Voorcompagnie

A voorcompagnie (pre-company) is the name given to trading companies from the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands that traded in Asia between 1594 and 1602, before they merged to form the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The pre-companies were financed by merchants from the Northern Netherlands and rich immigrants from the Southern Netherlands. Because of the deadly competition, the government forced the smaller trading companies to unite and form the (United) East India Company. In its turn, it received the exclusive rights for the trade with Asia for the following 21 years.

History
In the seven years before the founding of the VOC, 12 pre-companies were formed:

According to Jaap ter Haar, "they were sailing the coins out of each other's pockets and the shoes off each other's feet". In total fifteen expeditions were sent between 1594 and 1601, excluding 3 troubled expeditions via North Cape (Norway).