My own leadership journey
I’ve gone through all the phases of building a company — founding, funding, scaling, exiting, merging and dissolving. I’ve been founder, CEO, MD and CTO of 7 companies. I’ve seen many successes and also a few failures. That experience is why leaders come to me to guide them to their next level of leadership.
Louis Kinsbergen, founder.
My background
After obtaining degrees in Economics and Information Technology in Amsterdam, my career started at Unilever, where I learned the fundamentals of leadership in a complex global environment. After 8 years of management development in various management positions I went on to a large I.T. consultancy company and then started my first company: together with my 2 co-founders I built Emexus into a global leader in mobile content technology – with offices in Europe, Asia and America. We successfully exited the company after 6 years.
After that I went on to launch and lead several new ventures as CEO, CTO and Managing Director across tech and scaleup companies in Europe and the US – in industries such as sports intelligence, lead generation and affiliate marketing.
All these roles and companies gave me a wealth of experience and taught me what it takes to lead in high-growth environments. And I’m still learning!
What I do now
Since 2025 I’ve dedicated myself fully to guiding leaders of scaleups to their next level of leadership. Every day this gives me the opportunity to work with inspiring people that I can support to build their dreams.
I work with ambitious directors and CEOs of growing companies who are hitting the limits of their own leadership. Through my company Dezzel and as associated scaleup coach at ScaleUp Company.
My approach
I’m not just an executive coach. I’m an executive advisor — someone who has sat in your seat, who will ask the hard questions AND share a direct perspective. A sparring partner who combines honest advice with the space to find your own answers.
What I care about most: lasting change. Not a one-time boost, but a real shift in how you think, behave and lead. New tools, new habits, new insights — that stick and create lasting impact in your business and personal life.
My life outside work
I’m a proud husband and father of three amazing adult children. I’m a long distance runner (70+ marathons completed and not done yet!). I see leadership the same way: it’s not a sprint but a marathon — demanding endurance, focus and discipline.
I split my time between the Netherlands and Spain, where I also organize individual CEO and leadership team retreats , strategy workshops and leadership training sessions.