Welcome to another exciting episode of SaaS Unscripted! 🎙️ Today, we have the pleasure of interviewing Hans de Penning, the CEO and founder of Neopel, one of the hottest SaaS start-ups out there. Join us as Hans shares his incredible journey from being an engineering dropout to becoming a successful entrepreneur.
In this episode, Hans dives into:
- His early days as an engineering student and the pivotal moment that led him to drop out.
- The challenges and successes of starting his first engineering consultancy business.
- The evolution of his career, including the founding of a car-sharing company, Amber.
- The impact of COVID-19 on his business and the strategic pivots that followed.
- The birth of Neopel and how AI is revolutionizing customer support.
- Insights into building a high-performance team and scaling a SaaS business internationally.
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Timestamps: (00:00) - Introduction
(00:17) - Hans' background and early career
(00:48) - Dropping out of engineering school
(02:29) - Founding the first consultancy business
(05:04) - Transitioning to a car-sharing company
(10:04) - Prototyping and pivoting during COVID-19
(16:57) - Landing ABN AMRO as a first customer
(19:28) - The impact of COVID-19 on the business
(22:39) - Lessons learned and bad decisions
(23:55) - Achievements with Amber and the eventual sale
(26:23) - Taking a break and soul-searching
(28:19) - The inception of Neopel
(30:52) - Building the AI-driven customer support solution
(35:26) - Early traction and growth
(38:58) - Future ambitions and scaling internationally
(43:33) - Final thoughts and advice for aspiring founders
Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a SaaS professional, or just curious about the startup world, this episode offers valuable insights and inspiration from someone who's living it. Tune in to learn about Hans’ experiences, the evolution of the SaaS industry, and the innovative solutions Neople is bringing to the SaaS world.Â
đź”— Connect with Hans de Penning:Â
LinkedIn:Â https://www.linkedin.com/in/hans-de-penning/
Website: https://www.neople.io/
Â
 🔗 Nobel Recruitment & Nick van Eeten:
 Website: https://www.noblerecruitment.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-van-eeten-saas-sales-recruitment/
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Don't forget to subscribe to SaaS:Unscripted for more behind-the-scenes stories from the SaaS industry, and leave us a review on your favorite podcast app!Â
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