What got you into physics in the first place?
I started studying natural and social sciences in Amsterdam, and in my second year, I had to choose a major. I chose physics because I thought it would give me the broadest background to analyze the world. What really fascinated me about physics back then and still now is that if you look at natural and man-made systems, there are a lot of similar patterns you can recognize and analyze. So, looking at complex situations and then breaking them down to the level where you can build mathematical models to answer questions, ask new ones, and make predictions. I wanted to do my master’s in physics to give me the analytical base layer where I could apply physics outside of physics. That kind of working style was exactly what I liked.

Your master’s thesis was on quantum decision-making. Can you explain that a bit further?
Human decision-making is quite complex. There are all kinds of biases and behaviors at play, which are very hard to capture in a model. We wanted a mathematical framework that could deal with uncertainty, and the mathematical area that can do that is quantum physics because it’s based on probability theory. We tried to take a Quantum Walk, which is the quantum version of a random walk, as a starting point, to see if with that mathematical construct we could build a predictive model for human decision making. It’s not perfect, but it worked pretty well.

How did all this lead to venture?
When I finished my master’s, I wanted to do something completely different and go back to my interdisciplinary interests. I wanted a dynamic environment where I could collaborate a lot and do different things every day. I had this picture in my head and would scroll through hundreds of LinkedIn job ads. Then I read the one from Verve Ventures. Honestly, I didn’t know anything about venture or venture capital, but I felt the job advertisement fit what I had in my head, so I got in contact with Verve Ventures and it was the best interview I ever had. I clicked with the people and saw that it was an environment where I could learn a lot on the communications and project management sides and still work with my technical background. I went for the internship and I loved it from day one.

What have you brought into the venture world from physics?
Sometimes I can use my knowledge on a content level, for other cases it is more the general capability of doing a quick analysis of a new topic. In general, a scientific background helps because we’re a technology investor that sees a lot of deep tech startups. It helps if you have to talk to more technical entrepreneurs who know science but can’t always explain it in the clearest way for investors. When I’m working on Qnami, a quantum sensing startup, for example, it’s very close to what I know. What I sometimes find is that a lot of people don’t understand how valuable research is. Quantum computers are now being built and that’s only because we’ve researched these topics for years. The reason all these people are in labs doing research on these tiny little things is that someday it’s going to be in your daily life.

What can you tell me about the portfolio startup Qnami?
Qnami has a very powerful core, enabling technology with a lot of different applications. It’s the classic example of a technology founder with an entrepreneurial spirit who’s taken a complicated technology and turned it into something people are going to use. They’re turning basic quantum research into something useful and their sensors are being used a lot in the academic and R&D worlds. However, this quantum sensing market is still very young, so you need to be very careful about where to commercialize. Qnami’s at an interesting point now because they have the core technology, they have the first product, and now they have to pick their new markets.

What can you share about Verve Ventures’ expansion into The Netherlands and the Benelux?
Over the past two years, we’ve started to expand internationally. We now have offices in Paris and Berlin, and in the coming years we want to accelerate our international growth and become this pan-European player with deals all over Europe. Now we have a partnership with BeAngels in Belgium, and because I have the geographical advantage, we’ve also set as one of our goals this year to do some investments in the Benelux. I’m very excited about Dutch startups and am super excited to dive into the whole Benelux startup system. In Amsterdam, you have a lot of fintech startups and online supermarkets, and it’s a very international environment. You also have very good technical universities that produce a lot of deep tech and high-tech spinoffs. It’s a very complete ecosystem where a lot happens.

You’re also a semi-professional volleyball player. How has that affected your venture career?
Playing volleyball with a team is helpful if you study physics, which is pretty individual. A lot of people are very focused on their own things, so it helps to get to work toward a common goal with a team. It also teaches you to be pretty efficient. If you practice quite a lot, you have those timeslots fixed, and everything else you need to do at another time. I really think I owe it to volleyball that I’m quite efficient when I work. It’s made me very dedicated. You show up for practice unless you have a good reason to miss it. You decided to do this, so you’re dedicated. You also expect that from other people, so as a team you get things done. I also think it makes me a nicer person during the day, if I can use all my competitiveness during a game or when climbing up a mountain instead of at work.