Patrick van der Meulen speaking on stage

Founder & Operating Partner

Entrepreneurshipas a force for good.

Build better. Move faster. Stay in control.

I help founders, CEOs and leadership teams turn fast growth into a stronger, scalable company that creates real impact—without losing control, momentum or mission.

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My track record so far

13+years building

€60mraised · 1 exit

€200mrevenue generated

10markets

Where I add value

Expertise to make growth scalable—and keep the company in control.

I work alongside founders, CEOs and leadership teams on the challenges that most often determine whether growth becomes repeatable and sustainable.

Product-market fit & go-to-market

Sharpen the proposition, product, pricing, channels and sales model until commercial growth becomes repeatable.

Build stronger leadership teams

Create the roles, ownership, operating rhythm and accountability needed to scale beyond the founder.

International expansion

Select the right markets, build the entry strategy, localise the proposition and create a repeatable expansion playbook.

Stay ahead of change

Anticipate what is coming and keep a firm grip on cash, KPIs, governance and investor expectations.

Scale-up support

Practical support for the moments that define a company.

Sector-agnostic, with deep experience in energy, climate, mobility and impact. Working with founders and leadership teams worldwide.

Operating advisory & interim

Hands-on scale-up advisory and interim leadership for growth, turnaround, fundraising, international expansion, governance and M&A.

Founder mentorship

A 12-month one-to-one programme with bi-weekly meetings, a core KPI dashboard, quarterly strategy reviews and direct WhatsApp access.

Keynotes

Direct, practical talks on entrepreneurship, impact, growth, capital, governance, staying in control and starting again.

Operating investments

Capital combined with active operating support and, where it makes sense, sweat equity for mission-driven companies.

Built. Learned. Rebuilt.

Real operating experience—not theory.

For more than thirteen years, I have built and led mission-driven companies. At Soly, we grew to 180 employees across nine markets and raised around €60 million. Across my entrepreneurial journey, the companies I helped build generated approximately €200 million in revenue.

Scaling at that pace gave me first-hand lessons in leadership, governance, capital and staying in control. Some decisions worked; others did not. That full experience shapes how I build today—with clearer priorities, stronger teams and earlier attention to cash, risk and accountability.

Through GoZero, I put those lessons into action: acquiring and stabilising businesses, restoring operating control and customer continuity, and completing the strategic sale of our South African activities. Today, I work alongside founders to help them scale with greater clarity, confidence and control.

“I aim to be the operating partner I wish I had when the stakes were highest.”

Read my story

Selected work & investments

Building value with purpose.

Build & scale

Soly

Co-founded a climate-tech company and scaled it to 180 employees across nine markets, backed by approximately €60 million in funding.

Build, stabilise & transact

GoZero

An Energy-as-a-Service platform active in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and South Africa. The South African business was successfully sold.

Platform strategy & scale

ELDO

Supporting a South African energy-tech platform with strategy, fundraising, governance and scalable market execution.

Growth & partnerships

Optimal Energy

Working with a distributed-energy business in South Africa on go-to-market, finance partnerships and the foundations for growth.

Keynotes & leadership events

Impact Driven Entrepreneurship

A direct and personal keynote about entrepreneurship, ambition, impact, growth, capital, leadership, pivotal decisions and building again—always tailored to the audience.

Invite Patrick to speak

TEDx Wageningen University

Media & interviews

Ideas for founders

What I learned. What I am learning now.

01International expansion

Let’s build

Ready to build a stronger company?

If growth has made the decisions bigger, the organisation harder to run or the next move less clear, let’s talk. If you are building a mission-driven company and want an active investor who brings time and experience as well as capital, send me your deck.