Glance@theCommunity is the platform to meet and engage with the entrepreneurial community at the ECE Campus. Today we restart our weekly interviews by introducing you to a recent addition to the Campus. Gerard van der Hoeven, CEO of IoT Gurus, has recently joined the ECE Campus with his dynamic team and today he will share a bit more with us how, with the help of wifi and coffee, he intends to conquer the world.

Gerard, describe IoT Gurus in under 50 words.
Internet of Things is touching and changing many industries to become more efficient, more sustainable and more reliable. IoT Gurus is a worldwide strategy consulting network with seasoned experts, former directors and entrepreneurs in different IoT fields that together help corporate clients in this digital transformation.

What was keeping you busy before starting IoT Gurus?
I’ve been working for the last 20 years in different technology areas, started off as entrepreneur of my first cloud software company, later on as strategist for KPN forming their IoT strategy. Last couple of years i’ve been CEO of a couple of companies on behalf of an investment firm.

What made you decide to start working on it?
I love strategizing and innovating, cracking cases and really make things happen. In the IoT space many large consulting firms claim a position but lack the in-depth experience in the crossover of technology and business in the IoT space. At the same time many experts are in the market but hard to find by corporates for support. IoT Gurus bridges that gap and has created a sharea online knowledge repository and cooperation space for all the experts to keep their knowledge at the right level and cooperate with peers.

How did you come up with the name? Do you have a mascotte as well?
I was called an IoT Guru by many of my clients, so i used that .. 😉

Let’s stick to what makes IoT Gurus special: how have you built customer loyalty?
We aim to become the trusted advisor on innovation and digital transformation for our clients. Through standardised working methods, reporting and standard products we deliver the highest quality, to the A-brand standards.

What does a typical day as CEO consist of?
My day consists of 33% syncing in and building the network, 33% acquisition and 33% client work.

What are your thoughts on the future of your industry?
Consulting will migrate to Resulting, delivery of value and results rather than just hours. That is our usual way of supporting clients.

Let’s get personal: what do you wish you’d have known ten years ago that you know now?
Travelling is about the path and not about the destination.  

A must do question: where do you see your company in another ten years time?
The market for extreme industry experts is not limited to IoT, so I see the company broaden up in the coming years to other verticals. But for now we keep the focus and will grow the network and the clientele to really make an impact.

What is your favourite app or piece of software that helps you every day?
Slack is our core solution to keep the network together and we love that every day.

What is a mistake you’ve made, and what did you learn from it?
Keep the wrong people on the bus, working with the right people is key.

What one piece of advice would you give to startup founders?
Focus, try to stay independent as long as possible and get a mentor with real entrepreneurial experience.

What’s the best prank someone has played on you at work?
…I can’t think of one…

What key goal have you yet to achieve?
Grow the network from 25 to 100 key experts worldwide.

Tell us: what is the value of being located at the ECE Campus?
Great people around, vibrant and inspiring atmosphere and view, close to our clients in the Rotterdam area.

And this was all for our latest episode of Glance@theCommunity. Next week meet Rick and Olivier of Ekster Wallets!

Interested in keeping in touch with Gerard and join his ambitions? Then look no further than ece.nl/campus. Do you want to join the ECE Campus community? We are expanding! Let us know by contacting the ECE Team at campus@ece.nl.