Jelle Prins

Jelle Prins

Jelle Prins (1984) began his career as the first designer/product manager at Uber in 2009. He designed the original apps for passengers and drivers, introducing features such as tracking an approaching driver and automatic payment after a ride. These were the early days of what is now a billion-dollar company. In 2009, however, they did not yet have an office, and Jelle worked from a different coffee shop every day.

After some time, Jelle left Uber to start his own business. With this company he was responsible for the first apps of Booking.com and CataWiki. After several years, Uber asked him to return and offered to acquire his company. Jelle started the first engineering office for Uber outside San Francisco. Later, he was responsible for various Uber Product Design teams around the world.

In 2020, Jelle left Uber and was promptly asked by the Dutch Government to lead the development of the Covid Contact-Tracing app for The Netherlands.

Today, Jelle is a co-founder of Cradle.bio. At Cradle, they are building a platform for designing proteins using artificial intelligence. Proteins are like tiny machines; in theory, they can produce almost anything. They can be used to replace traditional production methods for things like medicine, chemicals, food ingredients, and fabrics. These protein-based production methods are much more efficient and environmentally friendly.

Jelle is available for ‘Fireside Chats’ with a moderator and the audience, where he is eager to share his stories from the years at Uber, designing the CoronaMelder, and his transition to the world of biotechnology and artificial intelligence.

Jelle Prins at TNW 2018: