Michel Visser is the founder of 
Konnektid,the first demand-based platform of the Netherlands where people can share skills and knowledge with each other. The brand new website is the start of the next phase for Konnektid. With a large network ofWith a large network of knowledge sharers, and ‘proof of concept’ in the Netherlands, they are paving the way for the next big step: a pan-European rollout. Netherlands curator, Harmen van Sprang, got the low down.
What inspired you to start Konnektid?
In 2007, I graduated from the theatre academy. Since then I’ve been playing for several companies in the Netherlands. At one point, about two years ago, I was sitting in a tram in my hometown Amsterdam and overheard two guys. They were talking about the fact that they were rejected for a job, in their own opinion due to bad presentation skills. Hearing this, I asked myself: why isn’t it possible for them to get in touch with me to simply ask me if I could learn them something about presenting.
We are all stuck in our own bubbles. We usually only share things with people we already know. It really got me thinking: Why not open this social capital? To be able to simply ask your neighbours to teach you something. It all began in that Amsterdam tram: a network for learning, for teaching, for helping each other.
After that I also got inspired by the story of Rachel Botsman about collaborative consumption. The fact that access is becoming more and more important. And due to technology we can realize this access. We now know where people are. We can easily send out messages. And we are mobile.
The combination of these two stories created Konnektid. Knowledge is everywhere around you. So many people are walking around with their own skills. I wanted to create a tool to access all the knowledge around you.
What is going to happen the very day we are having this interview?
Today, on April 10th, we launch our new website. So I am very excited. Last year we went online with a protoype. To check if people really wanted this. To check how they would use it. With all those learnings, today we officially launch Konnektid. As of now, you are able to really send out a request. And you receive answers from people around you. You can choose one and meet up to start learning.
What was your own first experience with the sharing economy?
Apparently I was already part of the sharing economy without even realizing it. I became a member of the ‘Hospitality Club’ in 2000 or 2001: a club which enables you to open up your house and let people sleep over. This was the pre-couch surfing era. Around 2005 I started to actually do couch surfing. It really made travelling a different experience. Suddenly, I had access to places to sleep all over the world. It made me feel more like a local. And it’s really social, giving me the opportunity to meet different people from different cultures. For me this was the first experience with ‘collaborative consumption’ and it was enriching my life while travelling.
Nowadays, sharing is part of my daily life. For stuff sharing for example I use Peerby. And for the launch of Konnektid today, I use Shareyourmeal: all the food is coming from people in the neighbourhood. So even the launch is made possible by peers. It not only enriches your life. It’s social, it’s fun, it’s easier and it’s cheaper.
Where do you want to be in three years?
The mission of Konnektid is to become your ‘lifelong learning companion’. Research from the United States indicates that in 10 years, people will have 15 to 20 jobs in their career. No more life long jobs. So there’s a need for constant learning. This will only be possible when you have access to this knowledge. Knowledge which is in your pocket. Making it possible to learn everywhere. And with Konnektid, you can also track what you’ve learned. And what skills you still want to develop, by creating wish lists. You could say it’s like the Spotify or Evernote for learning.
What can Konnektid mean for the Netherlands?
We are a knowledge country. We have an economy based more and more on knowledge. A tool like Konnektid can help people to create better opportunities for themselves. Not only on a professional level, but also on a social level. Making new connections and build relationships within your own neighbourhood.
We come from a recent era based on individualism. With enormous wealth. We owned everything ourselves and built fences around our gardens. But it wasn’t making us happier as a society. Now we are moving towards a social, happier environment, due to sharing.
What is Konnektid’s business model?
Konnektid is free for peer-to-peer use. You should always be able to have access to knowledge. But there’s also a business variant for companies and conferences and events. They are in need of a tool to boost interaction within their company or their event. Konnektid enables companies to start sharing knowledge and to facilitate interaction, before, during and after. It will give a much richer experience.
What are your international ambitions?
After we launch today, we first want to boost our community in the Netherlands. From September on, we then would like to start in different European countries. Although our platform is already open for everyone. We are looking for partners and investors to enable quick scaling. And we are always looking for community hosts in different cities to start their local knowledge sharing community.
What is your advice to other startups in the sharing economy?
Start with a problem which is real for you and you are passionate about. Solve real problems for real people. And you are real. And my other advice would be to start now. Share your idea. Start small: make it work for 10 people. If it works for 10 people, it can work for the bigger mass, too.
What is your ‘promise to the world’?
Konnektid helps people to get ownership over their own education again. We empower people to grow their passions and their skills, as they like it. It’s not only fun to keep developing yourself and learn from each other, but it also contributes to your own success in both personal and professional lives.
What’s your final thought?
Inspiration doesn’t lie in what you already know but in what you are about to discover.
View Konnektid’s newly launched website here
