Jeroen Steenbakkers lives in Rosmalen with his wife and two daughters. He studied Technical Business Administration in Eindhoven and then worked for a company developing simulation models for ten years, where he gained a lot of experience in the world of data and models. In 2019, he began his entrepreneurial adventure and started the company Argaleo together with companion André. The Bossche Investerings Maatschappij (IBGE) asked him about how it all started, what exactly Argaleo does, his successes and setbacks as an entrepreneur and more.
Where did the idea for Argaleo originate?
"Actually, it started about five years ago at a party of a friend of mine. There I met André Sluijter - the uncle of that particular friend. André had owned and sold a Geo-ICT company, but he actually wanted to do something entrepreneurial again. For myself, after ten years of working for a company, entrepreneurship had really started to itch. At that time, André had a new piece of technology at his disposal.
That was a map in which all of the Netherlands was developed in 3D with all kinds of data linked to it. We agreed to talk about it and then he asked me if we could do something with that data. I answered that I did not know, but that I did see that there were many social challenges - housing, nitrogen, mobility - that are related to the built environment and that I knew that the people who make the decisions about this did not always have the knowledge and skills about data and technology. In between there is a gap that is now being filled by expensive consultants. Then André said, actually almost jokingly, 'Shall we set up a company for that?' And so it happened."
What exactly are you doing with Argaleo?
"With our tools, we support better and faster decision-making related to public space. We do that by tying a lot of data together in those tools and linking it to a model. To give an example, imagine that a fire breaks out somewhere. Then we receive a report in the map. We calculate in the map based on live weather information where the resulting smoke cloud is headed. Then we can report to those who need to respond: 'be careful when you go there, because there are two childcare centers at the place where that smoke cloud is going'. Based on that information, those can then make a quick and well-calculated decision."
Can you give another example of using your tools?
"Definitely. Here in Den Bosch, we have linked the data from all kinds of 'smart cameras.' This allows us to determine every five minutes how busy it is in the city. We have created a dashboard, which those responsible for Carnival and D'n Elfde van d'n Elfde can use to make decisions about measures related to crowds.
These are real-time operational examples, but our dashboard also works for making investments. Think of the construction of a tunnel. Then, using all the data, we make an analysis based on which a well-founded decision can be made by a municipality. We do all that with a digital tool."
These days I feel like a fish out of water as an entrepreneur, so that too makes me think: why didn't I do this sooner?
In those five years, have you ever regretted becoming an entrepreneur?
"No, definitely not. On the contrary, I sometimes think that I should have become an entrepreneur earlier, only when I was at university the entrepreneurial climate was a little less favorable than now I think. I didn't have a single lecture on entrepreneurship at the TU in Eindhoven, for example. These days I feel like a fish out of water as an entrepreneur, so that too makes me think: why didn't I do this sooner?"
Further about you: what is your favorite book?
"I don't read that much, because I don't have that much time for it. But if I have to name one book, I think it would still be the biography of Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple. That type of book, about entrepreneurs, I often find interesting."
How do you guard your work-life balance?
"Not. I mostly just accept that it's not there and because of that I have more peace of mind. Just when I start imposing boundaries on myself about what things I can and cannot do when, it creates more stress. I accept that there is no difference between personal and business and I skipper between them. For example, I always drive home at 5 p.m. and pick up the kids, then we have dinner together. When the kids are in bed I might send a few more emails in the evening, but it can also happen that I'm really still working until 00:30."
What do you get up in the morning for?
"To spread bread for the two little girls. I really like that morning routine."
What does success mean to you?
"Doing fat projects and the recognition that comes with it. And then not for me as a person but really for us as a team. For example, projects like the Vuelta in the Netherlands; for that we developed a dashboard in six weeks that that entire project organization worked with. When I came into the tower where they were working, I saw our tool on the screen thirty times. That's when my heart did beat a little faster, because this was serious. Because we did that well, a year later we got a call from Rotterdam's Security Directorate to help with King's Day. There the police and the Royal Security looked on and that all went well too.
Now Rotterdam uses our dashboard for all major events, from the Marathon to the start of the Tour de France - that's fantastic. These are the best events, by the way. What I am also very happy about is that we are now also using our innovations across the board. Even a municipality like Veenendaal, and other smaller municipalities, are using our tools."
Now Rotterdam uses our dashboard for all major events, from the Marathon to the start of the Tour de France - which is fantastic
Where do you see your company in three years?
"In three years, I hope that in the three markets in which we operate we will have at least half of all organizations equipped with our technology. I'm talking about 50 municipalities, 12 security regions, six provinces. In other words, that we are a mature player in the market in our domains. I also hope that we will have developed tools for new domains. For example, we are now developing a solution for the energy network.
I also want to introduce a solution in foreign cities. I think we start with that in the field of sustainable mobility. We are ahead in the Netherlands in terms of analysis and data on cyclists. We can export that to foreign cities that are bike-minded, think for example of a city like Valencia."
We are ahead in the Netherlands in terms of analysis and data on cyclists. We can export that to foreign cities that are bike-minded, think of a city like Valencia, for example
Have you experienced major setbacks in your time as an entrepreneur?
"Well, I would call it growing pains rather than real setbacks. When we started working for big clients, we really did need people who could help with development. We now do everything with two developers, and those are really two heavyweights. Finding that knowledge was very important to us.
Where there was also a challenge was cash flow. If you participate in European innovation projects, for example, you suddenly have to pre-finance €250,000, after which you get it back on the basis of subsidies. It takes three quarters of a year before you get your money back. I had misjudged that.
Furthermore, when we started, we actually bet on three horses in terms of development. Actually, all three of those horses could run very well, but we still had to market them. Then you also have to have people who go into the market with that product and that also requires an investment of time and money. So we did see that there was potential in it, but we just needed investment at a certain point. That's also when we went into partnership with BIF."
Why did you then choose BIF AS THE INVESTOR?
"That's threefold I think. First, they have the principle that they want to grow with you as a company. That suited, because we were really still at the beginning of our business. Further, we were already in the BIM ecosystem, so that was also fitting. And the third point, and maybe the most important point, was that one of the coaches at the BIF, Arjen Heeres, already knew the market where I came from ánd he also understood where we wanted to go. So that clicked pretty quickly.
Furthermore, he had really managed to build his company from scratch to a company of 900 employees. The fact that he already knew the ropes really had - and still has - a lot of added value for me. If I have doubts, especially about strategic things, I can send him a message and I always get an answer that helps me. That's very nice."
Would you recommend mentoring to any entrepreneur?
"Yes, but good mentoring. Nowadays there are also a lot of coaches who can coach very well, but don't have the experience that Arjen, for example, has. So yes, a mentor is important, but you have to have a good one who actually knows what he or she is talking about."
How did you end up in Grasso?
"I deliberately said when we started, 'we're not going to work from home.' Then we started orienting ourselves. I read up on the data city that Den Bosch wants to be and then we quickly ended up at Grasso. Grasso was of course also convenient in terms of travel time, but I also believe that this climate with all these data entrepreneurs is also conducive."
And how do you like this place?
"I am very happy with this housing. It looks good here and you can receive people here with peace of mind. In addition, I live nearby, which is a personal advantage. I must add to that: if I had lived in Waalwijk, for example, I would still consider settling here. It's a nice place and a good ecosystem for our business."
And how do you like the community?
"Well, that also depends a bit on what you yourself do with it of course. I must say that at the beginning I used it a lot because I had capacity problems. So I used the services of the companies in the community quite a lot. Now we do almost everything ourselves, so technically I don't use it as much anymore. What remains nice is that we can spar on entrepreneurship. That always remains an added value. Furthermore, we see that our company is growing, but so is the environment here. It's nice to be part of that."
What is your golden tip to the next generation of entrepreneurs?
"Entrepreneurship is doing. Of course you have to have a plan, but in the end it doesn't have to all go right at once. Go for it, and with a little bit of common sense and hard work, you'll get there."
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