Access Twente: One Alumni Connection Away

In this episode, Joe speaks with Twente alumnus Peter Huisman, an entrepreneur working at the intersection of technology, sustainability and impact in Africa. Peter studied Electrical Engineering at the UT, and his career eventually took him from the Netherlands to Malawi, Tanzania, South Africa and Uganda. Peter shares how this journey led him to help build solar company SolarNow and later to found Urban Greens, an agri-tech company exploring more sustainable ways of producing food in cities.

Along the way, Peter reflects on what it takes to build impactful and sustainable businesses in Africa, what he looks for in entrepreneurs through his work with VC fund Persistent, and how lessons from his time on the Twente campus continue to shape the way he works today.

• (00:00) - Introduction & podcast concept

In this episode, Joe speaks with Twente alumna Rebecca Chu, now an AI Learning Analyst at Docebo. Starting with her move from Taiwan to the Netherlands to study Educational Science and Technology at UT, Rebecca shares how her passion for helping people learn led her from teaching Mandarin and creating online educational content to researching virtual reality as a tool for personality assessment and building AI-powered learning systems.

Along the way, Rebecca reflects among other things on learner empathy, responsible AI, the opportunities that can come from a single LinkedIn message, and why mistakes can be one of the most valuable parts of a career journey.

• (00:00) - Introduction

In this episode, Joe speaks with Twente alumna Michelle Geerlings, now Country Director Switzerland at Flatland.  Starting from her time studying Industrial Design Engineering at UT, where she was actively involved in S.G. Daedalus and Bedrijvendagen Twente, she went on to gain international experience at TU Delft, including projects in Kenya and Japan. Michelle shares how she transitioned afterwards from a 2020 internship into opening her company's first international office in Zurich.

Along the way, Michelle reflects among other things on visual thinking, her work on human-centered AI policy, and the value of volunteering.

Here is the video version

• (00:00) - Introduction & podcast concept