BNR Zakendoen is the entrepreneurial programme of Dutch radio. In the segment 'the Pitch', this programme devotes attention every Friday to startups and entrepreneurs looking for funding. And last Friday it was time for our own Bastiaan (founder of Potje) to take a seat at the table of presenter Thomas van Zijl! And how nice that he thought so! Was his pitch successful?! Read on to find out! 

BNR RADIO: 'Bastiaan, are you ready?!'

Bastiaan: 'Yes, I am ready! 

Imagine this... You have a group of friends, family, or colleagues, and you want to save together or raise money for something special. Think of a holiday, a team outing, or a nice group gift. Who is going to handle the money? And what do you do if someone doesn't pay? Will you chase after them? 

Groups and money. It is often a source of frustration and even conflict. That is exactly why I founded Potje. Potje helps groups to save or raise money together in a fun way. Picture a digital money pot where everyone can contribute. Choose your photo, for instance from your holiday destination, and we'll take care of the rest! 

We safely manage the money as third parties, send reminders, and provide an overview. We ensure that you have a well-filled Potje before you incur costs. 

We have only been around for a short time, but we already have more than 10,000 Potjes on our platform. That's 10,000 groups saving for their goals. 

The concept works, and we are now ready to accelerate to 100,000 Potjes!

BNR RADIO: 'We've never heard the word Potje so many times in 60 seconds?! 

34 times, I think!' 

Bastiaan: Yes, it's a very simple word, so it works well! 

BNR RADIO: 'I thought it was a good pitch, and it does solve a problem here again. This is relatable for everyone. You decide to do something together and then people have to pay in advance, but they don’t. And then you send payment requests afterwards. And you always have people who don’t pay, for example.' 

'But imagine you're going on a walking trip or cycling trip, and then those payment requests are sent. Some people won’t pay those requests. But that nice event has already taken place. If you had already pooled everything in a Potje in advance, what do you do if that Potje isn’t filled on time? Does the event not go ahead? Or does that one participant who has less money, who is struggling, get left out or what happens then?' 

Bastiaan: 'We ensure that everyone pays. In that sense, imagine you create a Potje, a savings plan, then everyone gets savings tasks. We help you step by step to reach your goal. Imagine, you’re saving monthly, you will receive a monthly reminder: Hey, in a few days it's your turn to contribute to the Potje. If you don’t, the whole group will see it. So we create a little and light social pressure.' 

BNR RADIO: 'That’s not a savings task, that’s a public shaming?!'

Bastiaan: 'Yes, and if you're late we might also send you quotes from someone like Martin Luther King: ‘The time is always right to do what is right.’ So we're really going to ensure that everyone in the group will reach their goal.'

BNR RADIO: 'It seems a bit like a sort of bank account, what is the difference with a savings account then exactly?' 

Bastiaan: 'That is really our unique value proposition. You have a checking account, crowdfunding, and in between, we find there’s a gap. And that’s for groups. In a Potje, everyone has access. So everyone can see at any time how much is in the Pot, whether any money has already been spent, who is paying on time, who is late with their payment, instead of handing it over to one person.' 

BNR RADIO: 'That's what it's about, that everyone has control and that no one can just run off with the Pot.' 

Bastiaan: 'That everyone at least knows how much is in the pot and also that we make it fun to save together again.' 

BNR RADIO: 'Who can then access that Potje? You mentioned you already have 10,000 Potjes and they all go into a big pot right? And who can access that big pot?' 

Bastiaan: 'This is, of course, regulated. Ultimately, the money is held by a foundation for third-party funds under the supervision of the Dutch bank. This means that all staff from Potje can never access the money, and you as a user can withdraw it at any moment.'

BNR RADIO: 'And what will it be distributed for? Can you withdraw it with a debit card?' 

Bastiaan: 'That’s our vision for the future. We would like you to be able to pay directly from the Potje as well. At the moment, you can withdraw the Potje, and then it goes to the account of the person who created the Potje. That person is effectively the owner.'

BNR RADIO: 'We all know stories of people sending a request for 20 cents?! Is this a solution just for the Netherlands? Because we are known for Dutch frugality. Like: Hey, I'm still owed 20 cents from you.'

Bastiaan: 'Laughs.' 

BNR RADIO: 'Are you also a financial institution with this? That means you come under the supervision of the Dutch bank and must comply with European legislation?' 

Bastiaan: 'Correct. We are not that ourselves. We have outsourced our compliance to a payment service provider. However, we do want to take steps in the future to obtain this license ourselves.'

BNR RADIO: 'I saw that you are also active in other countries within Europe? And soon in all of Europe? How is that going?' 

Bastiaan: 'Correct. We are quite active in Belgium. We have a fairly large user group there. And we have just started in France and Germany. We are still in the early stages there.'

BNR RADIO: 'And how much does such a Potje cost?' 

Bastiaan: 'We have three prices. A Potje up to 100 euros costs 2.50. A Potje up to 500 euros costs 5 euros, and everything above that costs 10 euros. It's a success fee. So if you and your friends save 5000 euros together, there will be a deduction of 10 euros at the end. So that everyone contributes.' 

Do you want to listen to the entire episode?! You can! Skip to minute 43 to hear everything from our Bastiaan!