Don was verantwoordelijk voor de fondsenwerving van de eerste web- en mobiele fondsen van Rockstart, evenals het selecteren en leiden van de deals in bedrijven als 3D Hubs (Exit USD 330 miljoen naar NYSE: PRLB), Dan.com (Exit USD 71,4 miljoen naar NYSE: GDDY) en iClinic (Exit €27,9 miljoen naar NASDAQ: AFYA). Don lanceerde Rockstart’s corporate tak, dat programma’s en competities op maat organiseert voor bedrijven zoals Philips, Sony en Shell. Don was ook verantwoordelijk voor de succesvolle uitbreiding van Rockstart naar Latijns-Amerikai. Hij maakte deel uit van het selectiecomité voor de Rockstart fondsen in energie, agrifood, Digital Health en AI, waarvoor hij duizenden pitches en bedrijven screende.

Don coached Stefano Cutello, the founder and CEO of Pastbook, for the past decade. Don guided photo products company Pastbook from identifying product-market fit to securing the first seed round of funding, developing growth strategies, managing pivots, and CEO succession. When Pastbook joined Rockstart, Pastbook’s customer base grew from a few hundred customers to millions worldwide.

Don left Rockstart to focus on Shift, a project addressing climate change. Over 18 months, he conducted extensive research on the subject, reviewing climate reports, and exploring behavioral psychology, sociology, and ecology. Don designed the mission, vision, brand, and strategy for Shift to engage millions of people in the fight against climate change. The project began small, with Don and his team spending 2022 designing a 12-week program. They then recruited the first 100 participants, who reduced their carbon footprint by 25% in three months. Don and his team are still building and expanding Shift, with the ultimate goal of making it a widely recognized initiative that drives significant progress toward addressing climate change.

Don coached several entrepreneurs in the Digital Assets department of the Innovation Group (ABN Amro). His guidance focused on several key areas: personal development, go-to-market strategy, business model, and internal processes. In addition, Don also provided coaching to the portfolio manager, offering insights on assessing and building the department's portfolio.

Shortly after their inception, Don was introduced to Laura and Diederick, two of the founders of Forward Inc. The duo approached him seeking guidance on professionalizing their approach and improving the internal organization. Through several in-depth conversations and offsite sessions, Don provided his expertise and helped the Forward team to create a more cohesive and aligned team and an improved way of working. He also assisted them in redesigning and optimizing their scouting, selection, and acceleration process.

Don provided valuable assistance to the founder and CEO of Kokeroo, helping them to reevaluate their market approach, proposition, and business model. Through his guidance, Kokeroo shifted its focus from an overcrowded segment (last-mile delivery in Europe) to a blue ocean market (B2B parts delivery to India).