Nedji Yusufova: Building a circular future

From makerspace to mission

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What started in a makerspace grew into a quest for sustainable production. While studying in Glasgow, Nedji came across 3D printing. Fascinated by the technology and the creative possibilities, she bought her first printer and began experimenting with shapes, materials and product development. After her studies, she returned to the Netherlands and settled in Delft. There, she now works on a company focused on 3D printed ceramics. She sells her work in stores, gives workshops and is researching how her company can become completely zero-waste.

A challenging entrepreneurial journey, but full of development

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Entrepreneurship is not always visible success. The first few years were mostly investment, learning and perseverance. Seven years without a steady income meant difficult choices, but also room for growth. By always staying true to her vision, she built on it. That experience also taught her the importance of daring to ask for help. She discovered that you get further together than alone: the support of others opened new doors for her, from valuable networks to opportunities for cooperation and subsidies.

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Creating structure and future-oriented thinking

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Through Delft Boost Lab, Nedji found a community where she could not only grow in content, but also learn what it takes to run a business. Think team building, planning and work-life balance. Circle Lab helps her look critically at circularity and the feasibility of her plans. New Future Lab now feels like a second home: a place where ideas are given space and shared with other creators and entrepreneurs.

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From vision to form

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For her, 3D printed ceramics is more than a product. It is a way to make technology, creativity and sustainability tangible. Currently, Nedji is focusing on deepening her 3D printing practice, with the ambition of developing a fully circular production process. She is experimenting with sustainable materials, investigating how residual streams can be reused and delving into local production chains. She also organizes workshops in which she shares her knowledge with designers, students and other curious makers. The combination of material research, digital making technology and education is the heart of her enterprise.

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"Choosing the hard way takes more time, but ultimately yields the most."

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In everything she does, Nedji stays true to her values: sustainable, honest and experimental. For her, entrepreneurship is not a straight line, but a process of making choices, looking back and making adjustments again and again. Her message to other entrepreneurs: Start. Ask for help. Keep building. And dare to do things differently from the rest, even if that means the long way around.

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Nedji Yusufova is a futurist within New Future Lab and is affiliated with the Delft Boost Lab and Circle Lab programs.