Wic Verhoef - CAIO

I am Wic and I make things. We (wife, our two boys and our conspicuously uninvolved cat) live in Kent, in a magnificently incomplete 122 year-old fixerupper house.

I'm a founding member of Mindset AI, the leader of the AI Team & a contributor to the Core Team. When I am not Mindsetting, I am probably in the gym or wielding a hammer and/or some flavour of saw.

My superpowers

• Prolific Inventor – I’m most alive when creating new things and solutions. Whether brainstorming infrastructure innovations or designing algorithms, I turn concepts into working prototypes. Making makes me feel alive.

• Relentless Curiosity – Exploring uncharted territory, I constantly seek insights that can spark “aha” moments.

• Creative Problem-Elimination – My hands-on approach to invention keeps me experimenting, iterating, and finding new ways to overcome technical challenges.

• Risk-Tolerant – I am comfortable taking bold, calculated leaps of faith, embracing experimentation, and leveraging each outcome. My role is to give my team the confidence and safety net to experiment alongside me.

• Speed-Loving – I love making at speed. I believe we have such a tremendous opportunity and that our speed of execution is what will optimise our odds of success and I aim to build processes that let the team move quickly without sacrificing quality.

And my blindspots

• Speed Lust – While I thrive on rapid development, I sometimes under-appreciate the impact that it can have on the broader system and in my push for quick wins I can inadvertently overlook deeper structural considerations. I do believe that a robust, automated testing framework—alongside strong engineering collaboration—will help maintain momentum without compromising quality or long-term system integrity.

• Ambitious Timelines – In my eagerness to make, I sometimes underestimate the complexity of the job at hand. Realistic planning and milestone checkpoints ensure deliverables stay on schedule - please talk me off of the ledge if you feel I am being too opportunistic.

• Ongoing Maintenance & Repetitive Tasks – While I’m capable of stepping in where needed, routine systems upkeep and repetitive tasks can sap my energy quite a bit.

• Communication of Nuanced Vision – I sometimes see the end goal more vividly than I can explain it. I am actively working on this and currently I am betting on visual aids, prototypes, and open dialogue to help my team and the organisation align on the core objectives.

Cheatsheet: getting the best out of me

• Space for focus I do my best work when I can devote uninterrupted blocks of time to exploring and iterating on new ideas. Blocking out “deep work” sessions not only helps me develop stronger solutions but empowers my team to do the same.

• Leverage curiosity I'm pretty much a moth to a flame when it comes to a juicy problem to solve: Just point me toward interesting challenges or unexplored territory. Keeping me (and my team) excited by sharing context and strategic goals ensures we’re all focused on the right problems.

• You bring the WHAT, I discover the HOW My strengths shine when I have the freedom to experiment, paired with a clear vision of what we’re aiming to achieve. If I’m moving too fast, I appreciate it when the team or stakeholders highlight potential pitfalls or dependencies.

• Team Up on Execution I can occasionally overlook routine upkeep or deeper architectural needs, so collaborating with detail-oriented team members (or building robust processes) keeps the engine running smoothly.

• Visualise Constraints & Goals I thrive on diagrams, mockups, demos, but especially on good narratives. If you see gaps between my vision and reality, show me—in visual form if possible or, better even, as a story —and let’s plan the path forward together.