Milo Kleijnjan – from student to Starthub expert for AI support

Milo Kleijnjan first came into contact with Starthub while studying Molecular Life Sciences at Wageningen University (WU). During his studies, he began setting up two entrepreneurial projects and later worked at Prospektr as a business improver. With guidance from Starthub, following entrepreneurship courses at WU and a master’s degree at Radboud University, he eventually founded Experiment42, a company that helps SMEs understand and implement AI in practical and scalable ways. Today, Milo is still connected to Starthub, not only as a founder but also as one of the community’s experts. In this role, he supports new start-ups by sharing his experience, offering strategic advice, and helping them shape their next steps.

Entrepreneurial journey

Milo’s entrepreneurial journey took off early. He co-founded a bamboo impact project in South Africa. When researching what they could do with the product, they started cultivating mushrooms with a chicken flavour on sawdust. This company, Omnomyco, continues to thrive today. Around the same time, Milo experimented with an IT startup together with his uncle. That one did not quite take off; after a month, it became clear it wasn’t the right direction. But instead of seeing that as a failure, Milo returned to his studies with more clarity. He pursued a Master’s degree in Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Radboud University to take a deeper dive into becoming an entrepreneurial changemaker.

During his master’s, Milo joined Prospektr, working on growth and innovation strategies. This experience opened the door to a new adventure. Together with colleagues, he witnessed the rise of generative AI, which led to an early version of Experiment42. Initially envisioned as a deeptech startup in education, the project gradually shifted as more and more SMEs began asking for help. The team made a decisive choice: to focus on helping Dutch entrepreneurs adopt and scale AI effectively. Today, Milo’s role at Experiment42 focuses on translating strategic questions into practical and scalable solutions. Instead of using a fixed method, the team provides tailored guidance by helping organisations automate tasks that employees find repetitive or draining, while ensuring that meaningful, human-centred work remains.

Starthub AI expert

Now, Milo enjoys giving back to the Starthub community by being an expert. He explains that it was a natural step to take. People started reaching out to him with questions about AI, data, and privacy. Milo sees his role as guiding founders from big dreams into actionable steps. With his background in improving businesses, he deeply enjoys helping founders prevent avoidable mistakes. What he finds most rewarding is to get people to start thinking: “It’s not so much about giving answers, but about asking the right questions, and you have to know which questions to ask.” Sometimes the biggest barrier is simply what we think is possible. AI can open doors far beyond our current imagination.

Generative AI is a fast-developing technology, which means that Milo and his teams are constantly learning themselves. Experiment42 is all about experimenting and learning from the community. By learning from Starthub founders and SMEs, he’s able to constantly improve and adjust his advice. One thing Milo sees often: for many start-ups, hiring new team members can feel like a major hurdle. His key message? Start exploring and integrating AI roles and workflows early. Doing so can reduce pressure on the team and create room for faster, more sustainable growth.