Martin van Kaam

Real estate entrepreneur

Martin van Kaam

I buy real estate with potential and arrange the financing, together with Bas Kohlbrugge at Marbas. I started in 2013 with solar panels and have worked full time in real estate since 2024.

This page shows my work, and what happens alongside it.

Send a message See the timeline

Martin van Kaam in a dark blue shirt, outdoors in front of a brick building

What I do at Marbas

Marbas is a real estate boutique that I founded with Bas Kohlbrugge. We invest our own capital in properties with potential and stay involved after the purchase, from acquisition to management.

My part is the start. I search for and assess properties, arrange the financing and structure, and set the plan for what we will do with each one. After that I keep an eye on whether the portfolio performs as planned.

Bas turns that plan into practice: letting, returns and optimisation. We keep management close, so tenants have one point of contact and issues are picked up quickly.

properties under management
120+
lettable floor area
7,000 m²
entrepreneur since
2013

Buildings we work with

Offices, studios and workshops, mostly multi-tenant properties. A selection from the portfolio.

  • White office building Silverpoint in Almere with a brick-paved area in front

    Silverpoint

    Almere

    Multi-tenant office building. We are improving operations and transforming the building into a property with stable tenants.

  • Dark grey building De Bunker in Haarlem with a light side facade

    De Bunker

    Haarlem

    Multi-tenant building on the Tappersweg with offices, studios and workshops. In operation.

  • Blue garage door in a corrugated metal facade

    Garage units Tappersweg

    Haarlem

    Garage units next to De Bunker. Simple, stable and in operation.

More about the properties and our approach at marbas.nl.

Timeline

Work, education and what I do alongside it, in one stream. Filter by topic, or leave everything on.

    • Education

    Baken Park Lyceum

    Secondary school in Almere. My archive holds photos of the 2010 Christmas gala and a game project for computer science from March 2011.

    • Education

    The Hague University, work and study

    Higher professional education (hbo) in the dual format, combining work and study. My study documents run from 2011 to 2018.

    More about this moment

    The archive includes learning contracts and work reports from 2015 to 2017 and a progress document from June 2018.

    • Career

    MB Solar

    My first company: selling and installing solar panels.

    More about this moment

    In 2020 MB Solar was followed by Bemtech.

    • Career

    Marbas and Embeka

    I commit to full-time entrepreneurship. Marbas is founded, and Embeka starts providing property management and maintenance for housing associations.

    • Career

    Bemtech and a building of our own

    Bemtech takes over from MB Solar. For its premises I buy the commercial building on the Bolderweg.

    • Career

    Argonweg

    Marbas buys the building on the Argonweg, where Embeka used to rent.

  1. View over a green mountain valley under a cloudy sky
    • Travel
    • Cars and bikes

    By motorbike from Graz to Kotor

    A motorbike ride through the Balkans with two travel companions, from Graz to Kotor.

    More about this moment

    A few photos from along the way: coastal roads, mountain valleys and a forest track.

    • Education

    Category C driving licence

    From August 2023: registration, medical check and driving lessons for the category C licence, the licence for lorries.

    • Career

    Fully focused on real estate

    The portfolio is valued and refinanced. From then on I focus entirely on real estate.

    • Cars and bikes

    JapFest, TT Circuit Assen

    Tickets for JapFest, the meeting for Japanese cars and bikes at the TT Circuit Assen.

    • Travel

    Kyrgyzstan

    A trip to Kyrgyzstan.

    • Sports

    City Skydive

    Four flights in one evening at City Skydive.

  2. Dark grey building De Bunker in Haarlem
    • Career

    De Bunker, Haarlem

    Purchase of the multi-tenant building on the Tappersweg. A short-term venture financing came first, followed by the valuation and refinancing.

  3. Black Porsche Cayman on a dyke at sunset
    • Cars and bikes

    Porsche Cayman

    My black Porsche Cayman, here at sunset on a dyke.

  4. White office building Silverpoint in Almere
    • Career

    Silverpoint, Almere

    Purchase of Silverpoint with venture capital. The building is being transformed and fitted with stable tenants.

    • Travel

    Morocco

    A trip to Morocco in January 2026, with a rental car.

    • Sports

    NN Marathon Rotterdam

    Registered for the Rotterdam marathon on 12 April 2026.

    • Travel

    London

    A trip to London on 8 May 2026.

    • Education

    Small boat licence

    In June 2026 I signed up for the Klein Vaarbewijs 1 and 2 exams, the Dutch small boat licence.

    • Sports

    Guide runner with Running Blind

    In September 2026 I signed up as a guide runner with Running Blind.

    More about this moment

    Running Blind brings blind and visually impaired runners together with sighted guide runners.

    • Sports
    Planned

    Challenge Almere-Amsterdam triathlon

    Registered for the Challenge Almere-Amsterdam triathlon on 11 September 2027.

Some moments are still short. The timeline grows over time.

Acquisition profile

Marbas looks for real estate with potential, including off-market opportunities.

Entry point
from about €1 million
Focus
€3 to €12 million

What we look at

  • Multi-tenant properties
  • Portfolios
  • Properties with vacancy
  • Off-market opportunities

Do you have something that fits, or want to think it through first? Feel free to send me a message.

Want to get in touch?

Send an email, or see where else you can find me.

mail@martinvankaam.nl

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