"We were told the market was not ready. Now here we are."

During a major tech event at the Jaarbeurs Utrecht, AIMAZE was independently named Best Tech Startup of the Netherlands. This happened in a year in which more than 8,000 startups were active. We spoke to co-founder and CTO Jelte Schuurmans about doubt, perseverance and the moment when everything fell into place.

"On stage, something broke."

What was going through your mind when AIMAZE was named the winner?

Jelte: "I was waiting with my colleague Jort and still thought: we're not going to win this. There were so many good companies nominated. When they mentioned our name, it felt like the past two years gained meaning in one fell swoop.

You know what the weird thing is? You always think a moment like that feels big and epic. But it was mostly ... quiet. Like something had been completed. Like I could really breathe for the first time."

Had there been any doubt?

"Of course. Especially in the beginning. We were told that the market was not ready. That it came too soon. And maybe they were right at the time. But we already saw it. We knew it was coming. Only we had to keep believing when others didn't see it yet."

AI that cooperates rather than replaces

You talk about "Digital Employees" instead of AI tools. Why?

Jelte: "Because the difference between a tool and a colleague is huge. You use a tool. A colleague thinks with you, learns your methods and picks up signals. That's what we build.

Take our Digital Marketing Officer, for example. Who is specially trained to be visible with AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude or Perplexity. More and more people are using AI to replace search behavior. They ask AI, "Which party can help me with X?" instead of googling.

Our clients are now being recommended by those AI systems. Not by cheating or manipulation, but because their content, proposition and positioning are optimized such that AI tools recognize them as relevant. The result? Leads coming in without ads."

That sounds ideal. But what does go wrong?

"Oh, enough. AI is not perfect. Sometimes it makes mistakes, sometimes it doesn't fully understand the context. That's why we always build with a 'human in the loop.' Someone who checks, adjusts and looks along. AI should not be trusted blindly. It is an employee that certainly needs to be guided in the beginning, just like any new colleague."

Brabant: no Silicon Valley, but maybe better

Why is Brabant important to this story?

Jelte: "Because here technology is made without the hype. In Silicon Valley, you have the feeling that everything has to grow, scale and go viral. Here in Brabant we just build. For real companies with real problems.

Look at Eindhoven, at the High Tech Campus. That's not a show. Those are engineering companies working on chips, medical devices and precision machinery. Very practical. And that's how we feel. We are not a startup that wants to make AI sexy. We're a startup that wants to make AI work."

What does that say about the future of Dutch tech?

"That we don't have to join the circus. We don't have to become a unicorn to be relevant. We can build what works, apply it where it's needed and thereby make an impact globally. That's our opportunity."

The marathon is just beginning now

You are now "Best Tech Startup. What does that mean in terms of pressure?

Jelte: (laughs) "Yes, there is that pressure. You don't want to disappoint expectations. But it also gives you freedom. You are taken more seriously. Doors open more easily. Conversations start differently.

At the same time: we are still a startup. We still make mistakes. We are still learning every day. This award is not an end point, but it is validation to keep going."

What are the biggest challenges for 2026?

"Scaling without losing the soul. We want to grow, serve more sectors, expand internationally. But not at the expense of quality. Every Digital Employee we build must have real impact.

And honestly: finding talent. AI developers who can not only write code, but also understand how organizations work. Those are scarce. So we invest a lot in training, in culture and in building a team that stays."

The call: start tomorrow

What would you say to companies hesitant about AI?

Jelte: "Start small. Choose one process. One task. One problem. And see if AI can make a difference there. You don't have to change your entire organization.

I talk to so many entrepreneurs who say, "We'll wait a while until AI is more mature. But in the meantime, they're falling behind. It's not about being perfect. It's about moving. Every step counts."

And what can we expect from AIMAZE?

"More autonomy. Sectors where you don't see us now. And especially: technology becoming so natural that people forget it's AI. That they just say, 'Oh yes, my digital colleague has already taken care of that.' That's our goal.

We've proven it can be done. Now we're going to show how far it can go."