Jeroen
van Hertum

Where It All Began

Long before I ran software companies, I ran evenings at "The Rebel" — a discotheque society in Gouda where I coordinated volunteers, DJs, performers, bartenders and security for 300+ visitors a night. That is where the fundamentals first formed: problem-solving under pressure, motivating people without authority, and above all — being honest and transparent when things go wrong.

Developer First

My career started in code. That grounding has never left me — I have always been able to pick up any technology fast. When SONY needed mainframe work in a language I had never touched, I learned it over a weekend from a stack of books. That pattern set the tone for everything that followed: do not wait to know everything; start learning and deliver.

The Bulgaria Chapter

Around 2004, when everyone in the Netherlands was rushing to outsource to India or Romania, I looked at Bulgaria. Less competition, untapped talent, a market perfectly sized for a growing company. I found Daniel Alexandrov, we built Sourcelab Bulgaria, and the results were extraordinary.

By 2010, I had spent more time in Sofia than in Amsterdam — so I stayed. What started as a business decision became home. The city, the people, the energy of a tech scene still finding its feet — I fell for all of it.

Leadership as Practice

Leadership kept teaching me through every stage of my career. As a developer, I learned to take ownership. As an entrepreneur, I learned to make hard calls with incomplete information. And for 8 years as a board member at Strypes, I learned what governance, accountability, and long-term thinking actually look like in a boardroom. Each chapter added something the previous one could not have taught me.

The Proof of Trust

One of my first internet projects from around 1999 — Jobnet.nl, built in Java before frameworks existed — is still an active client relationship today. 25+ years. That is not client retention; that is what trust looks like over time.

Today my focus is Digital Trust — what it actually means for businesses, and how building it creates lasting value. I am CEO of Sourcelab, chairman of Dutch Tech Bulgaria, and a board member of the Dutch Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce.