Baan Company
In the last decennia of the last century, the Baan Company made a name for itself as a highly innovative software company for supporting business processes. Paul Baan, together with his brother Jan, was the driving force behind the eventually listed company (Amsterdam and Nasdaq). Immediately after the IPO, the two brothers decided to establish a foundation. What they started then culminated years later in what is now Noaber.
The Founding
In 2000, Paul and Mineke Baan established the Noaber Foundation. For the name of the foundation, Paul and Mineke went back to their roots: both were born and raised in Twente where "noaberschap" - helping neighbors where necessary - is commonplace.
The First Years
In the beginning, the focus was on projects that helped bridge the "digital divide." These were often topics related to education, but software development for people with disabilities and financial infrastructures such as microfinance were also supported. "Hybrid funding" was already commonplace those first years. According to Paul Baan it is "all about serving and earning, and bringing those worlds together". And that is why we have both donated (venture philanthropy) and invested in companies (impact investments) from the very beginning.
Continew
Our president and founder has a penchant for inventing new, meaningful words. An example is "continew," which is a hybrid of "continue" and "new. The word reflects the development of Noaber. For example, we focus is increasingly on the domain of health and healthcare. Projects and investments in other areas are therefore being phased out. With full commitment, projects are funded and companies are sought that contribute to the health of our "noabers" in an innovative, entrepreneurial way.
Cooperation
If you walk alone, you get there quickly; if you walk together, you go further. With this wisdom in mind, the first forms of structural cooperation with other parties have emerged in recent years. One example is a collaboration with the Mayo Clinic in Florida. We also started NexGen Ventures. This investment fund was created partly on Noaber's initiative, together with Stichting Triade, which is affiliated with the University Medical Center of Groningen (UMCG) and Achmea. More investors have since joined the fund. The investments are made by companies that develop innovations in the field of medical (information) technology.
Cultural Compass
Around 2019, Paul and Mineke chose to hand over the administrative baton to their children. Because both parents have had significant input into the culture of the organization, we took the time to consider what elements compose our unique character. We defined our four points of the compass. The (Magn)ethic North represents "noaberschap", helping our neighbors. The Entrepreneurial East represents entrepreneurship. In the Wild West we focus on innovation. And what we do requires courage, which we find in the Spirited South. We further define our organization with words like stewardship, inclusion, sustainability, creativity and pioneering spirit, among others.
The Noaber Journey
Around Paul Baan's 70th birthday, a triptych was released depicting the Noaber Journey: a book, a musical piece and a video documentary. Written - Heard - Seen.
Driving Change - Improving Health
There is an increasing demand for healthcare and a corresponding increase in healthcare costs. Noaber's focus is sustainable healthcare with an emphasis on healthy living. Driving change and improving health defines both the role we want to play and the goal we want to achieve. This is why we exist. This is and always will be what drives us.
This ambition is more relevant than ever! The second generation has taken over from Paul and Mineke Baan and are very involved administratively and substantively. We work together and put everything we have into improving people's health. We strive to make the Netherlands and the world healthier and more sustainable through innovation and impact.
