel Zimmerman & Bibi van Gijzel | Episode 102 – Women Disrupting Tech
- Key Takeaways from episode 102
- Inclusive Events for Women Disrupting Tech
- Join the Women Disrupting Tech Community on Substack
- The Magic in This Episode🪄
- Amplify the Voices of Women Disrupting Tech
- Three Practical Funding Takeaways
- About Merel Zimmerman
- About Bibi van Gijzel
- About the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO)
- Share what’s on your mind!
- Coming up next on Women Disrupting Tech
Inclusive Events for Women Disrupting Tech
Below are some events worth visiting in the coming months. You’ll find a full overview of all events, including links to buy tickets, on the events page.
Diverse Leaders in Tech Events
Date: 28 May 2025
Location: B. Amsterdam
Start: 17:00 – 19:30
More info and tickets: on the website
The Culture Code
Date: 3 June 2025
Location: Club ACE, Amsterdam
Time: 12:00 – 19:00 hours
Tickets: On the Culture Code Website
Female Venture’s Founders Table: Empowering Women in Business
Date: 4 June 2025
Location: voco® The Hague
Start 15:00 – Finish: 18:30
Tickets: buy your tickets.
Join the Women Disrupting Tech Community on Substack
Changing the funding landscape starts with access. Not just to capital, but to the right people, ideas, and spaces. That’s why I’m building The Women Disrupting Tech Community on Substack.
Join us if you want to help more women be heard, funded, and celebrated in tech. You’ll receive:
✨ Early access to new podcast episodes, plus a weekly email with the moments that moved me and what they taught me.
✨ Exclusive research on what it really takes to build a more inclusive tech ecosystem.
✨ Invites to special events we sponsor or co-host, where conversations turn into collaborations.
This community is for people who believe in action. And know that together, our voices go further.
The Magic in This Episode🪄
If you think government funding is slow or impersonal, think again.
In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, I sat down with two women who are working to change that from the inside out.
Merel Zimmerman and Bibi van Gijzel are advisors at RVO, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. They support startups in their earliest, riskiest stages, either by helping investors get funding (Merel) or by making credits available for highly innovative products. But they do more than review spreadsheets and forecasts. They look for potential. Also, the kind that often gets overlooked.
For Merel, supporting female founders is not just about fairness. It’s about pattern recognition. She put it simply:
“We need more women in investment roles. Because we see that female leadership tends to invest more in female founders.”
That’s not bias. That’s breaking the cycle.
And RVO is taking steps to do exactly that by building diversity into the criteria for its Seed Capital and Innovation Credit schemes. From who manages the fund to who gets funded, inclusion is now a factor in decision-making.
Bibi, who advises on Innovation Credit, added another perspective. She’s not a techie. Her background is in law and finance. But she sees that as a strength, not a gap.
“I want to be a role model for other women in tech. Even if I’m not technical. Especially because I’m not technical.”
If that isn’t real magic, I don’t know what is.
Want to learn how Merel and Bibi help fund inclusive innovation? Listen to Episode 102 on Spotify.
Oh, and don’t forget to share what you think should be the top priority for the government to make the funding landscape more inclusive in the poll below. Or leave a comment.
Amplify the Voices of Women Disrupting Tech
Want to make inclusion in tech the new normal by 2032? Here’s how you can help:
Amplify the voices of Women Disrupting Tech by following the podcast on your favorite platform. Every follow brings these stories to more people.
Give the show a rating or review on Spotify or Apple. It only takes a moment, but it tells others this podcast is worth listening to. And helps the voices of my guests carry further.
Share the stories that move you.
Send this episode to a friend, a colleague, or someone who needs to hear it. Every share helps the Women Disrupting Tech build a more inclusive tech future and supports women in getting the stage they deserve.
Use the buttons below to spread the word. Your voice helps amplify theirs.
Three Practical Funding Takeaways
Early-stage funding can make or break a startup.
But if you’re a founder who doesn’t fit the usual mold, it’s easy to think: this isn’t for me.
In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, I speak with Merel Zimmerman and Bibi van Gijzel from RVO. They offer government-backed funding schemes, and they’re working to make them more inclusive.
Here are three takeaways every founder and investor should know:
RVO is more than a funder. They’re a partner.
Their Innovation Credit and Seed schemes come with guidance, feedback, and real people you can talk to. Merel and Bibi aren’t gatekeepers. They’re advisors who want to help great ideas succeed, especially from founders who often get overlooked.
Diversity is built into funding decisions
RVO doesn’t treat diversity as a side note. It’s part of the scoring criteria.
They look at gender balance in teams, fund managers, and portfolio strategies. A strong diversity approach improves your ranking in the selection process.
Visibility leads to access
Female founders often miss out simply because they don’t know who to talk to. Merel and Bibi are changing that by being visible, approachable, and open to direct contact. You’ll find their details below.
And if you’re a founder working on something bold, this might be your sign to reach out.
🎧 Listen to Episode 102: How to Use Cultural Intelligence as a Leadership Superpower with Gwen Kolader on Apple Podcasts.
Or click the image below to listen on YouTube. And don’t forget to share what your favorite moment from the episode was in the comments.
“Supporting female founders advances the general quality. But it also makes sure that some potential, especially in tech, gets unlocked.”
Merel Zimmerman, Advisor for Seed Capital at RVO
About Merel Zimmerman
Merel Zimmerman serves as an Advisor for Seed Capital at the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). In this role, she is instrumental in shaping funding strategies that support early-stage startups. Merel emphasizes the importance of diversity in investment decisions, advocating for increased female representation in leadership and funding roles. She believes that diverse leadership not only promotes fairness but also enhances the quality and potential of innovations in the tech sector. You can connect with Merel on LinkedIn or by email.
About Bibi van Gijzel
Bibi van Gijzel is an Investment Manager at RVO, focusing on the Innovation Credit program. With a background in law and finance, she brings a unique perspective to tech funding, highlighting the value of non-technical expertise in driving innovation. Bibi is committed to supporting high-risk, high-impact projects, particularly in sectors like medtech and deeptech. Her work includes facilitating investments that aim to improve healthcare outcomes, such as supporting startups like Scinvivo and Spatium Medical in developing groundbreaking medical technologies.
You can connect with Bibi on LinkedIn and by email.
About the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO)
The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) is a government organization under the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. RVO assists entrepreneurs, NGOs, knowledge institutions, and policymakers in investing, developing, and expanding their activities both domestically and internationally. The agency provides financial support, personal advice, and networking opportunities to promote sustainable, innovative, and international business practices. RVO’s initiatives include funding programs like Seed Capital and Innovation Credit, which are designed to support early-stage startups and foster inclusive economic growth.
For a Dutch blog on what to take into account when applying for an innovation credit, please visit RVOs website. And RVO is also sharing content and knowledge on LinkedIn.
Share what’s on your mind!
What should be the top priority for government institutions to build a more inclusive startup ecosystem?
1️⃣ Fund diverse founding teams.
2️⃣ Diversify investment decision-makers.
3️⃣ Make schemes more accessible.
4️⃣ Reward inclusive fund strategies.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
And if you would like to suggest a guest or a theme for the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.
Coming up next on Women Disrupting Tech
Next week, we’ll hear from Flouria co-founder Anna Christie how she and her co-founder are revolutionizing women’s health. And I’m pretty sure this clip should contain enough inspiration to listen:
Until then, let’s celebrate the companies bold enough to lead the way. And don’t forget to Keep Being Awesome!
Women Disrupting Tech | The Podcast 