Kristof De Spiegeleer

Kristof De Spiegeleer is a serial entrepreneur and the CEO/Founder of ThreeFold, a company focused on building a new peer-to-peer internet infrastructure. Here's an overview of his background and career:

Background and Education

Kristof De Spiegeleer considers himself a humanist and motivated entrepreneur, passionate about using technology to make the world a better place. From childhood, he was deeply interested in computers and coding, describing himself as a "nerd".1 He graduated from the University of Ghent in 1994.1

Career Highlights

1. Early Career: After graduation, Kristof started his career by building one of the first network integrators in Belgium.1

2. PSINet: He was one of the first hires in Europe for PSINet, the world's first commercial ISP, where he played a significant role in driving internet growth in Europe.1

3. Incubaid: Following his time at PSINet, Kristof founded Incubaid, a technology incubator in Belgium.1

4. Successful Exits: Through Incubaid, Kristof successfully exited multiple startups to major companies like Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Western Digital, and Verizon.1

5. ThreeFold: Currently, Kristof is the CEO and Founder of ThreeFold, where he's working on creating a new peer-to-peer internet infrastructure.1

ThreeFold Vision

ThreeFold's mission is to create a new internet based on three main pillars:

1. Equality: Ensuring everyone has equal chances to succeed in life.
2. Autonomy: Allowing users to be the sole owners of their data and digital life.
3. Sustainability: Drastically reducing the carbon footprint of the internet.1

Expertise and Recognition

Kristof is known for his unique vision in the areas of data centers and storage. His knowledge of the market space and foresight into future trends in these areas is considered unmatched.2 He's also recognized as one of the most active GitHub users in Belgium, ranking 62nd in the country.3

Kristof De Spiegeleer's career spans over two decades, during which he has consistently been at the forefront of internet and technology innovation. His current focus with ThreeFold represents his shift towards using technology not just for efficiency and economic gain, but to address broader societal and environmental challenges.