Dutch West India Company, 1621
The West India Company was founded in 1621 as a chartered company of Dutch merchants and foreign investors to trade, principally in the Caribbean, and eliminate competition from the Spanish and Portuguese. In 1631 they constructed Fort Amsterdam on Sint Maarten, starting Dutch colonisation in the region. The Company’s flag was the red-white-blue tricolour of the Netherlands with the letters GWC (Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie) on the white stripe.