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

By Start to ScaleBusiness Entrepreneurship

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

April 20, 2021LeQuest CEO Hicham Shatou on building a global scale-up and being a family man at the same time.
This episode features Hicham Shatou, Founder and CEO of LeQuest.

Hicham is a man on a mission to improve the world of healthcare. With a background in civil engineering, he founded LeQuest, the leading MedTech company in online training for medical devices. Last year, LeQuest was recognised as one of the 250 fastest-growing companies in the Netherlands. Hicham is also an investor and coach at BlueSparrows, a Delft Based MedTech fund, where he shares his experience and insights with upcoming MedTech entrepreneurs.

In this episode, we discuss:
How do you build partnerships with multinationals like Philips and GE?
How does diversity help you build stellar teams?
How to combine family life with a globally operating scale-up?

Links mentioned:
People: Hicham Shatou, Dervis Demirtas, Anoesjka Imambaks, Dyon Leter, Sven Kramer, Ireen Wüst
Companies: LeQuest, BlueSparrows, IcySolutions, Feyenoord, LUMC Leiden, Philips, GE, YES!Delft, Venture Café, Fundright, Medical X
Books: The hard things about hard things by Ben Horowitz
Articles: LeQuest €7M funding announcement
Other: Qui se ressemble, s'assemble
Song: Claude Nougaro - Tu verras
Keep an eye on our LinkedIn channel for upcoming guests!
45 min
April 06, 2021CEO Jeroen van Velzen on finding a strategic buyer for Roadmap.
This episode features Jeroen van Velzen, Founder and CEO of Roadmap.

Jeroen has an impressive entrepreneurial record. In 2002, he co founded Mobile2Pay, the first mobile payment system in the Benelux. After that, he became CEO and co-owner of Sound Of Data. In 2015, together with Koen Bavink and Markus Emmer, he spun out their travel activities, which became Roadmap. They raised a EUR4M series A in 2018. In March this year, Roadmap was acquired by Emburse, a global leader in expense management.

In this episode, we'll talk to Jeroen about:
What is Grit and why is it important?
How do you prepare for a dream exit?
and… what will the future bring for Jeroen?
Links mentioned:
People: Jeroen van Velzen, Koen Bavinck, Markus Emmer
Companies: Roadmap, Emburse, Newion
Media: Grit by Angela Duckworth (book), Press release Emburse acquires Roadmap, Interview with Jeroen on how the COL helped Roadmap to stay afloat
Other: Qi Gong, Brain Academy
Keep an eye on our LinkedIn channel for upcoming guests!
(Ps.: we took our show on the road and experienced a challenge with sound levels this time. But we promise to learn fast. Thanks for your understanding and... enjoy the story! 🙏)
36 min
March 22, 2021Equalture CEO Charlotte Melkert about raising your first round of capital, becoming an entrepreneur at a young age and more.
This episode features Charlotte Melkert, Founder and CEO of Equalture.

At the age of 19, Charlotte started her first company, together with her identical twin sister Fleur. Today, she is the co-founder and CEO of Equalture - the fast growing HR Tech company that is shaping the world of unbiased hiring. Charlotte was nominated most talented female entrepreneur of The Netherlands, LOEY Talent Award, Sprout 25 under 25 and Sifted's top European Gen Z Founders.

In this episode, we'll talk to Charlotte about:
How do you raise your first round of 1MM in seed capital?
How do you make tough entrepreneurial decisions at a young age?
What are Charlotte’s dreams for the future?
Links mentioned:
People: Charlotte Melkert, Fleur Melkert, Jaap Haagmans, Rinke Zonneveld
Companies: Equalture, InnovationQuarter, 4impact, Recruitee, Usabilla
Media: Finder, Charlotte's blog
Keep an eye on our LinkedIn channel for upcoming guests!
46 min
March 09, 2021CEO Jan van der Tempel about his entrepreneurial journey with Ampelmann and everything about building and scaling a successful business.
This episode features Jan van der Tempel, Founder and CEO of Ampelmann.

Jan is the inventor, co-founder and CEO of Ampelmann, the global leader in motion compensated offshore access systems and services, used on vessels all over the world. Jan is also the co-founder and director of DOB-Academy and in 2018 he was awarded as an honorary member of the Royal Netherlands Society of Engineers, for his domestic and international contributions to the offshore industry.

In this episode, we'll talk to Jan about:
How do you balance your company between innovation and growth?
What is it like to step out of the company you founded, and then step back in again?
The other organisation that Jan is involved in: DOB-Academy.
Links mentioned:
People: Jan van der Tempel, Peter Paul van Voorst tot Voorst, Mina Nacheva, Elon Musk
Companies: Ampelmann, DOB Academy, Lehman Brothers, TU Delft, Skoon Energy
Media: The Founders Mentality, Microsoft Teams, Danny Vera - Rollercoaster
Keep an eye on our LinkedIn channel for upcoming guests!
46 min
February 22, 2021CEO Kars Veling about his personal journey growing LessonUp and his dreams for the future.
This episode features Kars Veling, Founder and CEO of LessonUp.

In 2000 Kars founded strategic internet agency Q42, where he was the CTO and is still on the board of advisors. In 2014, he started LessonUp where he is now CEO. Kars is also a Co initiator of Future NL, the foundation focused at bringing digital literacy to the classroom; and until last year he was a member of the Economic Board of the Hague.

In this episode, we'll talk to Kars about:
How the corona lockdown accelerates the growth of LessonUp;
Falling in love with your co-founder;
What his dreams for the future hold and how an elderly home in Portugal fits into this story.
Links mentioned:
People: Kars Veling, Janneke Plaisier
Companies: Lessonup.com, Working at Lessonup.com, Q42, Peak Capital, FutureNL
Media: Living Darfur - Mattafix, Slack
Other stuff: Commodore64, MRR
Keep an eye on our LinkedIn channel for upcoming guests!
41 min
February 08, 2021Helloprint CEO Hans Scheffer on company culture and navigating your scale-up through a crisis.
This episode features Hans Scheffer, Founder and CEO of Helloprint.

He started his first business at the age of 19. Today, he is disrupting the Print Industry by Creating Earth's Largest Platform for Printed Products, Next to that, he is Founding Partner of WeTechRotterdam, an initiative to strengthen the tech community.

In this episode, you'll learn:
How do you build a company culture for fast growth?
What do you do when a crisis turns your business upside down?
And, what drives him on a more personal level?

Links mentioned:
People: Hans Scheffer, Melissa Ablett, Reindert Kriek
Companies: Helloprint, Drukzo, Flyerzone, WeWow
Media: What a wonderful world, Hello-X with Astronaut, Helloprint Strategy week 2019
Books: Rockefeller Habits
Keep an eye on our LinkedIn channel for upcoming guests!
48 min
January 19, 2021CEO Judith Eyck on building travel scale-up Vakanties.nl and acquiring your competitor.
This episode features Judith Eyck, Founder of vakanties.nl and Managing Director of Zoover.

Judith founded online travel agency Vakanties.nl in 2017 with Sunweb founder Joost Romeijn as investor. In the following two years Judith led Vakanties to grow rapidly. She was nominated for Loey Talent Awards 2019 and Rotterdam Business Woman Awards 2020. In the summer of 2020, in the middle of the corona pandemic, she successfully acquired Zoover, of which she is now co-owner and managing director.

In this episode, you'll learn:
What does it take to grow a tech company in the travel industry?
How do you integrate two teams after an acquisition?
… what is Judiths’ most memorable holiday experience?

Links mentioned:
People: Judith Eyk, Joost Romeijn,
Companies: Vakanties.nl, Zoover, Sunweb Group, ISM Ecompany, Sana Commerce, PetBnB.nl, BlueCity010, 42Workspace
Media: Up!Rotterdam video; The Long Way Up, Run Boy Run.
Keep an eye on our LinkedIn channel for upcoming guests!
42 min

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

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Showcasing the vibrant Dutch entrepreneurial ecosystem - and our journey to support the startup and scale-up founders responsible. Hosted by Lars Crama, edited by Lisette Braakenburg.