ANNUAL REPORT 2007 | 2008 - Gimv

RESPONSIBLE
CORPORATE
BEHAVIOUR
Young entrepreneurs
Gimv supports various initiatives aimed at
encouraging entrepreneurship amongst young
people.
Vlaamse Jonge Ondernemingen (Flemish Young Companies –
Vlajo) wants to acquaint young students with entrepreneurship
and encourage companies and schools to join in. Gimv sponsors
Vlajo’s mini-companies. This project gives students an opportunity
to wear an entrepreneur’s coat for the duration of a school
year. Together with their classmates they set up a miniature
company and bring their own product onto the market.
Gimv also sponsors NFTE, the Network for Training
Entrepreneurship, an initiative that supports young people looking
for opportunities to become successful entrepreneurs. Via
the NFTE the young people obtain a solid basis of knowledge
of how business works and the necessary support in setting
up their own business. They can also count on continuing accompaniment
and support from NFTE.
It is the support of NFTE that enabled Miguel Garcia (Kortrijk
°1981) to realise his business dream. The young boss of
M-Interieur now manages a fl ourishing enterprise with fi ve employees
and a network of supporting freelancers with which he
cooperates structurally.
“NFTE has the know-how and the teachers to bring young talent
into bloom”; Miguel Garcia explains. “I dreamed of my own
business, but did not know how to go about it. At technical
school little attention was paid to entrepreneurship. Thanks to
the NFTE course and their support I was able to set up a business
plan and get the business up and running.”
What is M-Interieur’s core activity? “We are a painting and total
interior decoration company which provides high quality painting
and original interior design. We use exclusive and nearly
forgotten technologies in order to give interiors a unique cachet.
The VIP rooms and the business area of the Bruges football
stadium are, for example, an attractive reference for us”, Miguel
tells us.
In 2007, Miguel Garcia’s efforts were crowned with the NFTE
Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
ENTERPRISING ARTISTS
The Dutch Foundation Art Initiatives was set up in 2005 to develop
projects in which art and society can interact. The foundation
is directed at young artists seeking their way in an artistic
career. Art Partner is one initiative of Foundation Art Initiatives
that seeks to help young artists fi nd a balance between artistic
development and entrepreneurship. Through this project companies
can commit to supporting a young artist for two years
fi nancially and with advice.
Gimv and Jasper Hagenaar (www.jasperhagenaar.nl) have found
each other in Art Partner. Gimv is providing Jasper with a small
fi xed income to enable him to further develop his artistic career.
He can also obtain business advice from Gimv. Gimv helped
Jasper publish a small book on his work, not unimportant for a
starting artist. In turn Jasper produced a series of lithographs
for Gimv to distribute as business gifts. Jasper’s creative ideas
are also proving highly inspirational for Gimv.
Every year since 1981, Gimv has commissioned one or two
unique graphic works from a Flemish creative artist. These
pieces of Flemish graphic art have served as gifts to mark new
business relationships and now decorate offi ces across the
world. In 2006 the works were compiled into a book depicting
the evolution of Flemish graphic art from 1980 to 2005, from
Roger Raveel to Fred Bervoets to Sam Dillemans. Last year the
choice went to graphic artist Franky Cane, seen as one of the
greatest innovators in woodcuts in Flanders, and who in 2007
received the Louis Paul Boon prize.
Gimv also supports other cultural activities, including the
Festival of Flanders in Ghent and Leuven, the Filharmonie and
the Middelheim Museum.
| 63