Antwerp, Flemish Region, Belgium
As a serial entrepreneur I've directed the growth of over 500 hair salons worldwide. As the Founder of Brainwash, I expanded it from inception to 150 locations with over 1000 employees in just five years. Driven by a passion for impact and innovation, I have also established and grown more than 10 impactful tech companies. Collectively, I have led over 3,000 amazing individuals to achieve their potential. I have a talent for identifying and capitalizing on emerging trends and reinventing the future for the better. I kicked off the light-up shoe craze in 2012, launched the fastest growing Belgian dating app in 2017, initiated the customized hair care trend in Europe in 2018, built a unique idea platform based on collective and artificial intelligence in 2018, helped advance the prefab housing market in 2019, opened the first European webshop for nonbinary clothing in 2019, was the first to offer in-house COVID testing in 2020, developed the most intense VR fitness app in 2023, and am currently developing the most efficient direct air capture system in the world with CO₂Zero. And at the same time, I am working on systemic change to make energy as affordable and free-flowing as possible at Stedin, ultimately reducing the cost of everything. I am highly creative and extremely goal-driven. I am a relentless optimist who never gives up, and because I am always full of ideas, I find ways even when there are none. I strongly believe in decentralization and cell-division: giving people the knowledge, tools, and insights they need, then getting out of their way so they can excel. In typical Dutch fashion, I communicate directly and make sure everyone knows exactly what is expected of them. I live to see people come alive. I strive to help others through their hardships, inspire them to get the most out of their lives, and empower them to do the same for others. It is my lifelong mission to realize a world in which ‘plenty’ is a birthright. The future is always beginning now – Mark Strand
On a mission to make energy as affordable and free-flowing as possible, reducing the cost of everything
CO₂Zero accelerates society towards Net Zero by building the premier modular, open-innovation Direct Air Capture platform, empowering innovators globally to seamlessly integrate, test, evolve, showcase, and scale their technologies.
At The Idealists we source the ideas from the 97% of people in the world who will never start a company for their idea, validate these in-house and found companies for them with non-idea-founders which we then help to launch and grow successfully. We focus on impactful ideas that match the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) set by the United Nations, to help bring humankind closer to an age of plenty.
Yes Salons is the hair salon 2.0 and the ideal mix of all (500+) successful hair salons that we already have set up and run. Yes is like the Zara or Rituals of hair salons. A love brand where consumers are treated at the level of a high-end salon, but only pay the price of an affordable salon. Affordable luxury for all.
After successfully setting up and running over 500 hair salons with in total over 3000 employees, we think it's time for a hair salon where happiness is always guaranteed. This is why we made AEDEN. The most reliable hair salon for everyone, always.