Meet Nicholas, Our Technology Analyst

Please, introduce yourself…

Hello! I’m half English, half Costa Rican and decided to stay in the Netherlands after studying at Wageningen University as I enjoy the Dutch way of life (let’s not blame Brexit). I joined Venture IQ as a part-time Technology Analyst in August 2018, starting on a really cool project that looked at the potential use cases of robotics in agriculture. Recently, I joined the team on a full-time basis and am excited to help Venture IQ accelerate growth.

Alongside working at Venture IQ, I’m also working on creating a platform that showcases tracks and mixes from various artists. Personally, I also play at the odd festival around the Netherlands and contribute to some local radio stations in Amsterdam and Nijmegen.

What do you do on a daily basis?

As a Technology Analyst, I work with investors, innovation teams and R&D departments, helping them make smart investment decisions and enabling them to stay ahead of their competition.

Our clients tend to come from different angles when looking for other companies, ranging from market analysis to investigating specific technologies. The first stage is always to design an organized approach so we can identify and highlight the right metrics for our clients. With the help of our in-house software platform Catalist, I am then able to quickly make structured searches and gather the necessary data to identify the best leads. Based on these results, and several interim meetings, we offer the opportunity to dive deeper into a set of companies/technologies and arrange interviews. This allows us to gain a better understanding of their value proposition and traction to ultimately advise on the companies that suit our client’s needs best.

What do you love about your job?

I really enjoy the diversity of topics I get to dive into at VentureIQ. From my first project on agricultural robotics to my most recent one on blockchain technology, this diversity has been an eye-opening experience in terms of understanding how some of the biggest companies are innovating, adapting and growing in a rapidly changing world.

Being a relatively small team, everyone gets to know each other quite quickly. This allows for a collaborative work environment and the opportunity to input your ideas. I would say this has also helped us remain efficient and effective whilst having to work home remotely during lockdowns.

The team is also very diverse in terms of employee backgrounds and nationalities, which always makes for great conversations and allows us to learn from each other.

Oh, and let’s not forget the tasty salads during lunch at the office!