Our Founders and their Story

“Who does he think he is? How dare he criticize my product?” This is what Reinoud Weijman thought when he first met Jan Rochat at Capgemini. Jan was the head of a department that handled projects for the Dutch Defense, among other things. This is how Reinoud ended up at Capgemini. His product was designed for military applications, specifically hard disk encryption using PCMCIA plug-in cards. “And I had the honor of trying to crack his product.” However, they clicked and recognized each other’s value, leading to a friendship.

The Birth of AET Europe

About a year after their first meeting in 1998, they started working together and started working together developing middleware. Advanced Encryption Technology Europe B.V., AET Europe, was born. In their first project, Jan and Reinoud showed that they were not inferior to big companies with many employees. Jan built a PKCS #11 library for iTSEC (a subsidiary of UBS), leaving people astonished. Jan and Reinoud could accomplish things that no one else could. Modestly, Jan says, “I just did my thing.” 

This led to several more assignments, including the daring venture of creating a web proxy for online banking in Switzerland. No one in the world was bold enough to attempt it, but Jan succeeded. “With the proceeds from that project, we were able to fund the development of SafeSign and our investment in a company called BlueX B.V.”

Built on Trust

In addition to their exceptional talents, Jan and Reinoud have built up a wealth of experience, placing a high value on integrity. Jan emphasizes, “Acting with integrity is extremely important to us; it’s in our DNA.” Reinoud also stresses that AET Europe aims to deliver nothing but quality with all its dedication and know-how. “We don’t cut corners and always ensure that our products are not too complex, so they can be well maintained in the future.” From this foundation of trust, the two founders have, to their own surprise, seen their creation grow into an organization with dozens of people working in different countries.

Building on a Solid Foundation

“We can’t believe how quickly time has passed,” say both gentlemen as they look at old photos and documents. Jan and Reinoud have had many adventures. They had to fight to establish AET Europe in the market to bring it to this point. From being merely supported by their first employees, Haaino and Mira, to an organization where entire teams are committed to building upon their creation. It forms a stable and solid foundation, allowing the organization to grow even further. “We’ve created something with its own momentum; it needs to be able to flourish independently,” says Reinoud. ‘Proud’ is a word the founders are not so quick to embrace, but, as Jan says, “I am proud of all the people at AET Europe. It’s wonderful how everyone works together, actively contributing to making something.”

Digital Trust as an Accelerator for Growth

In this digital age, we must continue looking forward. Jan and Reinoud believe that the foundation of trust and the wealth of knowledge they’ve built should remain at the core of AET Europe’s future. “Connecting people and systems securely and reliably acts as a catalyst for innovation and growth. This is what we aim to achieve together.”