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The FruitPunch Saga
Sep 2018 – May 2025 · 7 years · Founder & CEO
A platform for AI engineers to train their skills by crowdsourcing solutions for impact organizations. From humble NGO beginnings to a global community of 4500+ engineers.
Party Members
Stanford
ESA
Greenpeace
WWF
NXP
Huawei
Philips
Adventure: The Founding
2018–2020
Started as an NGO, bootstrapped through passion and determination. First AI for Wildlife challenge in South Africa.
✦ AI for Wildlife Launch — autonomous drone with thermal cameras to detect poachers in South Africa's Pilanesberg reserve
◆ First 100 Engineers — recruited the first 100 AI engineers to the platform
◆ Platform Design — matching platform built through 500+ user & customer interviews and experiments
Adventure: Building the Platform
2019–2020
Designed and built the matchmaking platform — every key product decision made in-house.
◆ First User Interviews — the first of 500+ conversations that shaped the product
◆ Challenge Design — the 10-week challenge-based learning experience, built from first principles
◆ Iteration Cycles — dozens of experiments to learn which engagement models work
Adventure: The Fundraise
2020
Raised €1M in VC funding to scale the platform — two hundred doors knocked, the right ones opened.
✦ Thomas Wolf Investment — the Hugging Face founder believed in the vision
◆ LUMO Labs Partnership — accelerator partnership secured
◆ The 200+ Pitches — pitched to over 200 VCs; resilience forged, skin thickened
Adventure: The Giants
2021–2023
Partnerships with major organizations and massive impact.
✦ Tata Steel Victory — AI against Toxic Clouds with Greenpeace caused €4.1M in fines; Dutch ministry began external monitoring
✦ Stanford Collaboration — the world's top research university joins forces
✦ ESA Project Launch — European Space Agency partnership for AI for Earth
◆ Greenpeace Alliance — environmental giant joins the mission
◆ Corporate Deals — NXP, Huawei and Philips partnerships closed
Adventure: The Growth
2023–2024
✦ 4000th Engineer — major community milestone reached
✦ €45M Milestone — crowdsourced value reaches €45M
Adventure: The Exit
2025
✦ Acquisition Signing — deal with Zindi closed. Campaign complete!
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The Academic Archives
2014 – 2022 · 8 years · TU/e
Building AI research infrastructure and pioneering brain-computer interfaces.
The Engineering Foundation
2014–2018 · TU/e
BSc Mechanical Engineering & Neuroscience with Data Science extension.
✦ 10/10 BCI Research — perfect score on Brain-Computer Interfacing thesis
◆ Brain Organoid Discovery — showed functional brain organoids can be grown on a chip
◆ The Dropout Decision — left the MSc for real-world impact. No regrets.
The Institute Builders
2019–2022 · EAISI @ TU/e
Founding team of the university's AI institute.
◆ AI Experience Room — built a room with 6 physical AI demos for visitors
✦ Professor Recruitment — helped recruit AI professors to build the institute
◆ TU/e AI Course — launched accredited AI for Coral Reefs course for 135 CS students with Prof. Dirk Fahland
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The Zindi Transition
May 2025 – Oct 2025 · 6 months · Delaware, United States
Ensuring a smooth transition post-acquisition.
The Handover
◆ Partnership Transfers — all 80+ partnerships handed over intact
◆ Community Migration — migrated 4500+ community members to their new home
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The Early Years
2010 – 2018 · 8 years
Building diverse experience across acting, security, teaching, and coding — every odd job became a class feature.
The Stage
2010–2015 · Groen Casting
Professional teen actor in Amsterdam
The Watch
2014–2016 · Crowd Support
Event security at hardstyle festivals — graveyard shifts included
The Classroom
2016–2018 · Lyceo
Teaching physics and chemistry
The Code
2018–2019 · Webholders
Co-founded a web development agency