Over the past ten years, countless iconic Rotterdammers have taken the stage at Fuckup Nights – from politicians to architects. On Thursday, March 26, during the Week of the Circular Economy, the stage is given to circular entrepreneurs from BlueCity’s own ecosystem, ready to bare it all. What went wrong over the past decade of pioneering in the former Tropicana swimming pool? And just as importantly, what did we learn from it?
Trial and error is an integral part of entrepreneurship. With FuckUp nights, BlueCity aims to cater the innovation ecosystem of Rotterdam. It’s where stories of failed businesses are told, questioned, and celebrated.
Under the riveting moderation of Tara Lewis, four circular entrepreneurs from the BlueCity ecosystem get 10 minutes each to present their mother of all fuckups. Vulnerable and humorous stories of a business that crashes and burns, a partnership deal that goes sour, a product that had to be recalled: you name it, and someone has fucked it up. What went wrong? And what have they learned from it? After these brave humans shared their story, both moderator and audience get to fire all their questions at them during a rapid Q&A.
Success stories are interesting, but let’s face it: the real magic unfolds when blunders spice things up, making someone’s journey both entertaining and inspiring. Let’s laugh together, give the speakers a standing ovation for their bravery and learn from each other’s mistakes.
Note: this event is in English
Program
19:30 – 20:00 Doors open
20:00 – 20:15 Introduction by Tara Lewis
20:15 – 21:00 Fuckups + Q&A
21:00 – 21:20 Break
21:20 – 22:00 Fuckups + Q&A
22:00 – 22:30 Drinks
Speakers
Casper van der Meer
Better Future Factory
Casper discovered in the early stages of building a circular plastics company that – even with the backing of a major bank – enthusiasm does not automatically translate into a successful business model. A lesson that paid off: the entrepreneurial engineer has since founded several startups that combine technology, design and sustainability. With Better Future Factory, he now works for clients such as LEGO, BMW and IKEA.
Perine Fleury
Biosphere Solar
The co-founder of Biosphere Solar set out to make the solar industry circular and fair. What started as a promising master’s thesis project grew into a purpose-driven company. But five years in, the entrepreneurial journey also turned into a rollercoaster, including one painfully avoidable mistake involving a classic start-up blind spot: insurance. In her story, she shares a moment that still makes her cringe two years later – something involving imposter syndrome, a missed opportunity, and ghosting.
Linda Paeez
Rechtstreex
After a long career in the commercial corporate world, Linda Paeez resigned in 2018 to focus on work closer to her ideals. In 2024, she became Managing Director of Rechtstreex, a short food supply chain initiative, world-famous in Rotterdam. One year later, Rechtstreex was declared bankrupt. If that’s not a FuckUp…
Marjanne Cuypers
SeaWood Materials
Marjanne followed the full BlueCity trajectory with her seaweed-based panels at SeaWood Materials: from testing in the BlueCity Lab, to first production in her own unit, to scaling up beyond the building. For this special edition, she returns to tell the story of a project that epically failed. She spent months developing a new bio-based material that was sustainable, scalable and technically impressive. But in the end, the project revealed a hard lesson: in material innovation, success isn’t only about performance or sustainability – it’s about making the right strategic choices for the context and application.
