Who are the entrepreneurs who founded Blinqx? What roles do they play within Blinqx today? And how do they see Blinqx’s role now and in the future? Meet Chris, Ruud, Ynze, and Jelke. And find out what it takes to lead a growing software company – while staying close friends at the same time.
Let’s start at the beginning. How long have you been doing business together?
Ruud: Since we (Ruud, Ynze, Jelke – ed.) were 19, we’ve been working together. In the beginning, everything was very carefree; nothing was mandatory because we were still studying. Using the knowledge from our studies (accountancy), we started building automation for administrative processes because we saw it could be done much more efficiently. And if something worked well and was successful, we just kept going. It was really that simple.
Ynze: The digitization of those processes paid off. After our studies, we continued and founded Fiscaal Gemak. It was an incredibly exciting time. We went from never having launched a product to inspiring a few thousand offices – and to this day, we’re still making them happy with that solution.
Ruud: When Fiscaal Gemak was sold to Unit4 – where we got to know Chris (founder, former CEO, and at the time commissioner) well – I personally had to take some time to figure out what we wanted to do next. We stayed on as the management team for Fiscaal Gemak at Unit4, and at that point, we had our hands full with that. It was good for us, especially since we didn’t yet have a clear vision for the next step. During this time, we learned how to approach things as a larger organization and gained insight into the advantages and disadvantages that come with it.
“Blinqx’s growth engine runs on the enthusiasm and energy of its people.
Chris Ouwinga
Jelke: And then, in 2019, DIAS crossed our path. At the time, it was more of an investment for the four of us. But over time, we started seeing more and more possibilities. DIAS was operating in a highly fragmented market, which was ineffective for users. With the integration of a few solutions, we thought, this could be done much better. It was also a great moment to take a new step: two years had passed, ‘our’ part of Unit4 had been acquired by Exact, and the itch to start our own venture again was growing stronger.
And so it happened. Within two years, you merged 11 players in that fragmented market into a complete solution. Last year, DIAS was rebranded as Blinqx, and from there, it grew incredibly quickly; expanding into adjacent sectors and with a rapidly growing team. How do you manage to keep up such an incredible pace?
Ruud: For me, it’s the thought that we’re only at the beginning of our success.
Ynze: I enjoy puzzling things out every day: what can we improve for our clients, what software can we develop, what integrations can we create, where can we strengthen our team to deliver even higher-quality services, and where can we professionalize. There’s so much to build at Blinqx, and that’s a truly rewarding puzzle
Ruud: And every day when I go home, I’ve learned something new. I enjoy that more than when everything just goes smoothly. I also learn from Chris every day, as well as from the team around us. In so many sessions, you learn from people who are better in their field than you are yourself. I grow wiser every day thanks to the talent we have around us. That motivates me.
Jelke: I’m occasionally surprised by the progress we’re making. It feels like a kind of ‘perfect storm.’ Because things moved so quickly, we were able to attract talent. And that keeps reinforcing itself. I draw a lot of motivation from that. It doesn’t mean everything comes easily—you have to believe in what you’re doing and be persistent.
Chris: I recognize that learning is the most important thing for me, even now. The great advantage of having such a talented team is being able to learn from each other—not just for yourself, but also for the team. You can really see that in Blinqx and the guys.
