Naila Loudini wins the Anner Award and Roelof Stoelwinder wins the Rabo Entrepreneurship Award 2022

The Anner Award, a prize worth 10,000 euros for students with an entrepreneurial heart, went yesterday to Naila Loudini (University of Groningen). The Rabo Entrepreneur Award went to Roelof Stoelwinder (Hanze University of Applied Sciences). Both entrepreneurs pitched their startups Aletta Solutions and LOLA, gloriously in front of Groningen entrepreneurs, students, teachers and other interested parties during the Grand Final in the Forum Groningen.

From all the applications, a jury selected five finalists during the semi-finals on 19 May, which took place in the form of a Dragons Den. These student entrepreneurs pitched their company on the exiting stage in the Forum Groningen to the jury, consisting of jury chairman Andre de Vries (director Rabobank SMEs), Harjan van der Linde (Startup & Scale-up Banker North & East Netherlands), Rafaël Redczus van Berkel (Yellowbird & N8W8), Saskia IJszenga (INSIDE business & brands) and Ed Huibers (World Wide Lighting).

Winner Anner Award 2022

Naila Loudini studies Medicine at the University of Groningen and is the co-founder of Aletta Solutions. Aletta Solutions transforms clinical surveys into a conversational chatbot, powered by AI and based on a big vision: delivering better healthcare to patients. For Naila and her team, entrepreneurship is not only about building the best technological tool, but also about being part of the big picture with your company and surrounding yourself with the right people.

Winner Rabo Entrepreneurship Award 2022

Roelof Stoelwinder studies Business Administration at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences and is the founder of Lola (formerly Cuppa). By developing a smart deposit system for coffee cups and takeaway meals, for example, he is helping to rid the world of disposable packaging. His mission is to make it as easy as possible for consumers and companies to choose reusable packaging. Together with his team, he makes it a successful business by extensive testing, and listening carefully to entrepreneurs and consumers. Watch his pitch.

Entrepreneurship from the heart

The jury was enthusiastic about the five presentations and called all finalists winners, who have made enormous steps in the past weeks. The jury said this about Naila:

Naila showed courage with her pitch and has an innovation that we need in the future. She comes across as extremely visionary, she breaks through barriers and we saw that in her statement, "Don't follow your dreams, chase them!"

About Roelof:

LOLA is a company that we need in these times to stop waste. Roelof is ready to start now, his product is technically feasible and has a well thought out plan to scale up

The second prize of the Rabo Entrepreneur Award, worth 4,000 euros, went to Justin Jager, Built Environment student at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences and the third prize, worth 3,000 euros to Vincent Huisman, Information Technology student at Hanze University of Applied Sciences.

About the Awards 

The Anner Award is a tribute to student entrepreneur Anner van der Mheen, set up in 2011 by the network around Anner. Anner was an exceptional, passionate entrepreneur and student at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences. During his internship he became unexpectedly ill and passed away. This annual prize was established to ensure that everything he stood for lives on. The Rabo Entrepreneur Award has existed since 2019 and is an initiative to encourage entrepreneurship. An encouragement to support and grow student entrepreneurship at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences and the University of Groningen. 

Entrepreneurship at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences and the University of Groningen

The Marian van Os Centre of Expertise Entrepreneurship of the Hanze University of Applied Sciences and the University of Groningen Centre of Entrepreneurship (UGCE) contribute to the economic development of the northern region with their entrepreneurship programs. By stimulating an entrepreneurial attitude and innovative thinking in students, they invest in the professionals of the future. In addition, students and entrepreneurs from outside the educational institutions with a promising business idea are supported and guided in developing, starting and growing their own business. In this way, the Hanze University of Applied Sciences and the University of Groningen are working together to create the jobs of tomorrow.

More informtion

• Evanya Breuer, spokesperson Hanze University of Applied Sciences, tel. (050) 5955656 / pers org.hanze.nl

• University of Groningen Centre of Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship rug.nl