Jd

Joost de Valk

Partner @ Emilia Capital | Investor, Advisor, WordPress Ecosystem

Arnhem-Nijmegen Region

Invests in

Stages:

Locations:

  • Min Investment:

    $5,000.00
  • Max Investment:

    $50,000.00
  • Target Investment:

    $25,000.00

Work Experience

  • Board Member

    2024

    Supporting Patchstack on their mission to make open-source software safer.

  • Partner

    2010

    Emilia invests in companies that play on the world wide web. A lot of our investments have ties to the WordPress ecosystem. We’d like to think they all make the web a better place by being who they are. We like to be close to our portfolio companies. We’re not there to tell them what to do but instead to cheer them on and give them advice when they ask for it.

2020

  • Advisor

    2020

    As an investor in and advisor to WordProof I help reach WordProof's goal of building a truly trusted web. The internet has a deep-rooted issue: trust. How do consumers know whether the information presented by sites can be trusted, and how can site owners claim ownership over their content? These issues can all be solved with the help of the WordProof Timestamp Ecosystem. My goal is to help build these systems on open source software and help create open standards that will improve the web for future generations.

2022 - 2023

  • Head of WordPress Strategy

    2022 - 2023

    Responsible for WordPress strategy throughout Newfold. As one of the largest hosting companies and domain name registrars in the world, we've got plenty to do!

2010 - 2023

  • Advisor

    2022 - 2023

    I advise the leadership at Yoast, which I founded, on everything they need me for, from product to marketing and business.

  • Interim CTO

    2022 - 2023

    As Yoast had a few too many changes in its technical leadership I stepped back in for a few months to run the R&D departments while we searched for another CTO. Once we found one, I stepped back again.

  • Founder & Chief Product Officer

    2019 - 2022

    As Chief Product Officer for Yoast I was responsible for making sure Yoast’s products are best in class and keep on developing.

  • Founder & CEO

    2010 - 2019

    Yoast focuses on SEO & Digital Marketing, building software, creating content, eBooks and courses to help people improve their sites and teach them why. I bootstrapped this startup from absolutely zero to a €12.5 million turnovercompany employing 140+ people across 5 continents. Our plugins for WordPress, TYPO3 and other platforms are active on over 12 million websites.

2010 - 2020

  • Founder & Lead Developer

    2010 - 2020

    Quix was a very powerful bookmarklet that allowed you to access all your bookmarklets across all your browsers, while maintaining them in one spot.

2019 - 2019

  • Marketing & Communications Lead

    2019 - 2019

    Leading the marketing team and oversee improving WordPress.org, related websites, and all its outlets.

2015 - 2017

  • Advisor

    2015 - 2017

    Advising Student.com on all matters SEO, Social and general Growth.

2009 - 2011

  • Host

    2009 - 2011

    I'm the host of a weekly podcast called the WordPress Podcast, which gives our listeners news, tips and information about WordPress and its plugins and themes.

2009 - 2010

  • Bestuurslid Events

    2009 - 2010

    Started the Search Marketing Thursday sequence of events.