Here for your enjoyment and interest is the story of the Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (United Dutch East India Company). Otherwise known as The V.O.C.  The VOC was the greatest trading concern in the world in the 17th and early 18th centuries, with Batavia (present-day Jakarta) as its trade center in the East Indies.  Remarkable company started by 17 remarkable Gentlemen. Also known as the “Gentlemen Seventeen” The Gentlemen Seventeen paved the trail to what we now know as the “New York Stock Exchange”