Koen BOUWERS

CEO, The Software Factory

Based in The Netherlands, Koen Bouwers is the founder and CEO of The Software Factory, an outsourcing company for software development in Eastern Europe. With an innovative model, department extension, small and mid-size companies can use low cost, highly qualified personnel in Eastern Europe with minimal overhead cost. Essentially the developers become part of the clients’ organization, minimizing potential communication issues.

Up to mid 2004, Koen was the CEO of Consul, the most innovative company in The Netherlands according to a leading Dutch magazine. During his four-year tenure revenues quadrupled while he did built a world-class organization with more than 100 people out of a struggling, internally oriented company both in The Netherlands as well as in the US, where most of the revenue comes from. Significant outsourcing of development made massive product improvements possible while retaining the core IP. The raising of €11 million Venture Capital from Softbank, Kennet, Nesbic and DRKW in 2001 was instrumental in the development of the Company.

Koen was President of the Dictation division of Lernout & Hauspie which he started from scratch with an engineering manager in 1996. With organic growth and an acquisition, the division grew to a $60 million revenue run rate in two years. Before this, Koen had marketing and marketing and management positions at companies like Apple Computer in Cupertino & Paris, Philips in San Francisco & The Netherlands and Quarterdeck in Marina del Rey.

Koen holds masters degrees in Physics and Law, both from the University of Utrecht, studying under Nobel laureate Gerard 't Hooft and an MBA degree from MIT in Cambridge, USA