Onderneming.nl - Bart Sprenkels
May 20, 2025
The pioneer behind WiFi - Cees Links - on leadership and teamwork.
A deep dive into the origins of WiFi, the power of standards, and how strong leadership and teamwork drive high-tech innovation.
In this fascinating and inspiring podcast, Bart Sprenkels interviews our CEO Cees Links on his past success with WiFi, lessons learned and today's challenges.
Whether you're a budding entrepreneur, a tech enthusiast, or simply curious about the stories behind our digital world - this is one episode you don’t want to miss!
Take a deep dive into the origins of WiFi, the power of standards, and how strong leadership and teamwork drive high-tech innovation - plus key lessons entrepreneurs can learn from major tech breakthroughs.
The podcast is in Dutch and available from
Prefer to listen to the podcast?
Spotify - De pionier achter WiFi
Apple Podcasts - De pionier achter WiFi | Cees Links over leiderschap en teamwork
Lessons learned:
Startups and Entrepreneurship:
A startup starts with an idea, ambition, passion, perseverance, and ... naivety!
Invention is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration
The key challenge: “What should I do tomorrow to be successful in 10 years?”
Money is a cleaning product: bad ideas don't get funding and naturally disappear
Real validation comes from paying customers, not effort - only the outcome matter to investors
New technologies and innovation often face resistance and skepticism: like WiFi in its early days, many current innovations are not yet widely embraced, despite their obvious benefits
Four Startup Pitfalls:
Assuming the market wants your idea – always listen to the market
Neglecting marketing and biz dev– effort and budget should be on par with R&D
Poor financial management – cash in the bank doesn’t guarantee stability, you need real revenue and a clear financial dashboard
Lack of quality - Quality should be the central theme of any company - you only get one chance