“Impact claims are virtually impossible these days without additional evidence in the form of data,” says Qdrop co-founder Annemieke Teune. “If you don’t have that evidence, you can quickly be suspected of greenwashing. to get on you. Organizations with a sustainable mission often want to demonstrate on their own initiative how their product, service or money ultimately brings about positive change. Reporting on impact is in their DNA.”
More than compliance
In order to make less proactive parties more transparent, the sustainable finance disclosure regulation (SFDR) has been in effect since last year. Companies with impact claims have since been required to prove their compliance with data. Teune calls it a step in the right direction. “The only thing is that this regulation is still mainly about risks. Our tool mainly visualizes positive change. This makes it a solution for parties that want to demonstrate that they are really making a difference with their 'sustainable' investments. Impact investors even place that goal right next to financial return. So it makes sense that they were our first 'fans' and are also our primary target group in this phase.”
Customised reporting
Asked to explain their solution, Teune says that Qdrop combines no less than ten sustainability standards, including IRIS+, GRI and the SDG framework. The sum results in a staggering total of 800 to 900 impact 'data points'. "Depending on the impact you are aiming for as an investor, you can use our tool to select the relevant points for you, for example those on climate effects," says Teune. "With our tool, you are guaranteed to arrive at an impact report that seamlessly fits you as an investor. And with which you can therefore also serve your investors and investors in a tailor-made way."
“Maintaining focus is now crucial”
In addition to the first customers, Qdrop now also has a number of pilot cases running. “We are also receiving more and more new leads through all those first contacts. Our flywheel is turning, but the challenge now is to stay focused. We have to take the time to further develop our solution technically and focus purely on impact investors. Previously, we also had a lot of discussions with consultants, companies and NGOs, but that became too broad. With our limited time, we have to make choices.”
Personal coaching
For professional guidance in their growth, Teune and co-founder Marjoleine van der Peet followed an MRP trajectory at ROM Inwest for several weeks. Senior Business Developer Jorn Eiting van Liempt was their coach. “The training sessions that we followed every Thursday afternoon – sometimes online and sometimes on location – were incredibly educational, but the intensive contact and personal coaching from Jorn were the most valuable to us,” Teune reflects. “Even though he has become more of a remote coach, he is still always available and provides advice very quickly when we have questions. Of course, it helps that he now knows our company well.”
Plenty of growth potential
Despite the focus she has to maintain, Teune likes to take a quick look at the future. “The market we are active in is still young and the demand for impact reporting will only grow and expand in the coming years. We are therefore already carefully working on expanding our solution to companies. The famous management consultant Peter Drucker once said: 'If you can't measure it, you can't change it'. That is exactly the philosophy behind our product and the reason why we can still grow a lot.”
“Statistical validation requires dozens of interviews”
Founders Annemieke and Marjoleine van Qdrop are, according to Jorn, enthusiastic, energetic ladies and recognized specialists in the field of SFDR. “But setting up a product also requires expertise in business development, market knowledge and experience – starting with the right approach to your target group and your market. I coached them intensively in this for weeks. For their interviews with potential customers, I told them not to mention anything about their solution, but to ask purely and only about the biggest challenges that are playing out in the market. With dozens of such conversations, you get a validated view of the real problem that everyone is facing instead of making assumptions that support your solution. Based on the same interviews, you can also refine your solution. This way, you arrive at a product that the market can really benefit from.”
