Sophie Heijenberg

🚀 57% of our investments are certified B Corp! We just added 2 to the mix: #Untamed | B Corp™ and #KoRo! At Five Seasons Ventures, we do as we preach, so we are also B Corp certified ourselves. Even though the label is far from perfect, it certainly has its advantages: - Fast growing community: from 1.2k certified companies 10 years ago to over 9k today. - Trusted and recognized by consumers and investors - Holistic approach: B Corp offers a comprehensive framework, recognizing companies that prioritize ESG, but also giving companies extra points if their products "promote the health and wellness of individuals" or "reduce toxins or pollution" for example (aka impact) According to our head of Impact Gaetan Kerloc'h: 'there is a strong correlation between certified companies and my own evaluation of their sustainability practices. With the new framework currently in development, I believe this alignment will only grow stronger.' 💚

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This Monday, I kicked off a project to validate the Dutch market for Metris Energy, a London-based startup that’s reshaping solar asset management. Backed by VCs Octopus Ventures and AENU, Metris is building a powerful new platform that addresses a pain point in the solar industry. 🌞 Currently, many PPA funds and solar asset managers rely on Excel for tracking and reporting - a method that’s often slow, inefficient, and difficult to scale. 🐢💻 Metris is solving this problem with its software, automating key processes like monitoring, reporting, billing, and payments. Making solar asset management faster, easier and scalable. 📈⚡️ ️ With 240+ sites already live in the #UK, Metris is now looking to expand into new markets. And that’s where I come in. Over the next weeks, I’ll be: - Validating market demand - Assessing needs to support a potential entry 🇳🇱 Through targeted interviews and research, we aim to confirm a potential product-market fit and identify essential features for a potential launch. So, do you know anyone in the #solar asset management space? If so, tag them below or send me a DM - I’d love to connect! 💬

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🦄 Are you following Survival to Thrival on Linkedin? We’ll be sharing excerpts (like the one below) from 𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡 and 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝘽𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 that you won't want to miss out on. "Building an enterprise startup from an idea on a whiteboard into a sustainable industry-leading business is every entrepreneur's dream. The Survival to Thrival series delves into the critical stages of building a successful enterprise, mirroring the journey depicted in the graphic above. Every startup journey goes through distinct stages - from figuring out the Founding Idea and early product, to figuring out Go-To-Market and driving growth, all hoping to build a sustainable valuable business that fulfills the mission. Yet, it’s insanely hard. It requires the right idea, the right people, painful setbacks, intense learning— and an immense amount of work and a good dose of luck. Book one’s four main themes: • 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁: For enterprise entrepreneurs maniacally focused on their current major startup milestone, practical advice from the battlefield to help win now and anticipate what’s next along the path from initial startup idea to sustainable industry leader. • 𝗧𝗵𝗲 “𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸” 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵: Go-ToMarket Fit. Product-Market Fit is a well-known and incredibly important milestone for enterprise startups, but for enterprise startups, PMF doesn’t unlock growth. There is a missing link that doesn’t really have an identity, yet it’s very real and very important. We call it Go-To-Market Fit. • 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: Once a startup achieves GTM Fit, it’s no longer about Survival; it’s about Thrival. Everything changes. Execution changes. Mindset changes. Investors change. It’s maddening and really hard. Much of what used to work no longer works. The very things that used to work for the startup now hold it back. • 𝗗𝗮𝗺𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼, 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁: The enterprise startup journey is fraught with painful situations, difficult changes, and situations for which there is just no good answer." Want all the info now? Both books are available for FREE download here: https://lnkd.in/gCWWH48 #EnterpriseStartup #GoToMarketFit #Entrepreneurship #StartupJourney #BusinessGrowth

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VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 2) 8. Monica Molenaar and Anne Fulenwider's Alloy, a healthcare startup focused on menopause care, has raised $16 million in its Series A round led by Kairos HQ with participation from PACE Healthcare Capital, Emmeline Ventures, and Amboy Street Ventures. Alloy aims to expand further after moving from profitability to growth. https://lnkd.in/eF67upAy 9. Jorge Mazal’s Outsmart College, a still-stealth-mode edtech company co-founded by former Duolingo executives, has raised $13M in seed funding led by Khosla Ventures. The company is focused on tackling affordability in higher education, and has garnered additional support from Karman Ventures, Latitud, and Lightspeed. https://lnkd.in/enHyrUiq 10. LAKE (LAK3), led by a team in Geneva, has secured $12.4 million to reshape the global water economy through blockchain technology innovation. The round saw participation from investors like EMB Ventures, Artaize Invest, and MSM family office. https://lnkd.in/e7yz2H_6 11. MIND, a Seattle-based data protection startup, has raised $11 million in its seed round led by YL Ventures. The company is working to develop technology that helps mitigate data risks for prominent clients like Guild, Akamai, and Lionbridge. https://lnkd.in/eGv8-CrC 12. Dr.-Ing. Dennis Michaelis's GEMESYS , a European AI hardware startup, has raised €8.6 million ($9.15 million) in its pre-seed round led by Amadeus APEX Technology Fund and Atlantic Labs. NRW.BANK, Sony Innovation Fund, and Plug and Play Tech Center also participated in this round. https://lnkd.in/exZGicHt 13. Matthias Auf der Mauer and Christian Hardenberg’s juna.ai, a company focused on optimizing manufacturing processes for heavy industries, has raised $7.5M in a seed round with backing from Kleiner Perkins, Norrsken VC, and John Doerr. The Berlin-based startup aims to enhance energy efficiency and reduce waste through advanced technology. https://lnkd.in/eXf7j2A5 14. David Rigterink's Cytomos, a cell analysis technology company, has raised £5 million ($6.36 million) to scale its platform. The round was backed by ARCHANGELS, Old College Capital, Scottish Enterprise, and the British Business Bank. https://lnkd.in/edwWYiEz

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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞’𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬? According to Innovation Origins, it is! A recent analysis by Dealroom.co reveals that our country boasts an impressive 14.9x ratio between ecosystem enterprise valuation and venture capital investments over the past decade. Additionally, Dutch startups secured 2.4 times as much late-stage funding compared to the same period last year. This capital efficiency and diverse investment landscape signal robust growth and innovation for the Dutch tech ecosystem. It’s an exciting time to be part of the Dutch tech sector! What are your expectations for the Dutch tech sector in the coming years? Read the full publication by Innovation Origins here: https://lnkd.in/eTxGZwcK #innovation #tech #startups

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Driving innovation together: How startups and corporates collaborate at HLTH Europe Gabor Heltovics, CEO of SERDA therapeutics, will be speaking at the upcoming HLTH Conference in Amsterdam at the NLC Pavilion. Gabor will be sharing his insights fostering collaborations between startups and corporations. Session highlights: 🌱Benefits for startups: -Mitigating market entry barriers: Strategies to navigate and reduce obstacles that prevent new healthtech startups from entering the market. -Mitigating reimbursement challenges: Tips on how startups can manage and overcome the complexities of the healthcare reimbursement landscape. 🌱 Benefits for corporates: -Externalized innovation: How partnering with startups can bring fresh, innovative ideas and solutions to established corporations. -Pipeline building: Insights on leveraging expertise from the world’s leading R&D organizations to build effective and productive innovation pipelines. 🌟 Visit us at NLC’s pavilion! 🌟 Meet us at the NLC Pavilion during the HLTH Conference. This is an exciting opportunity to discuss potential collaborations, find out how the NLC is influencing the future of health technology, and find out how startups and corporations together can overcome obstacles when bringing scientific discoveries to market. 📅 Mark your calendar! Catch Gabor's session on 19th of June from 16:00 - 16:15 at the NLC Pavilion to learn more about strategies that empower healthtech ventures to thrive in complex markets. #NLC #HLTHEurope #Startups #Corporates 

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**FuelCellsWorks Exclusive: How Brineworks Is Making E-Fuel Production More Affordable** Amsterdam-based startup Brineworks has recently secured €2 million in funding, led by VC firm Pale blue dot, to drive down the cost of e-fuel feedstocks. This investment highlights the growing confidence in Direct Ocean Capture (DOC) technology and its potential to transform the e-Fuel arena. Brineworks' seawater electrolysis technology enables sustainable and affordable extraction of CO2 and H2 from the ocean. This is key for achieving large scale e-Fuel production and decarbonizing highly emitting industries like maritime and aviation. The startups' recent seawater electrolyzer developments have set a new standard for CO2 extraction, with a clear path to under $100 per ton, compared to $230 – $630 per metric ton of CO2 for Direct Air Capture according to the International Energy Agency. "Current CO2 capture methods, whether from industrial sources or Direct Air Capture, are either not sustainable, too limited in scale, or too costly," said Gudfinnur Sveinsson, CEO of Brineworks. "Brineworks offers an alternative that is sustainable, scalable, and cost-effective, making e-Fuel scale-up for the maritime and aviation industries a real possibility." Brineworks' seawater electrolyzer provides a clean, decentralized, and self-sufficient energy solution, capable of powering engines without relying on the grid or being affected by geopolitical conflicts over fossil fuel supplies. This is true energy sustainability. "What if any nation in the world could make sustainable oil from renewable electricity and seawater alone? We think Brineworks found the key to that," added Hampus Jakobsson, General Partner at Pale blue dot. This new investment will help Brineworks, co-founded by Gudfinnur Sveinsson and Dr. Joseph Perryman, accelerate its technical development and will be key to deploying its first technical pilot project. Read more here: https://fcw.sh/keD6gg #FuelCells #Hydrogen #Electrolysis #RenewableEnergy #Sustainability #EFuels #DirectOceanCapture #ClimateChange #Decarbonization #GreenTechnology #EnergyInnovation

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We are excited to welcome TRACT to the Working Capital Fund portfolio! Fragmented sustainability data is a chronic pain point for corporations seeking to operate ethical and sustainable supply chains and Tract offers a unique opportunity to influence sustainability reporting at scale across commodities with well documented risks of labor exploitation. Historically siloed data has obfuscated visibility into labor and environmental conditions of upstream suppliers and forced suppliers to allocate an extensive amount of time filling in redundant forms.  Tract is positioned to help solve this problem as a platform designed by and for industry leaders to align around standardized methodologies, metrics, and schemas. Under the expert leadership of CEO Allison Kopf, Tract will aim to unlock customers' ability to navigate, oversee, and share sustainability data. We are pleased to join Rabo Investments along with existing investors Cargill, Louis Dreyfus Company, ADM and Olam in the effort to drive supply chain transformation in key agricultural commodities. 

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Exciting to see the growing landscape of early-stage climate tech investors supporting Dutch and European startups! Connect with these any many more investors (700+) for free on the Startup Fountain website. (Feel free to tag any climate startup that is raising in the comments) This investor map from Startup Fountain highlights over 60 firms and angels investing €50K-€5M in climate solutions. Key players include: • 4impact VC • ABN AMRO Sustainable Impact Fund  • ASIF Ventures • Cottonwood Technology Fund • Energy Transition Fund Rotterdam Many anonymous angels are also active in this space. The diversity of investors - from corporate VCs to university-linked funds - shows the momentum building in climate tech. Founders working on climate solutions in the Netherlands and across Europe, there's capital out there to support your vision! Let's connect if you're working in this space. #ClimateInvesting #StartupFunding #Sustainability #DutchStartups Jorn Eiting van Liempt Eline de Haan Sybo Zijlstra Elizabeth Kleinveld Dorus Olgers Victor Straatman Tommy Hurley Claire Tange Joyce Houterman Abdul Afridi Alex Menn Martin Schreurs Sem Foreman Stefan Bary Thorsten Wittmuetz Emily Kegels Therese Angel François-Xavier Fanard Bart van den Heuvel Filip Celen Rob Haenen Alain le Loux Andy Lurling Max Schalow 👨‍🚀 Chingiskhan Kazakhstan 🤠"

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💰 Mental Health startup Meela has raised €2.6M in seed funding for its patient-therapist matching platform. The round was led by Dutch venture capital firm Peak with participation from The Inner Foundation, Unconventional Ventures and Calm/Storm. 💬 "Meela needs to exist in the world. I come into this space as a patient myself. I know what it feels like to meet the wrong therapist for you. So for me, it feels important, and urgent to make sure we can help as many people as possible." Tiffany Boswell, Meela Founder & CEO #health #healthcare #healthcareinnovation #digitalhealth #virtualcare #mentalhealth #brainhealth #therapy #cbt #investment #startup #vc #venturecapital #inveestor #sweden #europe #femhealth #femalfounder

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Rubio Impact Ventures has shown that social impact and financial returns can go hand in hand, and Geri Stengel (Forbes) recently spotlighted this journey, featuring our founders, Willemijn Verloop and Machtelt Groothuis. I'm proud to be part of a team that challenges the status quo—linking 100% of carry to measurable #impact, fostering a gender-diverse team, and showing that impact-focused businesses can thrive financially. This article highlights not just our achievements, but also the bold choices and lessons learned along the way. It’s a testament to how venture capital can deliver results for people and planet. 🌍 Curious to learn more? Check out the full interview in #Forbes (link in comments) Warner Philips Ilonka Jankovich Edward van der Hout Eline de Haan Helmer Schukken Charlie Macdonald Ata Şenkon Kirstin Valkonet Talita Ferguson Tijl Hoefnagels 👉 Let's keep pushing boundaries in impact investing. #impact #impactinvesting #venturecapital #forbes #teamrubio #finance

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ASIF Ventures is a venture capital fund that primarily invests in startups founded by students and recent graduates. They provide funding ranging from €25K to €100K to support these startups from the beginning. ASIF Ventures is based in Startup Village, Amsterdam. The investors have a lot of requirements that need to be fulfilled before funding a startup. These include: At least 50% of the founding team needs to be a student (MBO, HBO, WO, Masters, PhD) or a recent graduate (less than 2 years of graduating). The startup needs to be located within the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. The startup needs to abide by Dutch law and not engage in any illicit activities.

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VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 3) 15. Vince Vissers's Firsty.app, a telecom startup, has raised €5.1 million ($5.4 million) from Speedinvest, DFF Ventures (Dutch Founders Fund), and prominent angel investors like Marcel Smits. The company aims to provide free mobile data globally, with coverage already expanded to 150 markets. https://lnkd.in/e5S8p79H 16. Socium, a Senegal-based HR-tech startup led by a team of innovators, has secured $5 million in seed funding led by Breega. The company plans to expand its AI-powered HR and payroll automation platform across more Francophone African countries. Partech, Orange Ventures, Chui Ventures, SONATEL, Outlierz Ventures, ⚡ SUPER CAPITAL ⚡, Evolem, and Techmind also participated. https://lnkd.in/ejNF6mrg 17. Benedikt Heuer's IonKraft, a spin-off from RWTH Aachen University specializing in plasma-based barrier coatings, raises €3.5 million ($3.81 million) in equity funding from M Ventures , TechVision Fund, and HTGF | High-Tech Gründerfonds to scale production for market entry. https://lnkd.in/eXK_JdiS 18. Greg Glass’s Fanstake, a fan engagement platform focused on athlete recruitment through NIL deals, has raised $3M in a pre-seed funding round led by Susa Ventures and Will Ventures. The platform aims to disrupt the sports industry by allowing fans to participate in athlete retention efforts. https://lnkd.in/epR3RmRk 19. Kelly Klifa's Heim, a healthcare technology company, has raised £2.2 million ($2.80 million) in seed funding led by Heal Capital, with participation from Form Ventures, Portfolio Ventures , and Houghton Street Ventures. The company aims to deliver healthcare services more efficiently at patients' homes. https://lnkd.in/eD2C-SW4 20. Bavovna AI, a Ukrainian startup led by innovators in autonomous navigation systems for drones, has raised $2.7 million to scale production. Presto Tech Horizons led the round with participation from Network VC, Allied VC, and other private investors. https://lnkd.in/eDhr68ke 21. Serviceform, active in Automotive and Real Estate tech, has raised €2.45 million ($2.65 million) from Virta Equity, BackingMind, Gorilla Capital, and angel investor Lasse Järvinen. The company is looking to expand into additional verticals and M&A opportunities. https://lnkd.in/ewkszYGc

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Who says panels can be done only seated? 😄 At the Zero One Hundred Conferences (PE & VC Platform) in Amsterdam today we can see this is not the case. When it comes to Strategic Investment in Longevity, investors don’t only talk the talk, but walk the walk. 💯 Moderated by Bill Liao (SOSV Investment), the panelists Alex Colville (age1), Amol Sarva (LifeX Ventures), Marc P. Bernegger(Maximon - The Longevity Company Builder) and Stephanie D.(Lifespan.io (Lifespan Extension Advocacy Foundation)) shared that: 📍Longevity has became a hot topic in the 12 months because there are more funds available for such opportunities; 📍There are many low hanging fruits for VCs in longevity and more will come in the near future; In conclusion, longevity is something everyone is interested in and the demand is massive. The future is bright. 💥 Thank you Zero One Hundred Conferences (PE & VC Platform) for having us here as media partners! #longevity #startupinvestors #conference

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#KLM #ZeroAvia KLM and electric aviation solutions startup ZeroAvia announced plans for a zero-emissions demonstration flight using hydrogen-electric engines powered by liquid hydrogen. The test flight plans come as a series of initiatives are underway to target rapid aviation sector decarbonization, such as electrified propulsion or sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Hydrogen, however, is viewed by some in the industry as a more promising long-term solution, given its potential to be produced through carbon-free methods, and its energy attributes. https://lnkd.in/dSZtA6CF

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#KLM #ZeroAvia KLM and electric aviation solutions startup ZeroAvia announced plans for a zero-emissions demonstration flight using hydrogen-electric engines powered by liquid hydrogen. The test flight plans come as a series of initiatives are underway to target rapid aviation sector decarbonization, such as electrified propulsion or sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Hydrogen, however, is viewed by some in the industry as a more promising long-term solution, given its potential to be produced through carbon-free methods, and its energy attributes. https://lnkd.in/dSZtA6CF

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Innovation Industries Raises €500 Million For Investments In Deeptech. Dutch venture capital fund Innovation Industries has raised €500 million for its third fund, which focuses on financing deeptech companies in the Benelux and Germany. The fundraise was oversubscribed. Earlier this year, Innovation Industries also raised €100 million for another fund, the Strategic Partners Fund, which invests in scale-ups from the existing portfolio. This brings the total raised capital for this year to €600 million. Investors in the third fund include PME pensioenfonds and Pensioenfonds Metaal en Techniek ( PMT ). These pension funds have also invested in Innovation Industries' earlier funds. The fund also includes pension funds PME pensioenfonds, Pensioenfonds Metaal en Techniek ( PMT ), bpfBOUW, Pensioenfonds ABP, Pensioenfonds KPN, and Pensioenfonds TNO. Additionally, investors in the fund include ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Athora Netherlands, Rabobank, Oost NL, Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM), Invest-NL, InnovationQuarter, European Investment Fund (EIF), KfW Capital , and Wachstumsfonds. "Investing in deeptech is very attractive from various perspectives. Nevertheless, deeptech companies still face significant challenges in raising capital," says Nard Sintenie, partner at Innovation Industries. "With our third fund, combined with the Strategic Partners Fund, we are taking an important step in addressing this issue for Dutch deeptech companies." Harm de Vries, partner at Innovation Industries, stated, "We are very pleased that in addition to pension funds PME and PMT, other pension funds are now also participating in our fund. We share a long-term vision with these pension funds, combining good financial returns with a contribution to the future resilience of the Dutch deeptech ecosystem. With currently around €900 million in capital under management, we will serve as a magnet for groundbreaking technologies in Europe." "Our team currently operates from offices in Amsterdam and Eindhoven. Soon, we will add an office in Munich," explains Chris Sonnenberg, partner and co-founder of Innovation Industries. "With a solid European presence, we can identify the best technology companies and thereby strengthen the competitive position of the Netherlands," he adds. Innovation Industries has been active since 2017 and has investments in more than 30 deeptech companies. An example is Nearfield Instruments , a spin-off of TNO that develops advanced measuring machines for the semiconductor industry. Companies in the portfolio have als obeen sold, such as Luxexcel - 3D printed lenses, which was acquired by Meta (the company behind Facebook) in 2021. INGEN HOUSZ (Loes Mensink) advised Innovation Industries setting up the fund.

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💡€2M Fund Launched for Dutch Early-Stage Tech Startups 🚀 A group of six seasoned entrepreneurs and angel investors have joined forces to launch the Dutch Operator Fund I, a €2M fund focused on software, SaaS, and circular economy startups. With investments ranging from €75K to €200K, they’re addressing the gap in pre-seed funding in the Netherlands. 💬 “For many institutional investors, early-stage investing is considered ‘too early,’” says co-founder Geert-Jan Smits “We aim to change that.” 🌱 With 30 companies built and 13 exits between them, this team offers more than funding—they bring invaluable networks and experience to founders. 💭 A question for the team at Dutch Operator Fund-How do you aim to empower founders to scale beyond the Dutch market? Geert-Jan Smits Quinten Selhorst Rutger Teunissen Sjoerd van Berkel #fund

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