Rob Hulsen focuses on the business side of Freequency: the strategy, the partnerships, and the network around the app. He had been making games with a purpose for years when, at a networking event, he spoke with Teun Loverbos about people with tinnitus who were too often sent home with the message that they would have to learn to live with it. That conversation stuck with him, and it became the beginning of Freequency.
Since that day, Rob makes sure the idea actually gets somewhere. He makes the connections with clinics, hospitals, researchers, and partners abroad, and keeps those relationships warm. He is often the first at the table with a new clinic or a new partner, explaining what Freequency does and why it works. Where Sophie guides the pilots on the floor, Rob makes sure the doors open and that agreements are made that work for both sides. As far as he is concerned, a good partnership starts with a good conversation, not with a contract.
He also keeps an eye on the course. Which countries come first, which partnerships fit Freequency and which do not, and how does an app that should be accessible to everyone also remain a business that can carry itself. Rob likes to think a few steps ahead, but tests every plan against one question: does this actually help people with tinnitus move forward?
His experience with games with a purpose comes in handy here. He knows how to build something people want to keep using, and how to translate that into a model that holds up. To Rob, a good idea has only succeeded once it also stays a healthy business, so that Freequency is still there years from now for the people who need it.