ABOUT / THE PERSON BEHIND THE SYSTEMS
Daan de Groot 高大安
I work where finance, technology, and entrepreneurship meet. I like understanding a problem, building something that solves it, and making sense of the result.
01 / MY BACKGROUND
My path has taken me from web entrepreneurship in the Netherlands to business studies in Rotterdam and Beijing, and now financial technology at HKU. Along the way, I’ve worked in consulting, banking, e-commerce, and logistics across Europe and Asia.
That mix shapes how I approach AI. I care about the business context as much as the technology: where a process gets stuck, what people actually need, and how a better tool can help. Web development, financial modeling, and data analysis let me both build a solution and assess its value.
I’ve co-founded ventures ranging from web agencies to marketplace platforms, collectively generating more than €100,000 in revenue. Today, that entrepreneurial drive also informs my work on BambooWander and the AI products featured on this site.
02 / EXPERIENCE
AI Engineer & Co-Founder
Co-founding an AI-native travel platform that helps people discover China’s natural landscapes. The platform brings destination information and practical travel advice together with an AI planner that creates itineraries around the places people want to explore.
Operations Intern
Working on internal process automation and implementation, helping e-commerce brands deploy their inventory into logistics networks. It’s a practical setting for connecting technology to the details of day-to-day operations.
Consulting Intern
Developed a strategic turnaround plan for a global footwear retailer, applying structured analysis to a complex business challenge.
Global Stars Intern
Delivered local market insights, adding first-hand experience of China’s technology and commerce landscape to my international business background.
Summer Analyst
Supported financial operations, building experience in the processes and analysis behind a global financial institution.
Co-Founder
Co-founded a web design business, bringing together my interest in building websites and starting a company. An early chapter in a continuing focus on turning ideas into working products.
03 / EDUCATION
HKU Business School
Master of Finance in Financial Technology
Guanghua School of Management
Bachelor of Management · Business Administration
Rotterdam School of Management
BSc · International Business Administration
Earlier education Minkema College · Dutch VWO (Atheneum), NT / NG · 2015–2021
04 / BEYOND THE DAY JOB
BEIJING / CO-FOUNDER & FINANCE DIRECTOR
I co-founded the Beijing branch, the organisation’s first hub in Mainland China. As Finance Director, my responsibilities included project pricing and revenue and expense forecasts, supporting a team working on consulting projects for NGOs.
DELFT–ROTTERDAM / MAR–JUN 2023
As an NGO consultant with 180 Degrees Consulting, I worked with five teammates on a pricing strategy for NewBees’ CRM offering. Our research covered municipal funding and the value of time saved, translating that into a pricing recommendation.
ALWAYS INTERESTED IN A GOOD PROBLEM
AI, a product idea, or a process that could work better.
I’d be glad to hear what you’re thinking about.
