About
roles
ceo
Next Sense, is a data & AI Platform with the mission to decarbonize real estate. Next Sense is active in 20+ countries and serves clients as Microsoft, ING and CHANEL. With it’s building physics-based engine Next Sense improves building performance with 30% on costs, quality and energy efficiency.
co-founder of foundation
In 2017, the first Green Energy and Smart Technologies Education Summer School (GESTE) was launched. Since then, it has been held annually in collaboration with founding partners TNO, TU Delft, and the municipality of Delft – joined more recently by the city of Amsterdam. GESTE’s mission is to inspire children at an early age and spark a positive interest in technology, helping to build a more diverse and inclusive tech landscape and, ultimately, shaping the future together.
ambassador
INESPO stands for the (Inter)National Environment & Sustainability Project Olympiad. It is a collaboration between Wageningen University, Technasium, and the Cosmicus Foundation. Each year, INESPO hosts a science and environment olympiad for high school students from the Netherlands and abroad. Students interested in science and technology develop solutions for local and global sustainability challenges. The first edition was held in the Netherlands in 2009.
tech pioneer
WEF Technology Pioneers is a program by the World Economic Forum that recognizes early-stage companies from around the world developing cutting-edge technologies with the potential to shape industries and society. Each year, selected pioneers are invited to share their innovations and insights with global leaders at WEF events. Since its launch in 2000, the program has highlighted startups driving progress in fields such as artificial intelligence, clean energy, health, and digital transformation.
co-founder
Fotoniq is a TU Delft spin-off developing PAR+, a durable spray coating for greenhouse glass that diffuses sunlight to boost crop yields by 6–8% while reducing energy and resource use. The coating distributes light more evenly, lowers plant stress, and lasts at least 8 years—cutting waste compared to seasonal alternatives. Since 2021, Fotoniq has worked with growers and investors to scale this innovation worldwide, helping make greenhouse farming more productive and sustainable.
member
The Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen (KHMW), founded in 1752 and based in the historic Hodshon Huis in Haarlem, is the oldest learned society in the Netherlands. Its mission is to promote science and the humanities and connect them with society. The KHMW achieves this by awarding over 140 prizes and grants annually, organizing lectures, debates, and symposia, publishing knowledge, and managing dedicated funds. With a membership of leading scholars, professionals, and societal supporters, it serves as a bridge between academia and the wider public, while preserving a rich intellectual and cultural heritage.
committee member
Fonds Delft 2040 was established in 2017 to stimulate investment and collaboration towards the city’s long-term sustainability goals (Agenda Delft 2040). At a time of limited municipal resources, the fund focused on external partnerships and shared ambitions. Since then, it has co-financed eight key initiatives, including the renewal of Delft Campus station, the relocation of Filmhuis Lumen, and the development of a future-proof open heating network.
https://delfttechnologypartners.nl/news/fonds-delft-2040-wordt-opgeheven/
co-founder
PowerWindow also known as PHYSEE Technologies B.V. — was a Delft University of Technology spin-off, founded in 2014 by applied physicists Ferdinand Grapperhaus and Willem Kesteloo, that transformed ordinary façades into energy-generating surfaces. Their signature product, PowerWindows, were transparent insulating glass units embedded with luminescent coatings and solar cells that harvest daylight—even from indirect angles—to produce clean electricity and reduce building energy use by up to 50%. PowerWindows have been installed in multiple commercial and residential real estate projects. Due to lack of substantial scaling opportunities, PHYSEE was split in Fotoniq and Next Sense, in 2022.
son
Ferdi(nand) Grapperhaus is the son of Ferd(inand) Grapperhaus, who is a Dutch former politician, jurist and lawyer. From 26 October 2017 to 10 January 2022, he was Minister of Justice and Security in the Rutte III cabinet for the CDA.
me
you’re reading it right
this one’s about me
husband to one
father to three
investor in some
successes 2be
doing the work
to let the spirit break free
FLG!
bits & pieces
February 27, 2025
On February 26, 2025, the European Commission presented the EU Simplification Omnibus. This initiative immediately attracted attention and quickly led to various amendment proposals. The simplification aligns with the current zeitgeist, where we increasingly hear that Europe must wake up, become more competitive, and grow stronger.
Before we blindly join the movement toward less regulation, it’s worth taking a step back and sharpening the core of the debate.
April 25, 2023
Met een iets formeler pak, dan ik normaal gesproken draag als scale-up ceo, zat ik op de fiets naar McKinsey & Company voor het Young Leaders Forum. Samen met 30 andere – veelal jonge – ondernemers van onder andere Fourthline, Picnic Technologies Naïf Good Care (B Corp), Weaviate zette ik me schrap voor twee dagen powerpoint sessies..
March 15, 2020
I am not writing this as a virus expert or medical professional, nor as someone that tells you what to do. I am writing this from my technological background and personal experience in trying to grasp exponential growth.
