Meaningful enterprise,
in your own life.
Stichting Gofounder — the GoFounder Foundation — encourages young and older people to take ownership of their life and work, and offers temporary shelter and day activities to those not currently able to work.
Why a foundation
Many people live out of obligation rather than conviction. Daily life gets organised around avoiding uncertainty, pain, rejection and failure — and out of that comes an endless search for more status, possessions, security or comfort.
That search rarely delivers what is expected of it. Even with material success and recognition, the emptiness stays. Lasting fulfilment comes from somewhere else: from growing, from meaningful relationships, from learning something new, and from contributing to someone else.
At the same time society keeps drifting apart: loneliness, mental strain on young people, less sense of community, little connection between generations. While that is exactly where the answer lies — in the knowledge and experience already present, once you bring them into contact.
How development happens
Development is not a loose series of steps but one coherent process: self-insight leads to action, action to experience, experience to reflection, reflection to growth, and growth ultimately to a contribution to society.
Self-insight
Getting to know yourself better: what you can do, what you want and what holds you back.
Action
Taking responsibility for your choices and taking a first step.
Experience
Gaining meaningful experiences instead of reading about them.
Reflection
Looking back on what you did and making sense of it.
Growth
Developing your talents and applying them ever more deliberately.
Contribution
Applying your talents to something larger, together with others.
Our purpose
What the foundation is for
Promoting enterprise in society by encouraging young and older people towards meaningful enterprise in their lives, and providing temporary shelter and day activities to young and older people who are not able to work or take part in other activities.
Why this is welfare work, not a founders' club
The foundation is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce under social welfare work and the support of young and older people. Enterprise is the form, not the yield: it is about people taking their life into their own hands, and about a place for those who currently can't. Whether someone ends up starting a business, finding a job that does fit, or mainly belonging somewhere again, is up to them.
Our approach
Five areas we work in
The foundation organises and supports activities in five areas. They interlock: finding direction, developing yourself, taking initiative, joining in — and the means that make that possible.
Direction and talent development
Workshops, training, development programmes, coaching, self-inquiry and reflection activities.
Personal development
Skills development, behavioural change, self-reliance, mental resilience and ownership.
Entrepreneurial spirit
Developing initiative, creative projects, social enterprises, entrepreneurship programmes and innovation challenges.
Participation and connection
Social projects, volunteering activities, daytime activities, networking meetings, community building and social activities.
Innovation and technology
Digital tools, knowledge platforms, AI-supported learning and development environments, and research into new forms of social support.
In practice
What that comes down to
From programmes for young and older people to daytime activities, connection, and the physical and mobile places where that happens.
Programmes for young people
Enterprise workshops, talent development, social projects, leadership development and personal guidance.
Programmes for older people
Mentorship and passing on knowledge, meaningful enterprise after retirement, and social participation.
Day activities and temporary shelter
Low-threshold activities and guidance for young and older people temporarily unable to take part in work or education, without performance being the measure.
Building community
Gatherings, cultural activities, social projects and collaborative initiatives that bring people and generations together.
Two organisations, one conviction
It should be clear who does what, and with whose money.
Stichting Gofounder
Not for profit. Encourages young and older people towards meaningful enterprise in their own life, and offers temporary shelter and day activities to those not able to work. Funded by gifts, donations and grants.
GoFounder — the platform
The commercial side: the app you'll find on this site. Paying users fund its development. A separate organisation, with its own books.
The foundation is not a sales channel for the platform, and the platform is not a charity. They share a name and a conviction; governance, bookkeeping and money flows are kept separate.
ANBI details
Stichting Gofounder publishes the details required by the Dutch tax authority for public benefit organisations (ANBI) — and publishes its full policy plan as text.
Want to help?
The foundation is just starting out. If you'd like to think along, donate, or set up a programme together — let us know.
Get in touch