MAARTEN Van HUIjstee

Chief Executive
Founder | Mentor

Maarten has been teaching meditation and assisting people to make the journey inward for over a decade. With silence, plants and fungi he guides people towards natural wisdom. Maarten has founded Delight Yoga, Wisdom in Business, Return to Sender and The Loft. These initiatives function as a network of organisations united around one sole purpose: inspiring a more natural and conscious way of living. Early in his career, he worked for some large companies which allowed him to think big in terms of organisation and communication. Leading several creative agencies taught him the power of storytelling. Spinoza forms the pinnacle of a personal journey with plant medicine starting in 1999 and has grown into an intelligent network of therapists and scientists united in the mission to experience and experiment with the health potential of natural medicine and nature therapy. Maarten is a proud father to Philip, Alexander and Victoria, and dedicated husband to Anna.

AITO de la RUA

Chief Transformation
Founder | Mentor

From early in his life, Aito has been interested in connecting people to knowledge. In the year 2000, Aito co-created Educ.ar, the first educational platform to connect public schools to the Internet, distributing content to both students and teachers in Argentina. Following the same principle, he co-founded Pure Design – the largest design event in Argentina – with the aim to connect artists and designers with a wider audience. Aito’s life took an adventurous turn as he ventured into the music industry, devoting almost a decade to the management of worldwide renowned artist Shakira.
After exploring several ancient and new practices, Aito joined the Nomade Hotel Group in 2017, which revolves around transformational experiences, music and wellbeing. Studying various ways of transformation combined with his interest in philosophy, he founded Spinoza, which merges his love for psychology, fungi-based therapies and sound as a healing modality.

PAUL Berger

Chief Finance and Operations

Paul loves numbers. Not because of their looks but because he can see through them. Numbers have meaning and Paul aims to make them mean something positive out in the real world. Whether he’s out tour-skiing, mountain biking or langlaufing, Paul infuses anything around him with positive energy. After studying Business Economics, and a career as an investment director at an international private equity firm, Paul decided to move into healthcare, taking on the role of CFO at a Dutch healthcare platform. Besides work, he’s been active in a number of initiatives that aim for positive social impact, both in healthcare and sustainability. He’s a proud father of three; daughter Nanna and sons Tom and Cas, and happily married to Alexandra. Paul believes that the best decisions are not taken by cognitive notions, but by a deeper intuitive intelligence.

jannEKE KRIJGsman

Head of Experiences
Mentor | Teacher

Janneke loves guiding people to reconnect to their most authentic self. For many years she has been teaching meditation, yoga and breathwork, while also exploring the fields of plant medicine. For the last couple of years she has specialized in working 1 on 1, assisting people to find more clarity in the various challenges of life. Continuously inspired by her own inner journey, Janneke naturally invites people to discover their inner world, with all its depth and beauty. She has been with Spinoza from day one and has been essential in creating the Spinoza Programs. Janneke brings a peaceful and loving presence as well as her voice and music to each Spinoza Ceremony. She loves beautiful conversations, early morning dips in the sea, and sharing homemade food with her loved ones. She lives in The Hague and is a dedicated mother to her son Maas and daughter Ief.

LIV Stig

Content and
Social Director

Liv loves people. This is why she loves bringing out the best in them. When she started her career in the event industry, she became enchanted by the magic that engulfs people at festivals. She was mesmerized by how open-minded, loving and caring people become once they are relieved of stress and to-do lists, but instead are infused with a feeling of freedom, colourful surroundings and, most importantly; music. Liv was born and raised on a houseboat in the center of Amsterdam. During her travels to India and South America she discovered yoga and has been exploring the spiritual world ever since. At the moment, she also studies to become an Ayurveda Practitioner. Lately she has been focussing on communication and marketing for brands that aim to create positive impact. Increasingly conscious of the briefness of our existence here on Earth and our privileged lives in the West, Liv devotes her energy to projects that aim to help people or the planet – regardless of their scale. Liv is a proud mother to her baby girl Sol.

STACey grIFFIN

Music and
Sound Director

Music is what moves Stacey. It defines the rhythm of her heartbeat. Stacey loves music – and we think it’s safe to say the adoration is mutual. The meaning of music goes beyond the grasp of words. Stacey sees sound in different dimensions and knows how to administer it for healing purposes. Stacey is a sound therapist, artist and advocate for sound healing. As the founder of Shift Meditation, she creates immersive sound meditation experiences, and is also part of the music group End of Time.
With twenty years of experience launching and marketing brands globally in the industries of fashion, music and wellness, Stacey has lived across the globe; from Toronto to Tokyo and from Los Angeles to New York. She currently calls Amsterdam home, where she lives with her two children Lola and Jack, and her partner Peter. Stacey likes to spend her spare time on the beach and has always had a preference for Detroit techno and reggae.

BRam van leEUWEN

Brand Philosophy
Writer

Bram likes creating things. Whether it’s in writing, drawing, short film or brand building, Bram addresses complex issues in a lighthearted and unconventional way. Bram’s worldview consists of a blend of criticism, absurdism and altruism. He has been fortunate enough to wield strict selection standards regarding the clients he works with from early on in his career. Bram has been building brands with a conscience in terms of sustainability and social responsibility for over a decade and has been experimenting with psychedelic substances for an equal amount of time. He derives his inspiration from intuitive insights, creating deeper connections between people and ideas. Bram explores philosophy with a humorous approach and believes an open mind is a human being’s greatest asset. He can turn a blank sheet of paper into colourful and alive brands and organizations with a clear and comprehensible vision. Bram lives in the centre of Amsterdam and enjoys his early morning kayaking trips on the canals.

Head of Events

Host

Head of Operations

JONS janSSENS

Digital and
Technology Director

Jons likes to start, build and change things – always with digital product development as his preferred tool to create long term value. Jons is most passionate about putting the economic engine to work as a force for good. This is why he has served in various leadership and founder roles across several business innovations. One of his talents consists of bridging the gap between value opportunities and technology implementation. Jons is here to build the rails on which an organisation delivers value by putting the customer journey at the heart of the operation. This applies to the technical architecture, interface design as well as team organisation.

SASha HaupTMANN

Advisor | Shareholder
Plant Advocate

Sasha was born in Vienna, but moved to Argentina to study agriculture and alternative sustainable farming. Sasha was amongst the founders of an organic ranch and hydroponics in Argentina, and a CBD farm in Uruguay, using hemp as a raw material for different medical possibilities. Sasha is also active in the plant-based pharmaceutical industry, as he is part of the shareholder group and strategic team at Echo Pharmaceuticals based at the University of Leiden.
Spinoza is a chance for Sasha to bring natural and plant based medicine to people around the world.
Sasha is convinced that it’s time to start preventing health issues – not merely responding to their symptoms.

SASKIA VAN WALSUM

Advisor | Shareholder
STAK Board

Saskia has since a long time been involved in all kinds of organizations and in mobilizing people. After twenty years of experience in commercial and financial management positions and having worked in global HR and CEO roles at multinational Heineken and Royal Friesland Campina, Saskia decided to change track. She (co-) founded an independent investment fund in entrepreneurial PE, which she led over the course of twelve years. During that period, she simultaneously studied the practice of energy fields for seven years, to understand and read people at deeper levels of energy and consciousness. This has influenced her profoundly. The last fifteen years, she has also been active as a coach and counselor for executives and teams; helping them to open up to their core values driving their behavior, and supporting leaders to absorb inputs and learnings into new practice and flourish. Saskia has served since then also on supervisory boards in different companies and still does. She keeps us with our feet on the ground and advises Spinoza on how to build a purpose-led and sustainable company. Saskia believes that being part of nature and breathing it in fully, helps us to open up and tap into our own intuitive wisdom. We can trust and listen to this open space, as it will guide us.

FACundo gaRRETON

Advisor | Shareholder

Facundo is an active investor and part of Spinoza’s advisory board. He joined Spinoza as he believes the future is nature and nature is the source of our wellbeing. Facundo has been working in the intersection of biology and technology as a Board Member of companies like YVY Life Sciences, Pachama.com, DrGea.com, Blueberries Medical, Untech.bio, IniPop among others. Facundo is also a former member of Congress in Argentina with an entrepreneurial profile he is Founder of InvertirOnline.com, one of Latin America’s largest online brokerage firms, and Founder and Director of SociaLab, the most important platform for social entrepreneurs in Latin America. Before serving as a Congressman, he sat on the boards of many internet companies throughout Latin America. Facundo is a member of the Endeavor network, promoting entrepreneurship in Latin America. He also participates as judge and selector at NXTP Labs, Start-Up Chile, Wayra, BID Challenge, and MIT Technology Review. In addition, he is part of the board at ASEA, promoting social entrepreneurship in Latin America.