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              Dutch PM Mark Rutte says that apologies for Dutch history as slave owners and traders are “not wise”

              Rent relief on the way for low-income households

              How to support victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

              How to support victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

              Rail strike hits services on Arriva lines

              A bus at a bus station.

              New round of regional transport strike in the North

              The outside of a building by night.

              Pro-Russian hackers claim cyberattack on UMCG

              A woman.

              Groninger photographer Courtney Bonneau launches new exhibition in Lebanon

              The cold of the North is compensated by the warmth of its people – Ocean Grazer engineer

              The cold of the North is compensated by the warmth of its people – Ocean Grazer engineer

              Philips Drachten

              Philips to fire 6,000 staff to cut costs

              First flight from Eelde to Munich

              Eelde Airport secures two new summer routes

              Trending Tags

              • Lifestyle
                • All
                • Food & Drinks
                • Nightlife
                • Shopping
                • What's happening
                Groningen welcomes Qatar 2022 with cheer and criticism

                Groningen welcomes Qatar 2022 with cheer and criticism

                The anti Zwarte Piet protest in Emmen

                Emmen: Four people still detained after anti Zwarte Piet protest

                The inside of Forum Groningen

                “Let’s Gro” opens a discussion on the future of Groningen

                What about food in student city Groningen?

                Where to get knockout fries in the northern provinces

                Ukraine Food opens in Groningen

                Ukraine Food opens in Groningen

                Buses will no longer travel through the Grote Markt in Groningen

                Buses will no longer travel through the Grote Markt in Groningen

                “Tall Ships” Race coming to Friesland this week

                “Tall Ships” Race coming to Friesland this week

                Noorderzon festival returning to Groningen in August

                Noorderzon festival returning to Groningen in August

                Plans for extensive Kardinge residential expansion revealed

                Plans for extensive Kardinge residential expansion revealed

                Trending Tags

                • Culture
                  • All
                  • Dutch history
                  • Typical Dutch
                  International Welcome Centre North

                  International Welcome Centre North

                  A woman.

                  Groninger photographer Courtney Bonneau launches new exhibition in Lebanon

                  Eurosonic Noorderslag

                  Eurosonic Noorderslag

                  Ending the Year with a Bang!

                  Ending the Year with a Bang!

                  It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

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                  A devastating defeat; an unexpected victory

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                  Sinterklaas is Here!

                  A moment from NFF 2021

                  Noordelijk Film Festival 2022 has started

                  “Tall Ships” Race coming to Friesland this week

                  “Tall Ships” Race coming to Friesland this week

                  Trending Tags

                  • People
                    • All
                    • Expats
                    • International students
                    International Welcome Centre North

                    International Welcome Centre North

                    The cold of the North is compensated by the warmth of its people – Ocean Grazer engineer

                    The cold of the North is compensated by the warmth of its people – Ocean Grazer engineer

                    Watch: A workplace that sells itself – CTO on working at Ocean Grazer

                    Watch: A workplace that sells itself – CTO on working at Ocean Grazer

                    It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

                    It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

                    People protesting on a street in Groningen.

                    Former Sugar Homes residents protest for return of withheld deposit

                    I’m not Black; I’m African

                    I’m not Black; I’m African

                    A letter from the Editor – Internationals from 120 countries: Welcome to Groningen, Leeuwarden, Assen and Emmen!

                    MPs call for cap on foreign student numbers in order to ensure ‘accessibility’

                    Watch: I’m 100% positive about my Groningen internship – Hanze international student

                    Watch: I’m 100% positive about my Groningen internship – Hanze international student

                    Common cold becoming too common

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                      The cold of the North is compensated by the warmth of its people – Ocean Grazer engineer

                      The cold of the North is compensated by the warmth of its people – Ocean Grazer engineer

                      Watch: A workplace that sells itself – CTO on working at Ocean Grazer

                      Watch: A workplace that sells itself – CTO on working at Ocean Grazer

                      Watch: We’re hiring internationals to help us with foreign clients – ACS Buildings CEO

                      Watch: We’re hiring internationals to help us with foreign clients – ACS Buildings CEO

                      Small but mighty: TECNED is looking for internationals to help it grow

                      Small but mighty: TECNED is looking for internationals to help it grow

                      Talk on International Growth by local founders to take place on the 21st of June

                      Talk on International Growth by local founders to take place on the 21st of June

                      Groningen to host its first sustainable business day

                      Groningen to host its first sustainable business day

                      Companies in Dutch energy sector seek next cohort of young leaders

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                      Annual Beta Business Days event a success

                      Annual Beta Business Days event a success

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                      ‘Neither hardware nor software, but Snakeware’: an interview with Ate van der Meer of Snakeware

                      The Northern Times by The Northern Times
                      July 8, 2019
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                      What does it mean to make it in the north? This is part of a series of portraits of local people, organisations, and companies working to further internationalise Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe. This time we spoke to Ate van der Meer, Chief Commercial Officer of Snakeware, a data-driven digital agency with its HQ based in the picturesque Frisian city of Sneek.

                      By Erin Goedhart-Stallings

                      What kind of company moves its headquarters into a restored 1905 gas holder? One that wants to keep one foot firmly on the floor, whilst also striving for cutting-edge innovation. That is the core of Snakeware, a company that develops digital technology, content, e-commerce tools and marketing materials. I am ushered into a small 1950s-style sitting room furnished with leather club chairs and a guestbook signed by King Willem-Alexander, who visited in 2018. Ate van der Meer tells the story of how Sneek became home to a company that hosted a king.

                      Van der Meer was a 20-year-old university student when he joined two friends – Hans Hoomans and Johan Nieuwenhuis – to found Snakeware. ­‘Hans and Johan were studying ICT at the NHL in Leeuwarden and they had this idea to create educational, entertainment and edutainment software. Hans and Johan first called themselves Triple E Software, but a similarly named company quickly complained. So they went to a bar to discuss it. They thought “Hey, we make flexible software. And we are located in the town of Sneek. So we’re not hardware, not software, but Snakeware!” They wrote that name down on a beer mat and still liked it the next day, so they registered it at the Chamber of Commerce (KvK) on 27 March 1995. Soon after, I met Hans and Johan. I filled in the gaps in marketing and sales and merged my company with theirs.’

                      Thinking ahead of the curve

                      The original vision was to be a one-stop shop for everything in the late-1990’s digital world. They developed software and sold computer hardware for the next few years, earning quite a few guilders. But the young entrepreneurs knew that the future would be online. Van der Meer recalls: ‘We told the bank that we wanted to become a great, digital-focused company, but the bank manager told us, “That’s not going to get you anywhere. You have to stick with selling computers, because that’s what pays your bills.” I’m glad we didn’t listen to him. Instead, we turned everything around and became an internet and software company with our own website publishing software – years before lots of other companies in our sector even thought of combining web and software to become successful online! And that bank manager? Three years later, he apologised to us and admitted we’d been right about the future being digital.’

                      Since then, Snakeware has grown to employ about 60 people over three locations. Van der Meer: ‘About 45-50 people work here in Sneek, we have a pair of great design and brand strategic guys in Amsterdam and there’s a passionate team of about 10 people in Groningen doing all kinds of very interesting front-end, augmented reality and other innovative stuff. We hire talented people who think like entrepreneurs and are solutions driven and passionate about all things digital. We don’t want to be the company with the most employees; we just want to have the staff we need to build the most successful or impactful solutions for our clients.’

                      Augmented reality

                      One of those solutions was an augmented reality platform for Hans Boodt Mannequins. ‘They used to build clay models of their custom-built mannequins to show clients, and it could take months of adjustments to get them just right. With our platform, a sales rep can take a smartphone into, for instance, the Louis Vuitton flagship store and show the manager exactly what the mannequins will look like – the right textures, the right poses – just as if they were already standing on the sales floor. Changes now take minutes instead of months. That project won us the 2018 Dutch Interactive Gold Award for Digital Transformation, and Hans Boodt is now using this technology all over the world. And, just recently, we won the 2019 Dutch Interactive Silver Award for New Interfaces with the Noorderzijlvest water board, using the newest possibilities within the augmented reality platform we are building and deploying for our clients.’

                      What is the next step for Snakeware? ‘Our strategy – our vision – is to be are an international software company with great data-driven content management e-commerce software that’s deployable in any kind of way as long as it’s relevant for the end user. Part of that is becoming an implementation partner instead of a production house. We’re starting to work with marketing and digital agencies abroad, helping them use our software to serve their clients.’

                      International Expansion

                      Their international presence is also growing, especially in Germany. ‘We’ve done awesome things for Accell Group in Munich and for one of Germany’s most well-known porcelain makers, in Berlin. We also do the marketing and website for Hans Klok, the fantastic Dutch magician who performs in Las Vegas.’

                      They have built all of this in Sneek, a beautiful historic Frisian city that is well-known for water sports, but less so for technology. ‘We are in a semi-rural area, so there isn’t a vibe like you would feel in a major city. I sometimes really miss the energy you get from being surrounded by people in the same business. On the other hand, being in Sneek is a big plus because the people who work here are dedicated to being here and working for us on awesome projects. I enjoy working in the North, where people seem to have a “get things done” mentality. And we’re not only growing this business and making great stuff, but we also want to be there for our community. We invest a lot in talent, sponsoring musicians and sporting events and schools. Our identity as a down to earth business that is open to anybody is extremely important!’

                      After almost 25 years, the original founders remain the company’s leaders. ‘The three of us still have the same vision: to invest in new things and make our products, ideas and experiences every day – everything we do for clients – better than our best today. We each have our own specialities, but we have always stuck together and grown the brand. We are the proud owners of Snakeware!’

                      Erin Goedhart-Stallings is a writer and editor who works on Make it in the North with the International Welcome Center North (IWCN). For more information about Make it in the North, just visit www.makeitinthenorth.nl

                      Tags: entrepreneursFrieslanditMake it in the NorthMiitNSnakewareSneaksoftware
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                      NorthernTimes.nl is an English-language news site for internationals and anyone interested in news and activities in the three northern Dutch provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe. The website provides daily coverage and summaries of local news in the north, as well as human interest stories, backgrounds and a regional events calendar. The Northern Times is an initiative of the International Welcome Center North in cooperation with Persbureau Tammeling BV, which owns and operates the website.

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