Wijnand Baretta
Serial entrepreneur from Noordwijk, the Netherlands. Since 1999 he has built software, companies and teams, and he still does the building himself.
What he built
- 1999–2007
Pascolo · founder
Software company in Amsterdam, later with a second office in Izmir, Turkey. Fantasy and prediction games, goal alerts and sport on mobile phones, club websites. Clients included Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord, KPN, Vodafone and the Rabo AD Rondemaster. Grew to 35 people.
Merged into Relephant. Emakina bought a majority of Relephant in 2013, and Emakina has been part of EPAM since 2021.
- since 2010
Perceptum · founder
His own company. Three education ventures started here, two of them his own companies:
- 2011–2013
Khan Academie
A Dutch-language version of the Khan Academy.
Stopped.
Lesson (2020): … maakte ik de fout om geen geschikt business model er aan te koppelen. Ik ging er vanuit dat dat wel zou komen. Niet dus.
In English: … I made the mistake of not attaching a proper business model to it. I assumed that would come. It didn't.
- 2014–2021
CodeCult · founder
Programming lessons for children at primary and secondary schools, taught by students of artificial intelligence.
49 projects and 16 studios on Scratch.
Lesson (2015): Fantastisch initiatief, veel enthousiasme, maar als nadeel dat er nog altijd iemand naar de school toe moest, een niet-schaalbare oplossing derhalve.
In English: A fantastic initiative with lots of enthusiasm, but the drawback was that someone still had to go to the school: a solution that didn't scale.
- 2014–2020
LeestMeer · founder
A reading platform: children read about whatever interests them, with help for difficult words.
A pilot in the 2014–2015 school year at five schools with 214 pupils, who read almost 8,000 articles between them. Its own company in 2015, and a version for a school on Bonaire in 2019.
The idea (2014): Je leest meer, als je kan lezen wat je leuk vindt.
In English: You read more when you can read what you enjoy.
- 2011–2013
- since 2017
IkTel / Brede School Zuidoost · for PPOZO, Amsterdam Zuidoost
A platform for after-school activities at primary schools. Parents sign their children up, providers plan their lessons, and talent coordinators place the pupils. Contracts, attendance, invoices and the reporting for the subsidy all run through it.
Six kinds of users, from parents to project coordinators.
- since 2022
Wijkar · co-founder
Shared cars for residents and businesses in Katwijk. He looks after the technology: the booking platform and the website.
Nine cars in 2026. The ninth, from May 2026, is the first fully electric one.
- since 2025
Bollenstreek Digitaal · founder
Websites, chatbots, workshops and advice for small businesses in the Duin- en Bollenstreek, built on his own tools for sites, forms and analytics.
Sites for local firms, from a carpenter to a law firm.
- since 2026
Expohotels · technical partner
Hotel rooms for conferences and events. Since January 2026 he has built its booking platform; his partner runs sales.
In September 2026 Convention Bureau Brainport Eindhoven launched Hotel Booking Eindhoven, which runs on it. The first bookings are for international conferences in 2027.