The Prospector

The problem

Your organization lacks up-to-date local knowledge before designing a programme or starting a project in the Middle East. Your company lost valuable time after cooperating with a poorly chosen partner. You are planning to start operations in a new country and need reliable information, contacts, or in short, you need a reality check.

The Prospector can help you save time and money. We are an interdisciplinary and independent guild of journalists and specialists based in Europe and the Middle East. The Prospector advises and provides services to impact investors, grant making funds and foundations, (non)-governmental organizations and media.

Together we represent decades of experience in the region. The Prospector’s strength and success lies in our extensive and diverse networks. We cooperate with creative talented pioneers because they play a key role in positive change and building trust in this volatile region.


Focus

The Prospector offers expertise on a wide range of topics, with a focus on the creative industries – media, arts and culture – in the Middle East.

We collaborate with carefully selected (investigative) journalists, researchers and social entrepreneurs on the ground. Through this finely meshed network, The Prospector can for example promptly compile an overview of the newest initiatives in the design world, deliver an accurate report on the local media situation or an up-to-date mapping of the cultural sector, and provide direct access to local specialists.

The Prospector’s intelligence can be used as input for programme and proposal development, we help finding candidates for donors, funders and investors, we advise and provide solid background information before you start doing business.

Research

We advise on a specific sector, organisation or business. We can provide factual information, briefings, mappings and profiles.


Keeping track

We scout, coach and evaluate current or new partners and projects. With a focus on coaching start-ups and SME's.


Discussion and dialogue

We organise expert meetings with professionals in the Middle East (live or via Skype). This enables our clients to have direct and reliable access to local knowledge.


Monique Doppert is the founder and director of The Prospector. Currently she works as a business coach and advisor in the cultural sector.

Before she was project officer at the development agency Hivos and responsible for the partner portfolio digital media and arts&culture in the Middle East. Monique has a background in journalism has contributed with articles about internet related topics in national and specialist weekly magazines and newspapers. She worked for Hivos as well as for Hivos Impact Investments.

She has written a few books, among others one about the history of Internet in the Netherlands (Internetpioniers). She also wrote the longread Bassel, behind the screens of the Syrian Resistance about a talented IT-programmer and entrepreneur who established a co-working space in Damascus; before the revolution in Syria started in March 2011.

The members of the advisory board are Francesca de Châtel, Margreet van Doodewaard, Arthur Steiner, Caroline Brummelhuis. They are advising The Prospector on contacts and market and policy developments.

Do you have a suggestion, idea, remark or question? Please do not hesitate to get in touch and drop us a line.