The story of Stamps
In 2021 I got diagnosed cancer for the third time in my life. As I was heading for an intensive medical journey with amongst others things 18 chemo’s, I resigned as board member communication for the Dutch Foodbanks. A painful decision as my colleagues were very precious to me. I informed my network in the app daily about my medical as well as daily experiences and emotions. I received a lot of support in return from my family, friends and colleagues. It gave me the feeling I did not have to do it alone. A feeling I want everybody to have in times like these.
Toen mijn moeder, Pien, die diagnose weer kreeg, zat ik met veel gedachten. Ik hoefde zelf dat traject niet door. Helaas, want ik zou het met liefde voor haar doen. Dat kan natuurlijk niet. Wat ik wel kan doen is steunen. Er zijn waar nodig. Maar wat is nodig? En wat voor steun waardeert ze? Wilt ze er eigenlijk wel elke keer over praten? Doordat ze dagelijks korte updates gaf, was ik op de hoogte. Het was fijn om te weten wanneer ik er kon zijn of dat minder goed uitkwam. Ook dat gevoel, gun ik iedereen.
Our mission
We want to connect people with their beloved ones during life-changing events and let them experience the power of attention.
You have to go through a medical or health journey on your own. Since you are the one that undergoes the medical treatments,. You must make the effort and have the discipline, hopefully to get better. You suffer the physical consequences.
You don't have to bear the emotional consequences alone. Family, friends but also acquaintances or (former) colleagues sympathise with you. They want to be there for you. Experience shows that if you communicate openly, you will receive a lot of sincere attention and support. Not only for yourself, but also for your family and friends. That is why it is our mission to let everyone who needs it experience the connecting power of Stamps. The power of attention. We know what it has brought us and we wish that to everyone.
Our core values
Openness
In deze tijd is transparantie volgens ons een voorwaarde voor elke organisatie. In ieder geval voor ons. Wij geloven in de kracht van open communicatie. We zullen daarom transparant zijn over onze doelstellingen, partners en salarissen.
Truthful
We are aware that there will be difficult moments. We hope to motivate our users to communicate truthfully about their feelings and emotions.
Togetherness
Together we are stronger. By sharing experiences with your network, you will experience their support. Although you have to undergo your medical journey yourself, you don’t have to feel alone. Experience and research teach that openness connects.
Safety
We guarantee a safe environment in the app. Users can trust that they can share their experiences and emotions safely. It’s up to users who they invite to read their updates.
Our social enterprise
Stamps' main goal is to create impact, which is why we made Stamps a social enterprise. We want to connect as many people as possible who are going through a difficult time, for example due to illness or grief, with their loved ones. We do this in two ways: currently only through the Stamps App and eventually through our charity policy.
Social entrepreneurs like to say: think social, act business. Making a relevant impact is as important as making a financially healthy result. Stamps is a member of socialenterprise.nl. Read more about social entrepreneurship and the conditions to become one on their website.
Our team
Tess van Logtestijn
Co-founder
Graduate in psychology and (business) economics. Passionate about people, behaviour, and design. Works hard daily to improve Stamps and understand users' needs as much as possible.
Pien de Ruig
Co-founder
Years of experience in marketing and communications gained at corporates, SMEs and charity organisations. Gets energy from talking to externals; be it Stamps users and ambassadors, funds or media contacts.
Kristel van den Akker
Front-end developer
Loves technology and development. Is incredibly curious and enjoys structure. ‘This is not only how a product becomes good, this is how a product becomes bold!’
Marilou van Logtestijn
Marketeer
Komt elke dag haar bed uit om de wereld een beetje mooier te maken. Geeft onze sociale media vorm met een gezonde dosis creativiteit en gevoel voor design.
Milan Försthovel
Full-stack intern
Training at Codam almost completed, and now fully developing himself and the Stamps app. Enjoys taking on technical challenges and quickly makes his way around GO.
Niels, Ian en Bart
Tech-partners
PopupPlus is our partner in the development of Stamps. Passionate about technical and impact start-ups, they help with all aspects of development
Advisory Board
Anneke Sanderse
Former hospital management and board of directors
Paul van Logtestijn
Entrepreneur, father, husband
Caroline van der Graaf
Fundraising professional
Janine Tillema
Online retail entrepreneur, mentor
Hans Maltha
Entrepreneur, tech advisor
Our charity policy
What counts most for us is, impact first. Wij zijn een sociale onderneming. Geld is een middel waarmee we meer impact kunnen maken.
In the future, we would like to start offering some extras to the patients who use the app. Perks that also give them emotional support. Once we are out of cost, we will start giving back.
We will make the final choice in consultation with our users and our partners. They are sure to have many valuable experiences and ideas.
