Nalden
Started with a blog, now we here.
Nalden (1984) has an unconventional perspective on technology. While most tech entrepreneurs dream of scale, growth, and exits, he believes the best digital products should be simple and useful for people. A beautiful, positive user experience is the cherry on top.
That belief started early. At sixteen, he began his blog Nalden.net from the Dutch village of Wilnis. The blog quickly became a cultural platform where music, design, fashion, and technology came together.He was an influencer avant la lettre, long before the word existed. The blog won awards, attracted brands like Nike and Vodafone, and even reached the Dutch TV show De Wereld Draait Door.
In 2008 he co-founded WeTransfer, a simple file-sharing tool that allowed people to send large files without creating an account and without hassle. The product’s simplicity made it instantly popular and it grew into a global platform with more than 87 million monthly users.
After leaving WeTransfer in 2019, Nalden noticed the platform slowly drifting away from its original philosophy under new ownership. Designers, photographers, and creative agencies reached out to him with similar frustrations. In 2025 he launched Boomerang, a modern file-sharing service built around the same original idea: simple file transfers without accounts, ads, or data misuse. Just sharing. TechCrunch, NRC, and international tech media immediately picked it up positioning Boomerang as a new privacy-friendly alternative.
Boomerang is part of Nternet Company, Nalden’s startup studio where a small team builds simple digital tools powered by AI. Alongside Boomerang, he is building Rumicat, a no-nonsense newsletter platform, and FOTOFOTO, which brings the joy back to creating photo albums. Through his personal newsletter, Nalden writes weekly about the cultural and technological zeitgeist — sharing observations about entrepreneurship, creativity, AI, and the future of the internet.
In addition to being an entrepreneur, Nalden is an active investor. He invests in startups such as Polarsteps and funds including NP-Hard. He is also the founder of FC Hyena, a boutique cinema-restaurant in Amsterdam-Noord that supports the city’s independent film culture.
Nalden speaks about entrepreneurship, building with AI, digital creativity, and the power of simplicity in technology. His talks combine practical startup experience with humor, cultural insights, and an independent mindset. From blog pioneer to WeTransfer co-founder to building new AI tools — his story is about staying curious, starting over, and building technology on your own terms.
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” – Alvin Toffler
Nalden : Sharing is Caring | TNW Conference 2017