In November 2009, the first TEDxAmsterdam brought together a selection of wonderful speakers, and we wanted to know what they are doing now. Lieke Voermans recently visited globetrotter Jacob Gelt Dekker in his Amsterdam canal house for a conversation about life, TEDxAmsterdam and ideas worth spreading.
Jacob Gelt Dekker is known to most people for his passion for the island Curaçao. He renovated a derelict quarter of Curacao’s historic neighbourhood of Otrabanda into a hotel and lodge. On the same premises, Dekker founded the Kura Hulanda Museum, with 10 collections describing the slave trade. This is just one of many charitable endeavours Gelt Dekker is responsible for – he founded a number of foundations in the field of science, education and culture, and is involved with projects ranging from an educational movie on ecology to scientific research to map the radiogenic heat sources in the Earth’s interior.
Gelt Dekker collected the fortune he now so widely shares through earlier business adventures – especially developing and selling chains like Splash gyms, the One Hour Super Photo service (which Kodak later purchased) and Budget Rent a Car in the Netherlands.
Inspiring, impressive, funny and intimidatingly smart.
There are many words that can be used to describe Jacob Gelt Dekker, but charismatic would be the first to come to mind after meeting this “modern day explorer with an entrepreneurial spin and above all a philanthropist.” In addition to being one of the first speakers to grace the stage at TEDxAmsterdam last year, Jacob is also a member of the TEDxAmsterdam’s Advisory Board.
Asking him how he experienced last year’s event results in an unexpected answer: “To be honest, I didn’t see much as I only stayed until the first break.” Not because it wasn’t interesting, he admits with a smile, but because he was expected elsewhere. This characterizes Mr. Gelt Dekker – always heading for the next destination, never staying in one place for long. It’s a peculiar quirk – and one reminiscent of that other Dekker – Laura (no relation) – that Jacob started traveling all by himself at the age of 12, and he has circumnavigated the globe more than 50 times.
In his TEDxAmsterdam talk last year, Jacob described how people keep heading for that pot of gold (also the title of his book), but that it can only be found through empowerment. “I wanted to give a positive speech, to empower people, to let them know that we live in a great time and that this generation has such an abundance of opportunities.” That is, if you and you alone make it happen, he added.
“Once you unify with your own self, with your pot of gold, you have this fantastic power. Suddenly, you have capital. Capital is not in the bank, you may have seen that evaporate last year, right? Capital is in you, it’s your creative powers, your ability to make something out of nothing […] That’s what you do and that’s why you’re here. You want to be empowered by us, speakers, to have permission to go do it. And I ask you to go do it! […] It starts with you. If you have a great idea, if you allow yourself to be empowered and go with that idea and expand it, the sky is the limit.”
Although he has five different places he calls home, his historical canal residence on Keizersgracht (above) is still the one place he sometimes gets sentimental about. Gelt Dekker has been fighting cancer for years, surviving more than once when no one expected him to. “Due to my illness, I have been in Amsterdam a lot lately. I bought this house as a student, and at that time nobody wanted to live on the canals. Now the city has changed so much for the better. My bike doesn’t even get stolen anymore,” he laughs. “Even though I mostly live in New York, this city still feels like coming home every time.”
Last year’s surprise speaker Rabbi Soetendorp, who touched the audience greatly with his talk about The Charter of Compassion, was brought to the event by Gelt Dekker. I asked who he would like to see on stage on November 30th this year. He mentioned two people with an intriguing story to tell. Keep an eye on this blog to find out more!
Wondering about your own pot of gold? Find Gelt Dekker’s 2009 TEDxAmsterdam talk below!
Jacob Gelt Dekker from TEDxAmsterdam on Vimeo.
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