You have to fall in love with the founders

Season 07 of Startup Passport by Frontwalker continues with Episode 13 – Sjoerd van Berkel, Co-founder and Operator of Dutch Operator Fund. From building his own companies to becoming an angel investor, Sjoerd shares the experiences that shaped his approach to entrepreneurship and investing. In this episode, he explains why the team is always his number one investment criterion, why founders need grit and commitment to succeed, and why believing in the people behind a startup matters more than the idea itself. Sjoerd also reflects on the lessons he learned from building scalable businesses, the importance of finding the right co-founder, and how validating ideas early can prevent costly mistakes. He discusses how education helped him develop the network and skills that supported his entrepreneurial journey, and shares his perspective on why the Netherlands continues to be a strong place for founders to build innovative companies. This new season brings conversations with founders, innovators, investors, and ecosystem leaders shaping the future of entrepreneurship, recorded at the Upstream Festival in Rotterdam in partnership with Erasmus Enterprise. These conversations are powerful, inspiring, and game-changing, and we can't wait for you to hear them. Stay tuned! New episodes dropping soon!