From Travel Enthusiast to Tech Entrepreneur: The Polar Steps Story with Koen Droste

Crijn Bouman is a pioneer in EV charging. In 2005 - long before EVs were a hype - he co-founded Epyon, one of Europe’s first fast-charging startups. That company later sold to ABB, where he grew their EV charging business in over 50 countries.In 2019, he founded Rocsys, making EV charging fully autonomous through a smart combination of Computer Vision, Soft Robotics and AI. With offices in the Netherlands and Portland, Rocsys serves fleet operators: From automated trucks in the port of Rotterdam to robotaxis in the streets of San Francisco.He’s a man on a mission — and if all goes to plan, one day he’ll fall asleep in a robotaxi in Rijswijk and wake up in St. Tropez.In this episode, we'll talk about:Picking the right niche to serve a future market;Selling your startup to a corporate…  and coming back for round two.How to build a team across two continents, to scale in Europe and the USLinks mentioned:People: Crijn Bouman, Hans Streng, Ras Lalmy, Parya Lotfi, Herbert ten Have, Job NijsCompanies: ROCSYS, EPYON, ABB, TU Delft, Source, Meatable, Revolut, Ampelmann, RivionBooks: Clayton Christensen - Innovators Dilemma, James Collins - Good to grade, Andrew Growth - High Output Management Other: www.hackyourcareer.com, Daft Punk - Giorgio by Moroder 

Marta spent over a decade backing startups as a VC. Now, she’s on the other side of the table, scaling Paebbl across Europe - balancing deep-tech innovation, manufacturing at scale, and a fast-growing team. She’s building a company that could change the way we build the world. A serial migrant, obsessed with frameworks, and here to share her story.In this conversation, we’ll cover Martha's journey:What did she learn going from investor to founder? What’s it really like scaling a deep-tech startup that has to build factories instead of just writing code?And… why did she ignore investors who told her co-CEOs don’t work? Links mentioned:People: Marta Sjogren, Andreas Saari, Constantijn van Oranje-Nassau, Pol KnopsCompanies: Paebbl, Techleap, Slush, Upstream FestivalOther: Finder, Paebbl Showcase, Oura ring, Vacancies at Paebbl,  Queen - Under Pressure

Marjolein is a driving force for digital well-being and responsible tech. In 2022, she left a successful career as a lawyer, mediator, and privacy expert to launch ChatLicense, helping families navigate responsible use of smartphones.What started as a simple idea quickly became a fast-growing company, blending digital literacy with real-world impact. From pitching a wireframe at CES to winning startup competitions from Rotterdam to Silicon Valley, ChatLicense has built serious momentum. Today, with support from telco operators and local governments, parents and kids across the country use ChatLicense to build healthier digital habits.In this episode, we'll talk about:Why we must educate kids on the use of smartphonesHow to create your own luck through serendipityThe Dynamics of Co-Founders and Team EvolutionLinks mentioned:People: Marjolein van Tilburg, Martine de Leeuw, Marie-José van den Boomgaard, Marc Padberg, Liesje GoldschmidtCompanies: ChatLicense, Microlab Rotterdam, TekkooOther: NL Startup Competition, Upstream Festival, Mobile World Congress Barcelona, Erasmus University Challenge, Frank Sinatra - That’s Life

Philip co-founded Senz in 2005 with two fellow students. Together they created the 'original storm umbrella' that - pun intended - took the world by storm. Later on, Philip joined sleep startup Somnox and coached scale-up founders to implement Rockefeller Habits. With his latest venture - Rotterdam Factoring - he is on a mission to become the largest factoring company in the Netherlands, with no more than 10 people on staff.In this episode, we'll cover:How an innovative storm umbrella - took the world by storm; Rockefeller Habits as a framework for growthHow to become a Market Leader with no more than 10 employeesLinks mentioned:People: Philip Hess, Julian Jagtenberg, Verne Harnish, Erik Rutten, Lieke HuisingaCompanies:  Senz, Philips Innovation Awards, Somnox, Rotterdam Factoring, KNAB BankOther: Rockefeller Habits, OnlyFans Productivity per EmployeeMedia: Opgezwolle - Volle Kracht

Kiki leads Thorizon, a revolutionary deeptech company backed by the EU, creating thorium-based molten salt reactors. Thorizon was founded by Lucas Pool and Sander de Groot as a spin-off from the national nuclear research institute of the Netherlands. In 2023, Kiki bemame the CEO. With an Aerospace Engineering degree from TU Delft and an MBA from INSEAD, her journey spans McKinsey, Bol.com, and now the ambitious goal of launching Thorizon’s first reactor.In this episode, we'll talk about:Kiki’s leap from corporate to leading a nuclear energy scale-up,The potential of molten salt reactors in changing nuclear perceptions,The highs and lows of partnerships, funding, and the “nuclear renaissance.”Links mentioned:People: Kiki Lauwers, Lucas Pool, Sander de Groot, Andrew Buskens, Nima Salami, Jos Lazet, Daan Giesen, Rinke ZonneveldCompanies: Thorizon, Bol.com, McKinsey, OasysNow, Blockrise, LessonUp, InvestNLMedia: EU endorsement Thorizon One molten salt reactorOther: Slush Helsinki, European Alliance on Small Modular Reactors, Careers at Thorizon, Hackyourcareer.com, DJ F.R.A.N.K. - The One and Only

Jouri is the founder and CEO of Pieter Pot, one of the most talked-about startups in the Netherlands. The online supermarket, known for using jars instead of plastic packaging, experienced rapid growth since its launch in 2019, raising €12.5 million in capital. However, in 2022, the company encountered financial troubles, and despite a takeover, faced what seemed like a final blow at the end of 2023 when it went bankrupt. Now, in 2024, Pieter Pot is back in the startup phase with a new round of crowdfunding. As always, Jouri remains determined to make it a success.In this episode, we'll talk about:Driving system change through business;Going from growth to getting acquired to bankruptcy to a rebirth; The difference between revenue and profitability;How to push forward as a founderLinks mentioned:People: Jouri Schoemaker, Michiel Muller, Companies: Pieter Pot, Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Picnic, OnlyFans, Nederlands Kampioenschap Risk, Ekoplaza, Kraft Heinz, Tivoli Utrecht, Anduvi = NVIDIA   Other: Crossroads, Startup UtrechtMedia: Systeem op de Schop Podcast, Crowdfunding Explanation Video (scroll down), De Ondernemer - De Pieter Potcast, M83 - Outro

Jos is a passionate entrepreneur who started his journey early, registering his first business at the age of just 15. In 2013 he got involved in Bitcoin and became captivated by its transformative potential. While pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, his fascination with blockchain led him to found Blockrise, where he now serves as CEO. Today Blockrise is a trusted partner to prominent individuals, corporations and family offices who want to have complete control over their digital assets.In this episode, we'll talk about:innovating in the financial sectorthe future of cryptocurrency as an asset class andthe opportunities that lie ahead in this rapidly evolving spaceLinks mentioned:People:Jos Lazet, Jasper Hu (CTO),Companies: BlockRise, De Nederlandsche BankMedia: Dumpert bitcoin.org introduction video,  Michael Saylor: Bitcoin, Inflation, and the Future of Money | Lex Fridman Podcast #276, Emerce article, Blockrise.com Education Page, Podcast: Bitcoin for Millenials Bram Kanstein, Book: A Beginners Guide to Bitcoin, Book: The Bitcoin Standard Blog: Custodial vs Non-Custodial Wallets, Book: No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer, Start to Scale Podcast Episode with Hans Scheffer, Jason Mraz - Curbside Prophet, Other: AFM License, MICAR License, Bitcoin ETF 

From a young age, Koen built websites for clients, leading to his first startup, CompanySpot, the Dutch version of Glassdoor. Koen later played key roles at platforms like Hyves, Relatieplanet and Dumpert and co-founded Upcoming, a news and entertainment platform. In 2015, together with 3 co-founders, he founded polarsteps. Today over 10 million travelers from all parts of the world use the app to plan, track and relive their adventures. So does my wife - as I found out only this summer.In this episode, we'll talk about:How a passion for travel turned into a business Growing to 10 Million usersKnowing when it’s time to hand over as a CEOLinks mentioned:People: Koen Droste, Niek Bokkers Job Harmsen, Max Neustadt, Laurens Groenendijk, NaldenCompanies: Polarsteps, Hyves,  CompanySpot, Glassdoor, Relatieplanet, Upcoming, Inkef CapitalMedia: Koen's Polarsteps Profile,  Teleporter, House of Deeprelax Other: NPS Net Promoter Score, Yoga Nidra meditation

Berend is on a mission to revolutionize the agriculture industry. With a Master in High-Tech Engineering ánd a Master in Management of Technology, he founded Plense Technologies together with Thijs Bieling. They use a patented technology with smart sensing devices that literally listen to plants - and turn that into data for growers.In this episode, we'll talk about:Measuring the inner working of plants;The importance of tough love from critical advisors;How to make the most of a competition like PHIA.Links mentioned:People: Berend de KlerkCompanies: Plense Technologies, Philips Innovation Award, YES!DelftOther: XylemMedia: The Opposites - Slapeloze Nachten

Immediately after graduating from TU Delft, Sander and Auke developed an innovative product called HeatCycle - which recovers all heat from household wastewater. That led them to win the ASN World Prize in 2020. Later they added the sleek and smart AO heatpump, that won the iF Design Award 2024 out of almost 11,000 entries from 72 countries. Today, DeWarmte is well underway to install their 3000th heat pump by the end of 2024.In this episode, we'll talk about:A smarter way to get residential homes off natural gas;Anticipating changing market dynamics;deWarmtes recent crowdfunding campaignLinks mentioned:People: Sander Wapperom, Auke de Vries, Willem Kesteloo, Bob Hendrikx, Jan Pieter VersluijsCompanies: DeWarmte, Rubio Impact Ventures, Fotoniq, Loop Biotech, Solar MonkeyMedia: Crowdfunding Campaign, Sing my Dream Around - Silver Pozzoli, Upstream Festival