Geert-Jan is authentic, outspoken, straightforward and brings his story with humor
Consulting and interim services
Geert-Jan advises entrepreneurs and investors on the strategy, growth and operations of start-ups and scale-ups. He is regularly deployed in deal teams to evaluate a potential investment together with a venture capital or private equity party. Deployable as operator, advisor and interim professional.
Topics:
Inspirational speaker
Geert-Jan is a much sought-after speaker in the fields of trendwatching, start-ups, angel investing, digital strategy, sustainability and innovation. He has given (trend) presentations and master classes for EMERCE, Dela, Orisha Commerce, Sijthoff Media, Impact Hub Amsterdam, FundsUp, Demonstrator Lab Amsterdam, Bindinc., NHL Stenden CvO and Saxion CvO, among others.
Columns in RetailTrends
Geert-Jan is a columnist at RetailTrends. You can find his latest columns here.
October 8, 2025
A future for D2C bicycle manufacturers lies in these 8 factors
Read the column.
September 15, 2025
Will TikTok become the new retail channel?
Read the column.
Aug. 14, 2025
Store consultants are becoming the true retail champions
Read the column.
July 21, 2025
Protect us from the disposable products of Temu and Shein
Read the column.
May 19, 2025
Will you invite your digital colleague to the Christmas party?
Read the column.
March 17, 2025
Game on! AI brings negotiation back to online shopping.
Read the column
Jan. 20, 2025
2025 will be the year of agentic AI
Read the column
Free resources
Take advantage of the free downloadable canvases. Intended for entrepreneurs, investors and advisors.
Problem-Solutionfit canvas.
Assess whether you have a solution that solves a major problem for a specific customer segment before delving deeper into product development and market introduction.
Product-Market fit canvas
Assess how well the product fits customer needs and wants before your start-up focuses on scaling and growth.
Investor Readiness Levels Model – Whitepaper
With the Investor Readiness Levels Model (IRL-Model) you gain insight into where a start-up currently stands, so that you as an entrepreneur can pick up the relevant activities in the right order. This increases your chances of attracting the attention of investors and securing the desired financing. Take advantage of this valuable white paper!
Investor Readiness canvas
Gain insight into where the start-up currently stands so that entrepreneurs undertake the right activities and investors make better investment decisions.
Investing in start-ups
- Want to know which start-ups have the best growth opportunities? Do you want to invest in successful companies of the future? Then this master class is for you.
Why participate:
- You have ability, knowledge & experience in entrepreneurship and would like to help entrepreneurs become successful.
- You want more return on investment.
- You want to see examples of pichdecks, term sheets, shareholder agreements and calculation models.
- As an advisor, you will assist clients in making investments in start-up companies.
- You recently started at a venture capital firm, incubator or accelerator and are eager to learn the business.
The Masterclass is offered by Alex van Groningen . (4 PE points)
Next start dates & locations:
Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, Bussum
Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, Bunnik
Start-up bootcamp
Especially for founders, Geert-jan organizes a 4-hour or full-day bootcamp. The interactive session provides insight into the methodology to predict and increase the success of a start-up. The entrepreneurs get to work with their own start-up and learn from the many practical examples and from each other.
In brief:
- Apply the scorecard methodology to your own business
- Get practical insights and tips to dramatically increase the success of your start-up
- Share your entrepreneurial experiences and learn from other entrepreneurs
- Small group of like-minded people: five to a maximum of ten founders
Investor Readiness
Do you have a rapidly growing business and are looking for funding? This master class will help you take the right steps to maximize your chances of obtaining financing.
How can you increase the fundability of your start-up? Based on many insights from practice, you will be given concrete tools. In a small group, you will receive personal guidance from Geert-Jan, who is both an entrepreneur and an investor, allowing him to illuminate and understand both sides.
Learn to put yourself in the investor’s position and information needs. This two- or four-hour master class will help you focus and spend your time on the right activities. Now includes free Pitch Deck PowerPoint Template.
Inspirational speaker
Geert-Jan is a much sought-after speaker on start-ups, angel investing, online strategy, sustainability and innovation. He has given presentations and master classes for Impact Hub Amsterdam, FundsUp, Demonstrator Lab Amsterdam, Bindinc., NHL Stenden CvO and Saxion CvO, among others.
Entrepreneur & investor
Geert-Jan has founded several companies including Jungle Minds and Flinders. As an investor and advisor, he gained a lot of knowledge and experience in the field of start-ups and investing in start-ups. This involved trial and error and brought many insights.
Looking for an investor?
Selection Criteria
- Start-up in digital, software or consumer product
- Impact on people, environment or society
- Start-up already has (some) sales and customers
- Rete ambitious and complementary team
- Headquarters in the Netherlands
- Ticket size: €50,000 - €200,000