I was born and raised in Amsterdam, Holland. After graduating in communications from the University of Amsterdam in 1993 I started Planet Internet with KPN, de Telegraaf and Quote Media as the primary shareholders. Planet quickly established itself as the biggest ISP in the Netherlands and became the most visited website. In 1997 KPN bought out the other shareholders and Planet remains the largest Internet company in the Netherlands to this day, with approximately 1.5 million subscribers.

I left Planet Internet with a few colleagues to start the online entertainment company BitMagic, hoping to crack the American market. After some initial success (rise, more rise, fall, more fall) we had to close down the company in 2001. I wrote a book (in Dutch) about my experiences and took a year off. Since 2003 I have been acting as an advisor to several organisations, varying from startups to multinationals and government institutions. I try to work with both small and big companies and with commercial and non-profit organisations. The common factor is that all projects are innovative in the converging fields of telecommunications, media and technology. In 2005 I started the preparations with various partners to launch three new companies. I still act as a moderator and speaker, usually on the topics of innovation and entrepreneurship, like the eDay and Emerce Updates for VNU Business Publications. Summarizing:

New companies:

• 2005: Boost Company, a new venture fund that helps startups attract customers and financing and helps established companies with their international expansion. From 2006 a prime time tv-show in the Netherlands documents the development of these companies.
• 2005: Small Media Group, Holland's first blog publishing company with Buro Renkema, Bashers, Petrolhead and Georgina Verbaan.

Non profit activities:

• since 2005: IPAN, Internet Professionals Association Netherlands, member of the Advisory Board.
• since 2004: Next Stage, a foundation that helps startups meet investors, member of the Advisory Board and moderator of the events.
• since 2004: The Other Network, business club for minorities, member of the Advisory Board.

Hobbies:

• since 2003: The Quote Challenge, it's like Mardi Gras meets Halloween, but then with supercars.
• since 2003: RT11, satire in the form of the website of a non-existent commercial European tv-station.

History:

• 2005: Moderated the elevator pitches of Dutch companies and universities at High Tech Connections 2005 in Cambridge, USA; presented the Global Business Forum Netherlands - India as part of the IIFA Awards; member of the Amsterdam Area trade delegation to Los Angeles and San Francisco.
• 2003 - 2005: Quotelog, first commercial weblog in the Netherlands, created for leading Dutch business magazine Quote.
• 1997 - 2001: BitMagic (RIP), Chairman & CEO.
• 1998: Broos van Erp-prijs, member of the jury of the prize awarded by the Secretary of Economic Affairs to the best entrepreneur in high tech.
• 1996 - 1997: Kennisdebat, member of 'the presidium', an advisory board of the Dutch Secretary of Education regarding the transformation to a knowledge society.
• 1993 - 1997: Planet Internet, the largest ISP and internet company in the Benelux to this day, co-founder, editor in chief and president.

Recent interviews, all in Dutch:

• 2006: An overview of interviews and articles (in Dutch) about the launch of Small Media Group.
• 2005: FEM Business and Reclameweek, leading business magazine and advertising trade journal, regarding the rise of blogging.
• 2005: Financieele Dagblad, my favorite websites in Holland's financial newspaper.
• 2005: Financieele Dagblad, diary of the trade delegation headed by the mayor of Amsterdam to Los Angeles and San Francisco.
• 2005: InCT, trade magazine for the publishing industry, 'publishers don't understand new technology'.
• 2004: Telegraaf, Holland's largest newspaper about actress Georgina Verbaan's blog, produced by Small Media Group.