NAF-Biz: What is it like to be the first U.S. employee of a Dutch scale-up?

What is it really like to be the first U.S. employee of a Dutch scale-up?

Join us for an evening of insights & networking organized by NAF-Biz at the new Rabobank offices in New York.

Moderated by Adriaan Kolff, Founder & CEO of Matchr, this candid panel brings together two early U.S. hires who’ve lived the experience. Expect honest lessons on navigating cultural differences, building trust across borders, and scaling a U.S. sales team — and what it’s really like to work with Dutch founders.

Agenda

5:30 – Doors open
6:00 – Panel discussion
7:00 – Networking
8:00 – End

Refreshments & Light Snacks will be served

Panelists

Jason Sinyor is Head of Sales at Workwize, an IT asset management platform. He brings over 15 years of experience building and scaling high-performing sales organizations. In 2025, Jason joined Workwize as its first US employee, contributing to growth from $5M to $14M in ARR and laying the foundation for continued U.S. expansion.

Sam Montella is the Director of Sales at Carv, an AI-driven recruiting platform. He has over 7 years of experience scaling go-to-market teams, starting his career at HR tech company Harver, where he helped grow ARR from €6M to €13M leading up to a successful exit in 2021. Sam later helped scale Rippling’s outbound SDR organization from 30 to100 reps before returning in 2025 to the Harver leadership team as the first US hire at Carv.

Moderator

Adriaan Kolff is a serial entrepreneur, investor, endurance athlete, and keynote speaker. He is Co-Founder of recruitment company Matchr, leading its U.S. expansion, runs global climate charity 24 The Planet, and recently launched productivity device Block in Europe. Adriaan moved to New York in 2021 after meeting his wife at Burning Man in 2017.

Why Attend

- Gain real insights from leaders who helped Dutch scale-ups grow in the U.S.

- Hear practical lessons on cross-cultural teams and go-to-market execution.

- Connect with Dutch and U.S. professionals interested in scale-ups, international expansion, recruitment and transatlantic careers.

Location

Generously hosted by Rabobank

151 W 42nd St, 8th Floor,
New York, NY 10036

Netherland-America Foundation

The Netherland-America Foundation (NAF) is a long-standing 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in New York that strengthens Dutch-U.S. ties through exchange in business, education and culture.

NAF-Biz is the New York based business-oriented chapter of the foundation for professionals to exchange business insights, experiences, and ideas in a transatlantic context.

Proceeds of the event will be donated to the NAF.