URC's story is one of resilience, vision, and partnership. It all began in 2016, when a newcomer-led initiative upcycled 6,000 discarded life vests into Re-Vest Life Ribbons and took to the streets of Amsterdam on King's Day to spark conversation about the migrant crisis.

At the helm is Thami Schweichler, a social entrepreneur whose passion for combining business with social and environmental justice has been the driving force behind URC's remarkable journey. Thami's bold vision has paved the way for URC to become a leader in both the circular economy and social entrepreneurship.

Our Minds have believed in Thami and his team from the very beginning and have therefore supported URC at many decisive moments in an entrepreneurial way. They provided the necessary expertise, secured funding, and jointly refined the strategic direction. We did this from the very beginning with Makers Unite, an initiative focused on upcycling life jackets for refugees, to the high-impact United Repair Centre. The collaboration between URC and Generous Minds demonstrates the power of a shared purpose and aligned values.

URC is an inspiring example of how companies can balance profitability with a purposeful approach to global problems through local solutions.

From Makers Unite to United Repair Centre

The roots of United Repair Centre (URC) go back to Makers Unite, an initiative born in 2016 amid the European refugee crisis. Fueled by the desire to create meaningful connections and foster understanding, Makers Unite used creativity and sustainability to tell powerful stories. The organization repurposed refugee life jackets into practical products like laptop sleeves and municipal clothing containers, transforming these symbols of displacement into opportunities for awareness and impact. Besides making products, Makers Unite also focused on providing career guidance and employment opportunities for refugees and local communities, combining social integration with environmental sustainability.

Despite the initiative's early success in attracting attention and funding, Makers Unite faced challenges scaling its operations. While the B2C model had an impact, it proved insufficient for long-term sustainability and growth. Therefore, Generous Minds partnered with them to chart a new course for the organization. Together, they identified a critical need to transition from a consumer-focused approach to a B2B strategy, enabling Makers Unite to operate on a larger, more sustainable scale.

A crucial turning point

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Generous Minds gathered its network of legal, financial and strategic experts to support and enable the transformation:

• Legal support: Legal partners at BVDV intervened on a no-value-no-pay basis to resolve challenges and ensure the continuity of Makers Unite's activities.

• Financial expertise: Interim CFO Kees Boot developed a robust operating and cash flow model to ensure the long-term viability and sustainability of the organization.

• Subsidy success: Generous Minds advisor Jean-Pierre Houtkoop secured essential subsidies that provided operational financing.

• Funding support: Ronald Beuk guided Makers Unite in aligning its mission with a sustainable B2B business strategy, thereby helping attract impact-focused financiers such as the Rabo Foundation, DOEN Foundation, DOEN Participations, and Parrot Eyes.

The combined efforts of this team enabled Makers Unite to transition from a foundation to a for-profit social enterprise. This shift not only stabilized the organization financially, but also laid the foundation for its evolution into United Repair Centre (URC) - a scalable and impactful solution to the fashion industry's growing need for circularity.

The start of United Repair Center

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Building on the solid foundation laid by Makers Unite, United Repair Centre (URC) was established as a separate legal entity and organization, a for-profit social enterprise designed to address the fashion industry's dual challenges of waste reduction and social inclusion. In partnership with Patagonia and supported by the Amsterdam Economic Board, URC positioned itself as a premier repair service for global fashion brands. This new identity allowed URC to scale its operations and further its mission to make clothing repair an integral part of the fashion value chain.

To realize this ambitious vision, significant investments were required. Under the guidance of Generous Minds, URC successfully raised €1.8 million from a diverse group of investors, including ROM InWest, Start Foundation, Fair Capital Partners, Social Enterprise NL, and Oranje Fonds. This funding enabled URC to establish a state-of-the-art repair center in Amsterdam, a model for socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable entrepreneurship.

Expansion to London

In 2023, URC took a bold step towards becoming Europe's largest clothing repair service by expanding its operations to London. This milestone marked the organization's first international venture and underscores its commitment to providing local solutions that minimize environmental impact. The necessary €300,000 in funding was secured by Ronald Beuk and Jurek Hryniuk, in partnership with British impact funders the Fredericks Foundation, Treebeard Trust, The Dixon Foundation, and Trust for London. This will enable URC to repair more than 10,000 garments in central London by the end of 2024. This expansion aligns with URC's strategy of working closely with local brands and communities to reduce carbon emissions from clothing transportation.

The London repair centre represents more than just a geographical expansion: it reflects URC's ability to replicate the successful Amsterdam model in new markets.

Expansion of Europe

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The expansion into the UK provided a blueprint for URC's rollout across Europe in the coming years. To realize this next phase of growth, Generous Minds was again asked to support the financing needed to make this possible. In November 2025, we will celebrate a successful €3.2 million investment round to expand URC to France, Germany, and Italy, starting in the heart of the fashion industry in Paris.

The investment round is a collaboration between impact-focused investors Phitrust and makesense in France and Belgium, ROM InWest in the Netherlands, and Dutch early-stage investors DOEN Participaties and Parrot Eyes .

Generous Minds guided the entire financing process: from planning and financing scenarios to outreach, managing investor relations, supporting negotiations, and closing the deal. The Minds involved were Ronald Beuk , Paul Konijnendijk ,Jurek Hryniuk , Luc de Vries , and Paul Passenier . "Generous Minds successfully brought together a network of impact investors with the right focus, relevant experience, and connections to support URC's growth. Their approach is hands-on, personal, and deeply committed, which helped build investor trust early in the process, freeing up the necessary attention to unlock URC's full potential." - Rogier de Groot and Merijn ten Thije, DOEN Ventures

Generous Minds and Parrot Eyes have been working together since the startup United Repair Centre launched in 2020. Together, we're passionate about improving our world, with Generous Minds acting as an intermediary for impact investments and strategic support, and Parrot Eyes as an investor and management provider. We're working together enthusiastically and decisively to make the world a little better. Dick van Zuijlen, founder of Parrot Eyes

Looking ahead

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Looking ahead, URC will establish local repair centers across Europe, allowing it to serve global brands while minimizing the environmental impact of its operations. This approach ensures URC remains committed to sustainability by avoiding unnecessary CO2 emissions from transporting clothing over long distances.

URC's vision: To become Europe's largest clothing repair service while maintaining its dual focus on circularity and social impact.

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A shared vision The journey from Makers Unite to United Repair Centre is a story of growth, courage, and collaboration. At its core is the strong partnership between Thami Schweichler and Generous Minds. Our shared belief in using business as a force for positive change has fueled URC's success and continues to shape its future. At Generous Minds, we are thrilled to transform what was once a bold idea into a scalable model for international impact!