Our (hi)story

In the world we live in today, innovations and breakthroughs are key parts of culture. The initiators of The Owls, have been thinking about researching what made innovations successful and writing a book about that.

In 2011, the social entrepreneurs and impact investors Pieter de Rijcke of De Hoge Dennen, Paul Baan of the Noaber Foundation together with Henk van den Breemen launched The Owls Foundation to accommodate The Owls Project. The aim of the Owls Foundation was to help achieve impact for a purpose driven society by stimulating the debate on innovations and breakthrough processes through exchanging knowledge, experience and research.
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The 26 case studies in the publications Breakthrough: From Innovation to Impact were the first result of The Owls Project. The two volumes of the books are intended to be a contribution to an ongoing discussion on innovations and breakthroughs, and by doing so helping to establish stimulating environments for innovation and a more purpose driven society. Over a hundred men and women in the field of business, diplomacy, geo-politics, philanthropy, economics, media, agriculture, logistics, technology, circular economy and healthcare wholeheartedly volunteered their contributions.

The Owls has been sharing the knowledge and experience gained by The Owls Project through a number of channels like presentations and meetings with small selected groups. The meetings were seized to present the publications and to discuss the opportunities of The Owls approach: The Owls Breakthrough Method©. To apply The Owls Breakthrough Method© even better, practical tools were developed.

Our logo – a story of innovation, coincidence and cooperation

The Owls’ logo is a contemporary take on an iconic design of British designer C.F.A. Voysey, one of the leading figures in the Arts and Crafts movement. All the lines in the design flow from the older owl, a seasoned professional, towards the next generation representing the flow of knowledge and experience in innovations and breakthroughs from one to the other.

Before the original design could be used, consent of Voysey’s descendants was needed. But how to contact them? As it happened, Field Marshal Lord Peter Inge, one of The Owls’ advisors from the very beginning, was a class mate of Voysey’s great grandson. He arranged for a letter of consent from Mr. John Voysey. So, an appealing design which has stood the test of time lives on in The Owls’ present logo.