Circle Lab: make work of your sustainable idea or venture

Circular business in the region

Circle Lab is an entrepreneurship program that actively contributes to the circular economy in the Delft region. With a focus on strengthening circular entrepreneurship, the program offers participants the opportunity to develop sustainable ideas and initiatives into viable business models. From experienced entrepreneurs to enthusiastic start-ups, Circle Lab supports anyone with a passion for circularity.

This initiative is an inspiration for policy makers who want to encourage circular thinking and promote sustainable entrepreneurship within their own region. Circle Lab is a program of New Future Lab, set up in cooperation with the Municipality of Delft and the Province of South Holland. In addition, the municipalities of Midden-Delfland, Rijswijk and The Hague have also been involved in this program.

Why this is necessary

The Municipality of Delft wants to accelerate the transition to a circular economy and sees a crucial role for collective entrepreneurship in this. The transition requires more than individual efforts; it requires an entrepreneurial mindset that collaborates on shared solutions within an ecosystem of organizations. The municipality had the desire to set up a program that enables residents and businesses to actively contribute to this mission. How can we inspire and support people and organizations to put their circular ideas into practice, while creating a sustainable network that fosters innovation and collaboration? 

How we shape this

Circle Lab offers a program consisting of multiple components, where entrepreneurs develop their circular initiatives through coaching, collaboration and case studies:

• Five collaborative sessions: During the program, participants dive into specific topics, such as circular business models, sales and marketing, or practical issues such as financing and Chamber of Commerce regulations, during five sessions. These sessions are combined with field trips to local or regional examples of successful circular initiatives and online lunch lectures by circular entrepreneurs.
• Community and Makers Lab: Throughout the program, entrepreneurs actively work on their ideas, with the support of New Future Lab's community. Participants also get access to the Makers Lab, a shed of New Future Lab, where they can store or process materials to further develop their projects.
• Circular Showdown: The program concludes with a celebratory event, the Circular Showdown, where participants present their innovations to a wider audience. This gives them a chance to showcase their ideas, receive feedback and find further support.

Circle Lab Masters

‍Since2025, in addition to the regular Circle Lab entrepreneurship program, New Future Lab also offers Circle Lab Masters: an acceleration program for SMEs (10-250 employees) in the Delft region with circular ambitions.

The program focuses on established companies that want to make their operations more sustainable or develop a new circular proposition. In an exclusive group of entrepreneurs, they work on strategy, innovation and collaboration within the circular economy. They also meet regular Circle Lab participants in a number of sessions, creating special collaborations.

Participants will have access to inspiring master classes, intervision sessions and connection to circular initiatives in the city.

What it delivers

Circle Lab successfully guided participants in developing and testing their circular ideas. During the first edition in 2024, they demonstrated how creative solutions and entrepreneurship can go hand in hand with sustainability:

• Hester of HESTAS creates bags by seeing value in leftover materials.
• Joram, Fleur and Mees of Studio Haering focus on making the festival industry more sustainable.
• Emiel of the Worm Farm encourages people to start composting, a sustainable waste management solution.
• Monique inspired others by showing how much energy it gives to especially DO rather than wait and see.
• Marijn wants to further link supply and demand of residual streams so that materials are optimally reused.
• Marjan of Repair Café is working on an innovative idea for an appliance shelter, where discarded appliances will get a new life.
• Elise of Boozed | B Corp is a leader in sustainability for physical events.
• Nawfal of Project Remod creates a sustainable and conscious clothing brand for and by young people.
• Hans from Speelgoedbank Delft has set up a store without a cash register so that every child has access to good toys.
• Merel van Sudder seeks food pioneers to collaborate on sustainable food solutions.
• Rob from Brush Bear proved that there is a demand for repairing electric toothbrushes.
• Janet of Studio Tiny Pieces calls attention to environmental issues such as the plastics soup in a unique way with her circular art.
• Jeffrey and Michael are challenging the construction world with their circular construction project.
• Sarina from Knowledgexy offers young people new opportunities and gives furniture a second life.
• Pieter, has been engaged in repairing espresso machines. 

Together, these entrepreneurs form a vivid example of how circular thinking can be put into practice. They show that sustainability and entrepreneurship reinforce each other, and that there are plenty of opportunities for innovation in the Delft region. The diversity of ideas and initiatives underlines the power of collaboration within Circle Lab, where entrepreneurs inspire and support each other to make their vision a reality.

Building the circular future together

Learn more about circular entrepreneurship through Circle Lab take a look at the website or send an email to circle@newfuturelab.nl. Join Circle Lab and contribute to a future with less waste.

Watch highlights from the Circular Showdown and find out how these entrepreneurs have contributed to the circular transition in the region.