Boy de Jonge

Investment Manager

Boy backs Europe’s most ambitious deeptech founders. The ones brave enough to turn physics and engineering into industry-changing hardware.

Focus chips

Industrial & deeptech

Founder-first scaling

Edge intelligence & industrial data

Europe-wide early stage

Background

Before joining FORWARD.one, Boy was an investor at E4E Africa, backing early-stage ventures in South Africa. There he focused on founders and ideas that contributed meaningfully to the African continent, often from a very early stage.

That experience shaped his founder lens:

Deep respect for entrepreneurs operating in challenging environments
Sensitivity to real-world problems and constraints
A strong belief that talent and ambition are globally distributed

At FORWARD.one, he brings that perspective to European deeptech: searching for ambitious founders who want to build industry-defining companies and are willing to carry that ambition through years of hard execution.

When a strong team is paired with a clear problem–solution fit, the road to product–market fit becomes far more natural. These are the teams that attract top talent, adapt quickly, and stay close to their vision in the chaos of growth.

Focus & Thesis

What Boy looks for

Storyteller founders. Boy is drawn to founders who can pull you so deeply into their vision that you briefly consider quitting your job to help them build it. Their ambition is contagious and usually rooted in a problem that once frustrated them personally.

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Real, unmistakable value. Vision is only compelling when the solution delivers clear value to customers. He looks for a strong value proposition where the benefit is obvious on the factory floor and on the deck.

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World-class founding teams. When a strong team is paired with a clear problem–solution fit, the road to product–market fit becomes far more natural. These are the teams that attract top talent, adapt quickly, and stay close to their vision in the chaos of growth.

Boards & Notable Investments

I have enormous respect for anyone who sets out to build something. I’m endlessly curious about what drives them, the product they’re building, and the people they bring along for the journey. Working with founders like this is one of the biggest joys of the job, their energy is contagious, and helping them turn ambition into reality as fast as possible never gets old.