First Moves

From a magician’s flair to a full-fledged chocolatier, Jorrit Consten’s entrepreneurial path is anything but ordinary. In this episode, we dive into how Jorrit turned a single workshop into DARQ—a boutique chocolate brand that now spans a café, hotel, ice cream shop, and more. A compelling story of creativity, resilience, and building with family.

Discover how artificial intelligence and robotics are transforming the future of agriculture in this dynamic live event, hosted by Brightlands Greenport Campus and EIT Food. From precision farming to automation breakthroughs, this conversation brings together pioneering minds pushing the boundaries of agritech innovation. Tune in to hear how cutting-edge tech is transforming the way we grow, harvest, and sustain our food systems.

Vince Meens has lived through the full spectrum of entrepreneurship— founding & building successful companies, experiencing exits, and facing the pain of failure & bankruptcy. As well as personal challenges, ultimately landing him in a coma & even facing death. Doctors told his family he wouldn’t make it.But Vince did survive. And more importantly, he rebuilt. Over the course of three years, he persistently fought his way back—relearning how to eat, walk, and live again. In this powerful episode, Vince shares what it means to start over from absolutely nothing, how his coma dreams shaped his outlook, and why in business we must not forget about the human side/cost of ambition.This is a raw and inspiring story of resilience—a reminder that no matter how deep you fall, you can always rise again. In business and in life, rebuilding is always possible!

How do you turn a PhD project into a medtech company receiving €160M in funding? Martijn Cox, co-founder and Head of Technology at Xeltis, shares the story of building a groundbreaking vascular implant startup from scratch. This episode explores the realities of deep tech commercialisation—from team building to scaling to market launch.

What happens when biomedical startups get a head start with built-in infrastructure, regulatory guidance, and hands-on knowledge? In this episode, Kurt Gielen, Chief Business Officer at Medace, shares how they’ve built a globally unique model that accelerates early-stage innovation in the life sciences. We dive into the origins of Medace, its one-stop-shop approach for clinical trial readiness, and how it's helping founders avoid common pitfalls by embedding quality and compliance from day one. If you're building in healthtech, this is a blueprint you’ll want to hear.

Award-winning author and TEDx speaker Chris Fenning has trained over 75,000 professionals—including teams at Google, NATO, and JP Morgan—in how to communicate clearly at work. In this episode, Chris shares practical tools to simplify conversations, bridge the gap between experts and non-experts, and make sure your message lands the first time. Whether you're managing up or navigating team dynamics, this episode is your shortcut to better workplace communication.

Mike Verhiel, CEO of Psylaris, shares how his company is revolutionizing mental health care through VR-powered therapy sessions. From EMDR to exposure therapy and relaxation exercises, Psylaris helps therapists speed up interventions and reduce waiting times—making mental health care far more accessible and affordable. With +5,500 therapists, +850 organizations, and over 75,000 therapy sessions completed, the impact is clear. Mike also reflects on his turbulent journey from leaving a high-paying job to building a company that became one of the few Dutch startups accepted into Y Combinator, and beyond.

Step into the world of startup competitions with this exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the Brightlands Startup Challenge. In this special episode, hosts Sebastian and [your name] take you inside the event, speaking with participants, winners, and jury members. Discover what it takes to compete, the driving forces behind innovative startup ideas, and the key criteria that determine who walks away with the prize.

In this episode, Thomas Übellacker, Co-founder and COO of Digicust, explores how AI is transforming industries and society. From automating customs clearance at Digicust to empowering organizations through Texterous, and fostering an AI-driven community at AIM to solve Europe’s pressing problems, Thomas shares actionable insights into AI's practical applications. We also dive into his journey into AI, coding, and his predictions for AI’s future impact over the coming decade.

Jens Thies, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer at Temple ORTHOBiologics, shares his journey from a university graduate to a leader in the biomedical science space and now entrepreneur. With over 20 years of innovation experience and 36+ patent families, Jens reveals the secret to successful innovation: falling in love with the problem, not the solution. Tune in for insights on collaboration, enjoying the process, and the transition from intrapreneurship to entrepreneurship.

What does it take for a business to secure meaningful support from a bank? John Janssen of Rabobank’s Business Innovation Team Limburg shares how he guides companies in sustainability and healthcare, revealing what banks look for in a business and how founders can boost their chances of success. From insights into crafting a compelling business case to navigating lending requirements, John unpacks the secrets to building a strong foundation for growth and lasting impact.

In this episode, we chat with Alexandre Martens, co-founder of Clipstake, a groundbreaking platform that allows fans to invest in their favorite content creators and share in the success of their ad revenue. Alexandre shares his journey from a childhood love of building to launching an innovative company that connects creators with their audiences in new ways. Tune in to hear his thoughts on the education system, his experience as a first mover, and his vision for the future of content creation.