In this 11th episode of Building the Dream, my co-host Gideon van Kleij and I had a conversation with Bart Lubbers, co-founder of Fastned – Europe’s fast-charging network for electric vehicles, fully powered by 100% renewable energy.

Bart shares the full story: from bootstrapping Fastned with 200 highway locations and zero capital, to growing it into a 350+ station network across Europe with €100M+ in annual revenue.

We talked about:

• How Bart and his co-founder turned a bold idea into reality – starting with nothing but timing and belief.
• Why infrastructure is really about location, and how they secured public land along highways.
• Building a mission-first company culture that prioritizes kindness, vision, and accountability.
• Raising capital from everyday investors through bonds instead of traditional VC.
• How Fastned navigates grid congestion, public regulation, and geopolitical headwinds.
• What’s ahead: scaling to 1,000 stations by 2030, entering new countries, and staying focused on long-term impact.

Bart also reflects on his earlier ventures, including Metro Holland, and lessons learned from his father – former Dutch Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers – on leadership, dreaming big, and building trust.

An inspiring and pragmatic episode for any founder building infrastructure, impact, or both!

 🎧 Listen now. This Episode is recorded in Dutch.