Transformcity

Following the municipality's withdrawal of their redevelopment plans in 2010 due to the crisis, Saskia Beer took on the initiative to adopt a significant office district in Amsterdam, Amstel III. Over the years, she successfully cultivated a robust local community comprising diverse stakeholders, fostering new initiatives and developments in the area.

It became evident that the challenge of effectively orchestrating urban transformation in areas with numerous owners and stakeholders was a common struggle for cities worldwide. This realization led to the transition of the project to the establishment of Transformcity as a company, aimed at scaling the knowledge, experience, and online tools developed in Amsterdam to benefit other cities.

After a period of mentorship within the Startup in Residence program, I decided to partner with Saskia Beer, at the outset of 2019. Our collaboration was built on Saskia's background in architecture and her successful track record in Amstel III, complemented by my expertise in digital transformation. With Amstel III as a successtory, global exposure and a working digital participatory platform as part of our offering, we were ready to scale-up.

Regrettably, after a year, we concluded that the chosen path and underlying business model didn't generate sufficient results. Despite numerous leads and opportunities, we struggled to convert them into paid clients. In hindsight, the necessity of building local communities for each of the urban transformation areas, in support of our methodology, proved to be way less scalable than we originally envisioned. Reflecting on our journey together, I'm proud of the extensive learning and personal growth we experienced together.