Start to scale. Startup and Scale-up Founder Stories.

Dervis studied Aerospace Engineering at Delft Technical University. Already in 2002 he invented an endoscopic simulator. In 2010 he became managing director of Epona medical until in 2015, he founded Medical-X, global market leader in simulation products for medical teaching and training.

In this episode, we'll cover the following topics:

• Scaling a global med-tech business;
• Managing cashflow;
• Similarities between boxing and entrepreneurship.

Links Mentioned:

• People: Dervis Demirtas, Samy Andary, Pavle Beslic, Davi Reinaldo, 
• Companies: Medical-X, TU Delft, Gladiatoren aan de Maas, StaffYou, YES!Delft, Platform Zero
• Media: Daddy Yankee - Pon T Loca
• Other: Definition laparoscopy,  Upstream Festival, Dolls AdamX & NenaSim

Sander graduated Cum Laude in Biomedical Engineering at Delft University of Technology. Where he also did his PhD and a postdoc until he co-founded his first company Virtualock in 2009 together with Jasper Schuurmans. In 2014 this lead to their second venture Mapiq, market leader in software for optimizing office space and facilities.  

Under his leadership, the company has grown tremendously over the past few years, now operating in more than 20 countries, with over 115 people on staff and with the founders of TomTom as his most recent investors.

Somehow, Sander combines this with riding a motorcycle and making time for conversations like this one today.

In this episode, we'll cover the following topics:

• Leaving academia for a risky path of entrepreneurship;
• Bootstrapping and getting the right investors on board;
• Gearing up for growth in uncertain economic conditions; 

Links mentioned:

• People: Sander Schutte, Jasper Schuurmans, Ferdinand Grapperhaus 
• Companies: Mapiq, Virtualock, TomTom, InnovationQuarter, Rinkelberg Capital, Techleap Rise, Delft Technology Partners, 
• Media: Mapiq - How to win the war for talent, Geoffrey Moore - Crossing the chasm, Robert M. Pirsig - Zen & The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance, Lars’ one-sentence summary
• Other: The Prodigy - Firestarter, KTM 690 Adventure, Jobless Growth 

Micky is on a mission to turn today's brightest students into tomorrow's workforce. 

Her first successful venture was a Harry Potter platform she built and monetized at age 7. She worked at Salesforce and IBM prior to founding Minite together with her sister Linky, in 2020.

Their story has been featured across all major media, from Quote to RTLZ and has been on stage many, including MT/Sprout best performing SaaS companies, EU startup summit most promising Early stage Startup, and Most inspiring women in tech & innovation.

Next to Minite, Micky finds the time to provide guest lectures at Rotterdam School of Management.


In this episode, we'll cover the following topics:

• Finding the ideal student job;
• Saying no to investors;
• And… about TikTok 

Links mentioned:

• People: Micky Chen, Linky Chen, Timo Groos, Zaakir Patel, Dave de Held, Marta Stachowiak-de Wit,    
• Companies: Minite, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam , TikTok, SalesForce, ACE, Erasmus Enterprise, VU, Toptal, 
• Media: Quote article
• Other: Eureka Week, Careers at Minite, BTS - Butter

Early 2020 Niels wrote an angry post on linkedin: About large platform companies who were asking for government support while generating billions in dividends. 

That message went viral - and led to a 2M crowdfunding round to create a more social alternative to hotel booking platforms. In May 2020, moonback was founded in Rotterdam.

Today, Niels is the co-founder and CEO of Moonback. The HONEST booking site, which won the Dutch Interactive Disrupter Award and NIels was voted most inspiring entrepreneur of the Netherlands. 

In this episode, we'll cover the following topics:

• A more social platform economy
• The steward ownership model
• The dos and donts in crowdfunding

Links mentioned:

• People:  Niels Meijssen, Gijsbert Koren, Bas van Abel, Dave Geensen, Mart Evers, Jelske Hondema 
• Companies:Moonback, Booking.com, Triodos, Odin, Carslberg, Purpose, We Are Stewards, de Clique, Fello, Dela, Clearmusic
• Media: Moonback’s Crowdfunding Campaign, The LinkedIn Post that started it all, Tegenlicht meetup - De ontgroeiers, Upstream Talks 2021 - Digital Transition
• Other: The initial post on LinkedIn, Niels Blog (in dutch), Book a hotel in Rotterdam via Moonback, Explanation on steward ownership, Statuten > “Articles of Association”, Moonback Legal Documentation, Meditation app Headspace, Meditation app Calm, Biergarten Rotterdam, Goldband - Ik Haat Je

Ferdinand is the CEO of PHYSEE Technologies, which he founded together with Willem Kesteloo in 2014 in a physics lab at Technical University Delft. 

PHYSEE is on a mission to make the build environment energy neutral in an aesthetic way. With success: in 2019 PHYSEE was recognized as the most innovative SME of The Netherlands, and in december 2021, the European Innovation Council recognized PHYSEEas one of the 50 best European Scaleups in Deeptech.

He made it to Forbes 30 under 30, but more importantly, he has built a strong patent portfolio, international  projects and strategic partnerships.


In this episode, we'll cover the following topics:

• The impact you can achieve with deeptech;
• Selling sustainability to a traditional industry;
• The spiritual journey of entrepreneurship

Links mentioned:

• People:  Ferdinand Grapperhaus, Willem Kesteloo, Daan van der Vorm , Boudewijn Poelmann, Sir Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Job Dura, Michael Jackson, Sam Anders jr, Sander Schutte, Lisette van der Knaap
• Companies: Physee, TU Delft, Par+, Cottonwood, Mapiq
• Media: EIC Scaling up 
• Other: Burning Man, Upstream Festival, Freebird - LYNRD SKYNRD
• Books: How to change your mind - Michael Pollan

Esther is the founder of hundo careers - dedicated to upskilling the next generation in web3 and metaverse. Esther is a Global Tech Advocate, a digital nomad and a triathlete.

Her 20+ years of experience span government, CSR, ESG, arts, culture and music. It’s impossible to summarize her achievements. Just to name a few: she is an award winning DJ/producer, Freeman of the City of London, International Woman in staffing Top 50 and part of the first all-female Decentralized Finance delegation to the European Parliament.

In this episode, we'll cover the following topics:

• Ending youth unemployment through web3
• Failing forward as an entrepreneur
• All you need to know about hiring Gen Z

Links mentioned

• People:  Esther O’Callaghan, Maurice Bakker, Ohad Gilad , Ekim Sincer, Nadiyah Rajabally, André Damian
• Companies: Hundo.Careers, Global Tech Advocates, TNLA
• Other: CareerCon, Upstream Festival, Web3, Metaverse, OBE, Ready Player
• Songs: Orbital - Belfast (Anna techno remix)

In 2006, together with Tycho van Paassen and Remy Verhoeven Wouter built VONQ - which turned out the household name for recruitment marketing - used every day by over 1000 leading companies - including over 25 Global Fortune 500s. 

In 2019 Capital D acquired a majority stake of the company, and in 2021 wouter handed over the realm to the new CEO, Arno Schafer. Now he divides his time between family, running marathons, investing in startups and… starting new ventures.

In this episode, we'll cover the following topics:

• Building, scaling and exiting VONQ
• Finding out what kind of CEO you want to be
• Investing in startups ánd in limoncello.

Links mentioned:

• People:  Wouter Goedhart, Arno Schafer, Tycho van Paassen, Remy Verhoeven, Michiel Muller, Ralph Brasker, Ilonka Jankovic, Quintin Schevernels, Lotte Welten, Paul Citroen 
• Companies: VONQ, Capital D, Oneteam, Arches Capital, Selection Lab, Qandidate, Randstad Innovation Fund, Microlab, Jordy’s Bakery, Selection Lab, Springcast
• Media: Loes Luca promo, Article: German Sex Tech innovator Einhorn raises 0,0 led by nobody.
• Other: HackYourCareer
• Books: The hard thing about hard things
• Song: Ugly Kid Joe - Cats in the Cradle

Tim Houter is the co-founder of Hardt Hyperloop. Founded in 2016, the team at Hardt is working tirelessly to disrupt the transport industry with an innovative and sustainable mode of transport. With a recent 15 Million euro grant from the European Union, they are building a new test facility in the European Hyperloop Center in Groningen. 

Tim has a background in mechanical engineering at TU Delft, where he has been on a winning streak when it comes to fast modes of transport. He spent 2 years engineering prize winning lightweight electric cars with the Universities Racing team. And in 2017, Tim and his co-founders won first prize in the international SpaceX Hyperloop competition, organized by Elon Musk. 

In this episode, we'll cover the following topics:

• The future of transport;
• Finding funding;
• Creating European Standards for Hyperloop;

Links mentioned:

• People:  Tim Houter, Elon Musk, Kees Koolen, Jacob Ruiter, Bas van Kooperen,  
• Companies: Hardt Hyperloop, European Hyperloop Center, Groningen, SpaceX, BAM, National Railways, Royal IHC, Tata Steel, Innovation Quarter, Delft Enterprises, UNIIQ, EIT InnoEnergy, Buccaneer Delft
• Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW1fg6OPkd8&t=1s, The Pneumatic Tube, Hack Your Career, Demonstration Hardt Hyperloop
• Other: Crystal Palace Pneumatic Railway, Beach Pneumatic Transit, Magnetic Levitation Train

Born in SriLanka, raised in Australia and moved to the Netherlands. Arosha spent her career in Management Consulting with PwC and with companies like DSM and TNT. After a few years of consulting organizations on employee well-being, she started Quan Wellbeing together with Lucy  Howie. Arosha is the co-founder and CEO of the first ever female-led Dutch to be accepted into Y Combinator, raising a million euros in pre-seed capital.

In this episode, we'll cover the following topics:

• The importance of employee well being for business success;
• What it’s like inside y-combinator, the world's leading startup accelerator
• Traveling… with children.

Links mentioned:

• People:  Arosha Brouwer, Lucy Howie, Julian Jagtenberg, Menno Gravemaker, Yoeri Dassen
• Companies: Quan Wellbeing, Y Combinator, PWC, TNT, DSM, Somnox, Airbnb, Doordash, Dropbox, Coinbase, 4Impact,  VENGEAN 
• Media: Quan from Jerry McGuire , Harvard Business Review - The Great Resignation 
• Other: Scale NL Accelerator into US, The Power MBA: tam-sam-som, song: Coldplay - Sky full of Stars

Pieter is a well known Dutch serial entrepreneur and investor. After founding a publishing business and two IT companies, in 2005 he started NLE together with his business partner Harald Swinkels. NLE opened up the Dutch market for utilities and soon became the largest independent energy supplier in the Netherlands. In 2018, they were acquired by NUTS group, for an undisclosed amount, of around 200 million euros.

In this episode, we'll cover the following topics:

• Disrupting markets;
• The thin line between bankruptcy and a dream exit;
• Investing in fast growing scale-ups;

Links mentioned:

• People:  Pieter Schoen, Harald Swinkels, Constantijn van Oranje, Vincent Karremans, Podcast Episodes with Charlotte Melkert and Julian Jagtenberg. 
• Companies: Dragons’ Den, Shoe Investments, NLE, Career Fever, Heineken, Unilever, Shell, VOCCP, Charlie Temple, Equalture, Somnox, InnovationQuarter, Tech Netherlands Advocates, Mega Netherlands
• Media: Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive 
• Other: Upstream Festival