UbiOps was founded in late 2016 and has, as co-founder Jorick Naber describes it, “quite a journey behind it.” The company started with AI consultancy and developed its own AI models at a time when artificial intelligence was far from as ubiquitous as it is today. For instance, UbiOps helped maintenance contractors on the Dutch railway network predict switch failures and plan maintenance better. “We learned there that you can have a very sophisticated AI model that can anticipate such a switch failure, but if you want to run that model nationwide on a large scale, you need software for that. Such software did not yet exist. We developed it then, as a ‘layer’ between AI models (such as Mistral or ChatGPT) and a company's own (cloud) infrastructure. That software grew into the platform that forms the core of our company today.”
A market that tilted
When ROM InWest stepped in in 2023, it offered UbiOps He primarily offered his platform to smaller and medium-sized businesses via the (American) cloud. There were already clients in Germany, France, and the United States, among others, and the ambition was to expand further internationally. But in the years that followed, the market changed rapidly. Jorick: “The arrival of generative AI meant that more and more organizations wanted to use AI models. In addition, growing concerns arose regarding where sensitive data ends up and the dependency on large American technology companies. This presented a new opportunity for us. The platform can also be installed directly in our customers” own data centers. Data and AI models then do not need to go to an external American cloud environment, but remain under the control of the organization itself. By keeping the models local and secure, we were able to clearly meet a need. We had found our place.“ UbiOps decided to invest more in this – from the cloud to in-house installations. The focus shifted even more towards the Dutch public sector and organizations that want or need to keep their data and models under their own control. We currently work for the IND, the SSC-ICT, and various ministries, among others. Sectors such as energy, financial services, and healthcare are also of interest to us. In those sectors, too, security, data sovereignty, and control are crucial.”
Dare to choose
Jorick previously successfully sold a startup; UbiOps is his second company. Does that make it easier? “I thought: with all that experience, it will surely go smoother now. But that’s not how it works. Funding your company, in particular, is and remains nerve-wracking. In the first few years, more money always goes out than comes in. Additionally, you are looking for the right product-market fit. Your plans often turn out to be more ambitious than reality; that search remains unpredictable.” When it became apparent that installing the platform in customers“ data centers was growing faster than the original cloud strategy, it came down to making choices. ”Shifting your focus is incredibly exciting. It was quite a challenge to see what the change of course would mean for us. That choice was quite far-reaching. Because customers increasingly needed to be unburdened, the work of our customer success team changed, and we also needed different skills, such as those of solution architects and consultants.”
ROM InWest: balance between trust and critical partner
So, when ROM InWest stepped in, UbiOps had a different growth strategy than it does today. According to Jorick, this clearly demonstrates what an investor can mean for a growing company. He is particularly pleased with the freedom UbiOps receives from ROM InWest. “They give us as entrepreneurs the confidence that we are doing the right thing and are understanding when things are not going so well. At the same time, they are there for us when we need them and we can turn to them for advice.” UbiOps participated in masterclasses and workshops hosted by ROM InWest. The contact with other entrepreneurs proved particularly valuable. “It is very nice to hear that everyone is facing the same challenges. I would actually like to have even more intensive contact with other companies in ROM InWest’s portfolio, so that we as entrepreneurs can exchange experiences and inspire each other.”
Where will UbiOps be in another three years?
Jorick explains that he hopes to build a full-fledged alternative to American cloud services together with Dutch cloud and data center parties. “An infrastructure that allows not only large government organizations, but eventually also SMEs, to safely use AI with Dutch or European computing power. And naturally, we want to be the leading software platform in that.” Europe is also beckoning again. “But we are going to focus entirely on the Netherlands first. Europe will follow afterwards.”
