Kees Koolen

Kees Koolen is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Koolen Industries, where they invest in clean tech companies to accelerate the energy transition. Kees also founded The Green Box, a cleantech campus focused on developing solutions for the energy transition. Prior to these roles, Koolen served as a board member for Hotmart and GetYourGuide. Kees was a founding partner at EQT Ventures and held leadership positions at Super B Lithium Power B.V., Lithium Werks, Uber Technologies, Booking.com, and Rentalcars.com. At Booking.com, they served as COO, CEO, and chairman during their tenure.

Kees Koolen began their education at Fontys University of Applied Sciences in 1983, where they pursued a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Mechanical Engineering. Kees completed this program in 1988.

Following their undergraduate studies, Koolen enrolled at the University of Twente in 1988 to pursue a Technical MBA. However, they chose to discontinue their studies before graduating, as they faced challenges in finding the time required to complete their final thesis and obtain their master's degree.