Non-binding request for Milan van der Meulen
Milan van der Meulen
Entrepreneur, author, and Soly co-founder sharing insights on international growth, investment, leadership, bankruptcy, and successful comebacks.
Prefer to talk? Call +1 347 223 5128
Reasons to book Milan van der Meulen
- A refreshingly honest account of Soly's rise and fall, offering valuable insights for entrepreneurs and business leaders navigating growth.
- Practical insights into investor relations, conflicting interests, and rapid growth, drawn from an entrepreneur’s firsthand experience.
- A fresh perspective on leadership, burnout, and personal limits, inspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders to make more conscious decisions.
Non-binding request for Milan van der Meulen
Entrepreneur on Hypergrowth, Leadership, & Learning from Failure
What happens when rapid business success ends in bankruptcy? Keynote speaker Milan van der Meulen shares his journey from founding Soly with his brother at 19 to expanding the company across nine countries before its bankruptcy in November 2025. Drawing on 12.5 years of entrepreneurship and his book Ondernemers onder hoogspanning, Milan offers honest insights into hypergrowth, investor influence, leadership under pressure, and the challenges of business failure. His experiences provide valuable lessons on resilience, responsibility, and redefining success.
From Entrepreneurial Ambition to the Reality of Business Growth
Keynote speaker Milan van der Meulen knows what it takes to build an international business from the ground up and what it feels like to lose it all. As co-founder of Soly, he experienced the excitement of rapid expansion, the arrival of major investors, and the mounting pressure behind impressive business results. Drawing on his personal journey and the book Ondernemers onder hoogspanning, co-written with his brother Patrick, Milan explores how ambition, leadership, and responsibility can drive success but also create unexpected challenges.
12.5 Years of Entrepreneurship, Hypergrowth, & Hard Lessons
In 2013, at just 19 years old, Milan van der Meulen founded enie.nl alongside his brother Patrick at their kitchen table. Their mission was simple: accelerate the energy transition and make solar energy more accessible. What began as a small entrepreneurial venture evolved into Soly, an international energy company operating across nine countries. Nearly one million solar panels were installed, with annual revenue reaching approximately €200 million, according to Milan.
As the company expanded, Soly attracted tens of millions in growth capital from major investors, including Shell and Dutch pension fund ABP. Milan gained firsthand experience navigating international expansion, investment rounds, and the competing expectations of founders, executives, and shareholders. In 2015, the brothers also completed training with former US Vice President Al Gore, becoming Climate Reality Leaders.
However, behind the impressive growth, challenges were mounting. Conflicting interests, misaligned incentives, and a failed acquisition created increasing uncertainty. The relentless pressure to perform also took a personal toll, eventually leading Milan to experience burnout.
On November 25, 2025, Soly declared bankruptcy after 12.5 years in business. Rather than allowing failure to define his entrepreneurial journey, Milan chose to reflect openly on the decisions, warning signs, and leadership challenges that shaped the company's rise and fall.
Together with Patrick, he wrote Ondernemers onder hoogspanning, scheduled for publication on November 4, 2026. The book presents ten practical lessons from their entrepreneurial experiences, examining both their achievements and mistakes. Today, the brothers use their knowledge, experience, and capital to support other entrepreneurs.
Leadership Lessons from Building & Losing a Scale-Up
In his keynote, Entrepreneurship Under Pressure, Milan takes audiences behind the scenes of building an international scale-up. He explores the realities of hypergrowth, the influence of investors on business strategy, and the fine line between perseverance and knowing when to change direction.
Through honest storytelling and real-world business experiences, Milan offers practical insights into leadership under pressure, risk management, resilience, and responsible entrepreneurship.
Key takeaways for audiences:
-
Understand how rapid growth and misaligned incentives can influence business strategy and decision-making.
-
Explore the challenges of balancing competing interests among founders, management, and investors.
-
Recognize early warning signs of excessive performance pressure and burnout.
-
Learn practical lessons for managing risk, people, and capital more responsibly.
Milan's presentations can be tailored to corporate events, industry conferences, investor meetings, and leadership development programs.
Book Milan van der Meulen for Your Next Event
Milan van der Meulen brings a refreshingly honest perspective on entrepreneurship, business success, and failure. Drawing on nearly 13 years of experience building an international company, he connects personal challenges with the leadership dilemmas facing today's entrepreneurs, executives, and investors.
His keynote challenges audiences to rethink business growth, recognize their limits, and approach leadership with greater awareness and responsibility.
Book keynote speaker Milan van der Meulen for your next conference or corporate event and give your audience valuable insights into hypergrowth, leadership under pressure, resilience, and starting over. Contact us to learn more about his availability and speaking engagements.
Keynotes
Keynote by Milan van der Meulen:
Entrepreneurship Under Pressure – From the Kitchen Table to an International Scale-Up
What begins as the ambitious dream of two young brothers grows into an international energy company. Soly expands into nine countries, secures tens of millions in growth capital, and attracts major investors, including Shell and ABP. But behind the impressive success, a different reality begins to unfold. Growth becomes an objective in itself, pressure intensifies, and the interests of founders, management, and shareholders increasingly diverge. Eventually, the company faces bankruptcy.
In this compelling keynote, Milan van der Meulen takes audiences behind the scenes of Soly's extraordinary rise and fall. Through honest storytelling and firsthand experience, he explores the realities of hypergrowth, the challenges of leadership under pressure, and the personal cost of entrepreneurship, including burnout and business failure.
The presentation examines ambition, investor relations, company culture, and the fine line between perseverance and knowing when to step back.
Key takeaways:
- Gain an honest, behind-the-scenes perspective on the rise and fall of an international scale-up.
- Understand the challenges of hypergrowth and how to build a more sustainable business.
- Learn practical lessons on responsible leadership, investor relations, and decision-making under pressure.
- Recognize early warning signs and hidden risks that are often overlooked during periods of rapid success.
