Founder and Co-DirectorOpen Embassy
Renée Frissen is the founder and CEO of OpenEmbassy. OpenEmbassy enables data driven integration policies and solutions. They work on a just system and welcoming society for all newcomers in Europe, and the Netherlands specifically. OpenEmbassy was a winner of the MIT Solve Competition in Jordan in 2016. Renée developed the idea for OpenEmbassy while volunteering at an emergency shelter for asylum seekers in Amsterdam. Being trained as an action researcher, Renée identified an opportunity to look beyond building tools for integration, focusing instead on an evidence-based method to change the system of integration entirely. Renée studied at New York University and Humboldt Universitat Berlin, and graduated cum laude in cultural analysis at the University of Amsterdam. She has worked in the social domain for over 15 years. She has founded multiple social initiatives and is a public speaker and writer.