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ir@forward.oneArjan backs engineering-led founders who turn complex technology into real machines, real customers, and real momentum.
Arjan’s career began where deeptech becomes real: on the shop floor.
Straight out of Delft University of Technology, he co-founded Ampelmann, serving as the technical force behind what became Delft’s most successful startup to date. He designed, engineered, and built high-tech motion-compensation systems.
His expertise spans mechanical design, steelworks, hydraulics, electronics, PLCs, and the art of building high-performance engineering cultures. He has since advised and mentored countless founders through YES!Delft, board seats, and selection committees.
At FORWARD.one, he sits close enough to help drive strategic progress, and far enough to stay focused on performance. He pushes teams and backs founders with the ambition to outpace incumbents.
Very driven teams with near-unrealistic deadlines. If a founder treats time like their most valuable resource, everything else follows.
Engineering as a competitive edge.
Arjan is an engineer by trade and instinct. He gravitates to technologies that push physical limits; nanometer-scale semiconductors, breakthrough robotics, precision industrial systems, and to founders who turn those innovations into products the world can actually use.
Time-to-market as a weapon.
His philosophy is simple: set near-impossible deadlines, declare them holy, and hit them. In early industrial tech, time is both your friend and enemy. Arjan challenges teams to move faster and keep momentum uncompromisingly high.
Commercialization through discipline.
Arjan pushes founders to focus on unit economics, manufacturability, customer validation, and operational readiness.
Urgency-driven leadership.
Arjan looks for founders who run tight, driven organizations with a strong sense of urgency. Leaders who push their teams, their timelines, and themselves.
Set near-impossible deadlines, make them holy, and reach them. Time-to-market sets you apart, and it’s magic to hit those goals together.
