The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time. My biggest joy is to work on cool new stuff that has the potential to improve life, the universe and everything. And I'm a sucker for how innovations evolve. It's never the brilliant Steve Jobs-type having a breakthrough idea out of the blue. It's always much more messy and human.

There is something magical about places like Silicon Valley, Boston, Amsterdam, Berlin, Delft, Eindhoven, the list goes on. These places are like the renaissance cities of innovation. Being there gives you the excitement of touching the future. I love designing policies and strategies for that.

Startups are the most powerful tool to drive change in society. That's why I root for startup founders, train them, coach them, invest in them, help to design policies to support them. All over the globe. We can fix any problem in the world, one startup at a time.

Ever since I was little I have been attracted to the idea of a cleaner, greener planet. Seriously, who isn't? And then there is cool technology like 'the internet', electric vehicles, AI & machine learning, agro & food, chocolate, the list goes on.

Having access to the resources of a large organization to boost innovation is fantastic. It can also be a real pain. 'Large' is too often synonymous with 'slow and risk averse'. But elephants can learn how to dance and create a startup mindset. That’s my work as trainer and consultant of corporations and governments.

Since I don't drink, please don't give me a bottle of wine after a lecture. Chocolate however is highly appreciated. Especially the dark stuff. There is something about the dark side...