The Automagic Podcast

In the world of startups and innovation, Business Angels Syndicates play an essential role as engines for growth and innovation. Such investors act as catalysts for developing promising companies by providing financial support, valuable expertise, strategic advice, and access to valuable networks.In this episode, Jasper Wognum converses with Frank Appeldoorn, partner at Arches Capital. Frank shares his insights as a member of a Business Angels Syndicate that collectively invests in promising software startups. Frank has accumulated a wealth of experience in discovering and supporting promising software startups. Over the years, he has invested capital and utilized his deep knowledge and valuable network to help early-stage companies grow.In the podcast, Frank explains how it all began as an angel investor, what it entails to pitch as a startup, and the secrets behind successful investments. What makes a typical angel investor and what do they look for when selecting investments? Listen in as they delve deeper into adding value to startups and driving growth.

The strong growth of AI companies is driven by a combination of technological advancement, an abundance of available data, increasing computational power, broad possibilities and significant investments and financing. In recent years, numerous enterprises have entered the scene, propelled by the ambition to leverage the opportunities that AI offers to solve complex problems and explore new business prospects.But what is essential for an AI company to grow? In this episode, Jasper Wognum engages in a conversation with Jeff Abbott, Managing Partner at Blitzscaling Academy and CEO of Blitzscaling Ventures. The Blitzscaling Academy is an educational and advisory institution that provides resources and support to founders and innovators aiming to rapidly scale their enterprises. Blitzscaling Ventures invests in the early stages of AI companies converging at the intersection of AI.Throughout the discussion, Jeff unveils the critical growth factors for AI companies, discusses the valuable Blitzscaling framework, shares insights and advice on attracting capital in the AI sector, and highlights the influence of revolutionary language models such as ChatGPT and others. A deep exploration of the dynamic world of AI growth and the strategies that empower companies to become industry leaders.

Digital images and videos pose significant challenges in Artificial Intelligence (AI). These challenges are due to the large amount of visual information available and the complexity of understanding and interpreting visual data. Therefore, in this episode, Jasper Wognum speaks with Cees Snoek.Snoek is a professor of computer science at the University of Amsterdam and directs the Video & Image Sense Lab. In addition, Cees is active as director of the QUVA Lab with Qualcomm, the Atlas Lab with TomTom, and the AIM Lab with the Inception Institute of Artificial Intelligence. As Chief Scientific Officer at Kepler Vision Technologies, a spin-off from the university, Snoek contributes to scientific leadership. Professor Snoek also serves as director at the ELLIS Amsterdam Unit and is scientific director of Amsterdam AI.In this episode, Wognum and Snoek delve into the Netherlands' standing in the realm of AI, examining the profound effects of generative AI. They discuss the evolving regulatory landscape surrounding AI, underscore the pivotal role of digital skills in driving educational transformation, and provide insights on discerning the authentic from the counterfeit in the ever-evolving landscape of AI.

Collaboration and building an ecosystem are important for success in the world of AI. By sharing knowledge, resources and expertise, organizations can foster the development of advanced AI solutions. In this episode of our podcast, Jasper Wognum speaks with Remy Gieling.Remy Gieling wears many hats: he's a masterful host, a seasoned speaker, an accomplished author and an insightful interviewer. He's also the driving force behind AI.nl, a platform designed to stimulate collaboration between companies and experts, who are pushing the boundaries of AI innovation. The platform offers daily articles, podcasts, videos, and webinars, but also events and trips for its members.In this podcast episode, Remy Gieling shares the captivating journey of how he started AI.nl, recounting his adventures in Silicon Valley, his vision on OpenAI and his encounters with startups in the AI space. Furthermore, he gives us a glimpse into his thoughts on the future and shedding his light on how AI models will evolve in our ever-changing technological landscape.

Blockchain developments like mobile-first, the metaverse, and artificial intelligence are disrupting the digital world. To gain a competitive edge in today's fast-paced digital world, organizations must fully embrace and effectively utilize the latest trends. Mobile optimization is crucial for success, as mobile devices continue to serve as a gateway to innovative experiences and user engagement. In this podcast, Jasper Wognum discusses these critical topics with the esteemed Mr. Mobile, also known as Mark Wächter.Mark Wächter, a mobile strategy consultant, shares his knowledge and experience in the podcast. He discusses the differences between mobile-first markets in Europe, Asia, and America. He also talks about QR codes and their role in the mobile landscape. Additionally, he explores the metaverse and whether it's a hype or not.

Communication skills and pitching are important aspects to build a successful business. After all, it can help with funding, networking, brand awareness and getting feedback. Jasper Wognum therefore speaks in this podcast with Michael Koenka.Michael Koenka is an experienced entrepreneur, startup mentor and pitch consultant. Michael has helped countless startups with their business plans, pitch en scale. In addition, he has made important contributions to the accelerator- and entrepreneur programs of Rockstart, the University of Amsterdam and Hyperion Lab.In the podcast, Koenka explains, among other things, how a good pitch looks like, how you can distinguish yourself and how you can market a successful AI-product. In addition, Koenka also talks about his experiences at Rockstart and Hyperion Lab.

Building a good, scalable SaaS solution can be very overwhelming and complex. On top of that you also have to take care of marketing and sales. Jasper Wognum speaks in this podcast with JC Heyneke.JC Heyneke is CEO at Slimmer AI, a Dutch-based AI B2B venture studio that supports entrepreneurs to create disruptive B2B SaaS AI companies. Heyneke has extensive experience in setting up AI startups and developing innovative AI products. He has also built a huge ecosystem of specialists and investors who can help AI startups in scaling their products and organization.During the podcast JC Heyneke explains, among other things, why they started Slimmer AI, how Slimmer AI is looking for founders and how to build a successful SaaS product as an entrepreneur. In addition, Heyneke also describes how they set up and sold Sentinels, an intelligent transaction monitoring solution.

Entrepreneurs with big ambitions often wonder how to raise capital best. After all, a lot of money is needed when starting a business, and finding investors is an undertaking itself. Jasper Wognum speaks in this podcast with Jelle-Jan Bruinsma.Jelle-Jan is a veteran of private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital. He has helped many scaleups grow and realized successful exits. Jelle-Jan is now a Partner at Endeit Capital, a leading investor in scale-ups that is active in seven countries.In the podcast, Jelle-Jan Bruinsma explains, among other things, how entrepreneurs can find investors, in which sectors he sees growth potential, how he collaborates with founders of companies and when an exit is successful.

We are increasingly seeing Artifial Intelligence and Machine Learning being applied to address the world's most pressing challenges. Think about challenges like world hunger, the climate problem and health research. In this episode, Jasper Wognum speaks with Buster Franken, founder and CEO of FruitPunch AI.FruitPunch AI is building a global community of experts who want to solve societal problems with data and artificial intelligence. By combining and mobilizing all this knowledge, FruitPunch AI is able to solve societal challenges.During the podcast, Buster explains what FruitPunch AI does, why he started it and how he finds specialists who want to participate at the societal challenges they organize. He also talks about a project that combines human tissue with AI for health research.

Even in 2022, women are still very underrepresented in the tech industry. This is unfortunate, because more diversity ensures that organizations solve problems better, are more innovative and more creative. This is because different employees have different ideas. When organizations hire people who do things differently, they also gain different insights. Jasper Wognum speaks in this episode with Oliviana Bailey, the ambassador for Women in AI Netherlands.Women in AI (WAI) is a non-profit organization working on inclusive AI. They are community driven and encourage empowerment, knowledge and active collaboration through education, research, events and blogs. At Women in AI, they empower women and minorities to become AI & Data experts, innovators and leaders.During the podcast, Oliviana talks about her career at Rockstart and Hyperion Lab and how she became an ambassador for WAI. She also explains what WAI does, why it is important, how to build a community and how to set up an AI program as an accelerator.

In this episode of the Automagic podcast Jasper Wognum, co-founder and CEO of BrainCreators, talks to Lars Crama, an independent advisor, investor, changemaker and a hands-on strategist. Lars is involved in several innovative ecosystems where established companies, entrepreneurs, knowledge institutions and start-ups and scale-ups come together.During the podcast Lars explains what entrepreneurs should look for when they search for investors and want to grow fast. In addition, Lars and Jasper talk about the different start- and scale-up ecosystems in the Netherlands. During the conversation, Lars explains that only a few Dutch start-ups grow into scale-ups. To change this he believes it is important that the various ecosystems in the Netherlands work more together to make an impact on a global scale.Lars also talks about the Upstream Festival that he organizes in Rotterdam. During this festival start-ups, scale-ups, investors, corporates, policy makers and students come together to make a positive impact on the world.

In this episode, Jasper Wognum, co-founder and CEO of BrainCreators, meets with Marie-José van den Boomgaard, Liaison Manager Startups & Scaleups at KPN.Marie-José has been closing deals with startups for years. This keeps KPN in the loop on the latest innovations and allows startups to move faster. When startups and corporates work together, new business models can be developed, products and services can be brought to the market faster and innovation can be accelerated. Startups and corporates can open worlds for each other, but they also must be open to each other.During the podcast, Marie-José explains why KPN has set up this unique program and tells about her experiences. In addition, she gives tips on how corporates can collaborate best with startups.

In this episode, Jasper Wognum, co-founder and CEO of BrainCreators speaks with Willem Drost, businessman and initiator of various trade missions for start-ups and scale-ups.Drost worked in the United States for thirty years, thirteen of them in Silicon Valley. During this period he always visited the tech fair CES. He noticed that there were never any Dutch tech start-ups at the fair. In 2016, he decides to organize a Dutch trade mission to CES and there appears to be a lot of interest in this. He even managed to secure funding from the Ministry of Economic Affairs (EZK). A few years later he meets Jasper who is participating in the trade mission and they have been speaking to each other regularly ever since.

In this episode, Jasper Wognum, co-founder and CEO of BrainCreators speaks with Camiel Verschoor, co-founder and CEO of Birds.ai.Birds.AI is a provider of machine learning based solutions. The Amsterdam-based company started with a specific focus on the inspection of wind turbines and solar panels. Nowadays Camiel and his team offer their knowledge and experience on a project basis. Jasper and Camiel have been following each other for years as AI entrepreneurs and often end up in similar situations. During the podcast Camiel explains why he started Birds.ai, he tells about his experiences as an entrepreneur and how AI is playing a role in the automation market. 

In this episode, Jasper Wognum speaks with Jarno Duursma, a well-known technology expert, writer, trendwatcher and speaker on various technological topics such as: blockchain, metaverse en Artificial Intelligence. He is sketching the landscape of digital trends in an inspiring, clear and energetic way. Jarno looks to the future through the lens of digital technology. With optimism and an appropriate critical eye. He investigates the impact of technological developments on companies and society. Without losing sight of reality and the human aspect. During the podcast Jarno talks about his work and his experiences as a speaker. He also gives practical tips on how to start writing a book and how you can best prepare yourself for a presentation.

What happens when you use AI software to summarize the entire oeuvre of a master painter in one canvas? In this episode Jasper Wognum talks to artist Jeroen van der Most, who manages to create art with the help of AI models. During the podcast Jeroen talks about his work and his search for a new balance between technology and creativity. Discover what technology he applies and which role AI plays in the art world.

In this episode Jasper Wognum talks with Eddy Willems, a well-known speaker about cybersecurity and Security Evangelist at G DATA CyberDefense. He gives lectures and presentations worldwide to a very broad audience, from children to experts. He is also the author of several books on cybercrime and is regularly interviewed by leading media outlets to give his opinion on security issues.  During the talk, Eddy will discuss the current threat landscape and explain how security companies and cybercriminals are using Artificial Intelligence (AI). In addition, he also explains how the security industry will use AI in the future. Is it the holy grail to prevent cybercrime or not? 

Online supermarket Picnic is revolutionizing the online food shopping sector in the Netherlands and beyond. We sat down with CTO Daniel Gebler to discuss the secrets behind the company’s success.As technical chief executive of Picnic, Gebler is making ‘grocery shopping’ easier, faster and more fun through Artificial Intelligence (AI). Daniel transformed Picnic from a mobile-first enterprise into an AI-first company, where all innovations and operations are powered by a machine learning core engine.During the conversation, Daniel explains the challenges they faced in making this happen and why AI is deeply integrated into the company's processes. For example, he explains how they use AI for their entire supply chain and how they reduce customer order times. In addition, Daniel reveals which innovations we can expect from this special tech-company

A city with a Chief Technology Officer isn't that remarkable!? In this episode, Jasper Wognum, Co-founder and CEO of BrainCreators, meets Ger Baron, CTO at the City of Amsterdam at Startup Village on Science Park in Amsterdam. Ger is the first CTO of the City of Amsterdam. In this role, he works on innovation and digital transformation. He touches almost every topic in Amsterdam to ensure that the city grasps technology opportunities, making sure that the boundaries for tech companies are clear and the city has the right capabilities.Jasper and Ger discuss the impact of technology and how digitization can create a smart city that is liveable and sustainable. Next to this, they speak about the startup ecosystem in Amsterdam. Baron is one of the founders of Start-up Amsterdam, an online hub for startups, investors, job applicants, and corporates.

In this episode, Jasper Wognum, Co-founder and CEO of BrainCreators, speaks with Coen Smits, Projectmanager at Unihorn (a Strukton company).Unihorn is a Dutch civil engineering company, active in the fields of infrastructure and public space. They connect the dots between design, research, consultancy, and asset management.Coen Smits is the project lead for "INSPECH", the digital road surface inspector. INSPECH  performs automated road surface inspections, maximizing the utilization of human resources while significantly lowering maintenance costs. In this episode of the automatic podcast, Coen will take us through the creation of INSPECH. Listen to his lessons learned and his story of how Unihorn is using AI technologies to provide road authorities with intelligent automation.