As we wrap up 2025, an another active year of Benelux Baltics in Business, we felt it was the right moment to share a more personal reflection with those who have supported this initiative – who have been with us since the very beginning or joinedalong the way - and helped shape what BBinB is today. This year marks an important milestone in our journey: our fifth anniversary. With this milestone, we want to look back at the foundations we have built and clearly outline our focus for the upcoming years. Since day one, our work has beenguided by a simple principle: meaningful cross-border results happen only when governments, professionals, and businesses are aligned around shared interests.
The First Five Years: Building the Foundation
Benelux Baltics in Business (BBinB) was built on trust, credibility, and long-term relationships. In the early years, close cooperation with Baltic embassies and public institutions across both the Benelux and the Baltics played a critical role. These partnerships provided access, legitimacy, and a platform to position the Baltics as credible, innovative, and reliable business partners. Over time, BBinB grew organically from a core group of Baltic professionals and business leaders living and working in the Benelux. Many had built international careers while maintaining strong ties to the region. They shared a common mindset: ambitious, internationally oriented, and willing to contribute experience, networks, and perspective. Initially, the focus was to bring people together, facilitate dialogue, and create visibility. What began as professional gatherings and knowledge exchange gradually evolved into something more practical. Companies started reaching out with concrete needs: entering new markets, finding local partners, understanding regulatory landscapes, and accessing decision-makers. Over the years, BBinB has supported dozens of cross-border initiatives. Some resulted in long-term partnerships; others led to market entry, pilot projects, or strategic introductions. Today, businesses can rely on BBinB for context, access, and execution support.
An important milestone in this journey has been academic recognition. BBinB has officially become a teaching case at Luiss Business School, used in international business education. This recognition confirms that our model is not only valuable in practice, but also relevant as a framework for understanding cross-border collaboration.
The Next Five Years: Strengthening the Economic Bridge
As Benelux Baltics in Business enters its next phase, the focus becomes more business-driven. Our roots remain in a strong professional network, but our primary role moving forward is to serve as a platform for companies and business leaders operating across the Benelux–Baltics corridor. Our cooperation with embassies and public partners will continue, with a stronger emphasis on measurable outcomes. We aim to support sector-focused business needs, innovation and technology missions, and initiatives where policy priorities align directly with business opportunities. BBinB increasingly acts as a practical link between strategy and execution. Today Benelux Baltics in Business offers clearly defined services that have been tested and proven through real success stories. These include tailored business introductions, market intelligence, strategic advisory, partner matching, and support in attracting the right talent for cross-border growth. Our professional network is evolving as well, with a stronger core of industry experts and advisors. This ensures that companies working with BBinB gain access not only to introductions, but also to insight, experience, and reliable advisory support.
What Stays the Same
While our strategy becomes more focused, our core values remain unchanged. Benelux Baltics in Business will continue to bring together forward-thinking business leaders and professionals who believe in the power of regional collaboration. We will continue building bridges in a practical way — through action, delivery, and long-term relationships rather than rhetoric. Inclusivity, creativity, innovation, and trust will remain at the heart of how we operate. We want to thank everyone who contributed this year — event speakers and sponsors, our business partners, embassies, business leaders, volunteers, and all our loyal supporters and followers. Your energy, curiosity, and generosity are what make BBinB possible.
Warmly,
Team Benelux Baltics in Business
