A young man taking a selfie on a soccer field with a smiling face, making a peace sign with his right hand, wearing a white shirt and blue sports vest, while another person in the background is about to kick a soccer ball in front of a goal post.

Hi, I’m Pieter.

I’m originally from the Netherlands, moved to the U.S. for graduate study at UC Berkeley, and now live in Santa Monica with my wife, Meetra. Over the past 13+ years, I’ve worked across startups, go-to-market, partnerships, operations, and product-oriented execution.

My work is usually about turning complexity into momentum. Earlier in my career, I worked on a low-cost infant incubator for resource-constrained healthcare settings and later co-founded Ava, a company built to make communication more accessible for deaf and hard-of-hearing people.

Today, I’m most energized by the intersection of technology, human behavior, and real-world impact. Outside work, I’m usually playing soccer, cycling, hiking, or on a beach-volleyball court.
A young man in a white t-shirt and dark shorts on a sandy beach during sunset, making a playful hand gesture and smiling at the camera, with volleyball nets in the background and a colorful sky.

My career story

I grew up fascinated by both nature and engineering, spending hours watching National Geographic and Discovery Channel. It was only natural that I began my academic path in engineering, studying Building Engineering. Over time, my curiosity expanded beyond how things are built to why certain ideas succeed in the real world. That led me to transition into Innovation Sciences, where I explored the intersection of technology, markets, and human behavior. The shift marked a move from pure technical design to a broader focus on innovation, execution, and creating meaningful, real-world impact.

From engineering to innovation

Students working on projects at a classroom table with supplies, models, and a glass of water, in a modern classroom or laboratory setting. 
That path took me to University of California, Berkeley, where I immersed myself in entrepreneurship and social innovation. I gravitated toward the startup community, joined an intensive bootcamp, and made my way into the Social Entrepreneurship program, where I honed my focus on building practical solutions to meaningful problems.

UC Berkeley, Social Entrepreneurship

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Invented an infant incubator 

At Berkeley’s Social Entrepreneurship program, my team and I worked with local healthcare organizations in Thailand on the implementation of a low-cost infant incubator called IncuPack (Kanga Kare). It was an early lesson in designing for real constraints and in seeing that useful technology only matters if it can work in the environments it is meant to serve.

Co-founded Ava, Forbes 30 Under 30, Raised $16M+ in funding

A young man with short brown hair and a blue AeroVelo T-shirt, holding a smartphone with earphones, standing in a busy indoor public space with tables and people in the background. 
After University of California, Berkeley, I co-founded Ava, a company focused on making communication more accessible for deaf and hard-of-hearing people through real-time captioning. Over the next eight years, I worked across customer discovery, product, operations, partnerships, fundraising, and sales, taking the company from early interviews to a product used by millions. As COO, I wore many hats and helped scale the business end-to-end, including building and leading the sales function. We ultimately raised over $16M from leading Silicon Valley investors, and I stepped away after the Series A to pursue other opportunities.
I care deeply about increasing access to effective mental health support in ways that feel human, thoughtful, and grounded in real outcomes. I developed prototypes, and explored business models for AI-supported therapy, smart diagnostic workflows, therapist matching, and a multi-day intensive trauma treatment program.

Project: Mental Health 

Preventive health is another area I’ve explored deeply, especially where earlier detection, behavior change, and continuous-care workflows can improve real-world outcomes. I’ve been particularly interested in AI-enabled tools that help people and clinicians act earlier, with more clarity, consistency, and confidence.

Project: Preventive Health

Applied AI in Practice

I’ve had the chance to work with inspiring teams building real-world applications for AI. At Data Stewards, that meant helping organizations strengthen data cataloging and governance so they could build on a strong foundation for AI automation. With Clementine, it meant exploring how AI could help audiology clinics improve workflows, reduce friction, and operate more effectively.
Across everything I’ve done, two threads have stayed constant: technology and people. I’m most energized by work that uses technology to solve meaningful problems in ways that are practical, human, and grounded in the real world. Over time, that has led me to a simple belief: the most useful products & services are not just technically impressive, but rooted in real workflows, real constraints, and real human needs. Looking ahead, I want to keep building with thoughtful, ambitious people who care about applying technology in ways that genuinely improve how people live and work.

I’m a big believer in using tools to automate ‘repeat tasks’, and increase your overall efficiency. Below are some of the many tools I use to improve my workflow. I always love finding out about great new tools, so if you have any other favorites, I’d love to know about them.

🛠 Tools I love ❤️

Alfred
’Epic efficiency tool’

My most used feature is the clipboard history. The workflows and hotkeys are amazing too.

SizeUp
’Easy window resizing’

Often the simplest ideas are the most useful ones. Easiest way to resize & move around windows.

Notion
’Ultimate everything!’

Notion is a fantastic tool for documenting & tracking projects. Wiki's, Databases, I use it for literally everything!

GPT / Codex
’AI for the win’

I feel like this one doesn't require much of an explanation. Biggest unlock ever!

1Password
’Passwords simplified’

I can't remember the days where I had to constantly request a new password because I forgot my previous one.

Claude
’Let’s Co-Work!’

Claude is nailing the Co-Work experience, I love their Skill Building UX.

Notion Templates 🗃

Business Model Discovery
LEAN Startup Method

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Access Free Template

OKR, Project, and Task Manager

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Access Free Template

Recruitment Process
The A-method

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Access Free Template

Feedback on my templates

  • Just downloaded your Talent acquisition and management notion template and absolutely love it. Best template so far on figuring out "who" you are hiring for.

    Georg W

  • "I just came across your template on Notion and I just had to reach out. Your dedication and attention to detail was simple nothing short of awe inspiring, and I really wanted to thank you for that."

    Nzoputa E

  • Awesome 'LEAN - Business Model Discovery' Template in Notion. Really helpful to start generating a business plan! 🙏🏼

    Jari C