Where luck meets logic: How a foundational thinker taught phones to read passports

In the flickering glow of a CRT monitor in the 1980s, a teenage Martijn found his calling. While others saw the Commodore 64 as a gateway to gaming, he saw something deeper: a world of logic, structure, and limitless possibility. He was, by his own cheerful admission, “the typical geeky, nerdy person,” captivated by the machine itself. "It started with what many people have," he says, "a fascination with computing and computers." That early fascination wasn’t just a hobby; it was the first step on a path that would lead him to the very forefront of digital identity security.

A mind built on first principles

Martijn followed his passion to university to study computer science. But here, his journey took a pivotal turn. While many of his peers were focused on building applications, he found himself drawn to the abstract, theoretical side of the field, inspired by an influential professor. He dove deep into the world of formal methods, earning a PhD focused on the foundations of computer science.

“I was more interested in theoretical computer science, like logic and computation theory,” Martijn explains. He became fascinated with the complex puzzle of proving a program's correctness. “Proving that a computer program does what it is intended to do is really hard for large systems,” he notes. The sheer scale makes it almost impossible. “But if you can isolate just a small system for something crucial, like reaching a security goal, then it becomes feasible.” This niche was his new playground. Small, critical programs running on devices like smart cards and the first generation of e-passports were the perfect candidates for his unique, deeply analytical skill set.

The pet project that became a breakthrough

After his PhD, a move motivated by his girlfriend, now his wife, who wished to return to her home area in Eastern Netherlands, led him to a position at a research institute. It was a fateful move, as this is where he met the colleagues who would become his future co-founders. While his day job involved identity management, he kept his fascination with e-passports alive as a “pet project,” which he tinkered with on his desktop.

All the while, a technological storm was gathering. The iPhone had been released, and the mobile revolution was poised to change everything. But as Martijn explains, another storm was brewing. “During the financial crisis,” he recalls, “it became hard to make a living with research-based consultancy.” The institute where he worked felt the pressure. However, what could have been a crisis became a launchpad.

The leap

In 2013, Martijn and seven of his colleagues stood at a crossroads and decided to take the leap. They founded Inverid, and suddenly, all the disparate threads of Martijn's journey converged. His pet project, the explosion of mobile technology, and the new NFC capabilities being built into smartphones created a perfect storm for building a product that no one else was thinking about.

He is quick to point out that success is never just about being smart; it’s about a convergence of factors. “Things can happen,” he muses, “but you also have to be a bit lucky and seize the opportunities at the right moment.” That moment was theirs. They had gotten there first. "We were at the right time, in the right place, with the right technology in our hands, and we could just do it."

With that philosophy, ReadID was born. Life as a startup was intense, and he loved it. “Being in that vibe of a small startup company and being able to do these things was just so interesting.” With a team of only eight, roles were fluid. “I was part of the security group, I was part of the 24/7 cloud ops team,” Martijn recalls. “When you’re only eight people, you have to do everything and anything to get things to work.” 

The soul of a startup, the power of a scale-up

He thrived in that environment, and even more so as the company grew. “I really like the phase where we moved from a startup to a scale-up with a team of more than 70 people, where we started to get more customers who were genuinely interested in our products. ” Being part of a larger organisation like Signicat has brought the next rewarding phase. He recalls the 2025 company summit in Valencia as a moment of realisation. Seeing the large-scale use cases presented opened his eyes to a new level of impact. "I realised we could not have done this with the small team that we had," he says. 

It was a clear sign that being part of something bigger allows them to "approach large customers and prove to them that they can trust us.” For someone who thrived on the energy of a small, agile team, he was also struck by how the positive, collaborative culture he valued from being part of a start-up was also part of Signicat’s core values. "If you're an engineer starting to work now," he says, "you would want to be part of a company where the vibe is good, right?"

This appreciation for the team also defines his personal role. He is the go-to expert, but he’s most comfortable enabling others. "It's not really in my character to be in the forefront," he admits. "I like to support other people."

Juggling keys, code, life (and the coming quantum threat)

At 55, Martijn has cultivated a life rich with balance. He works a four-day week, allowing him to dive deep into complex problems while preserving time for his family and his passions. He values the flexibility to work from home, a reality brought into focus on the day of his interview. “My wife’s car wouldn’t start... so she had to take my car, and now I’m working from home,” he says with a relatable laugh.

Martijn’s role today is that of a digital detective and a deep technical guide. He’s the person colleagues turn to when they hit a wall, especially with the intricate world of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). He manages the effort of keeping up with root certificates from every country issuing e-passports. “It is less mature for some issuing countries,” he notes. “They will go live with a new signing key before they have shared the public key through the normal channels.” Despite his seniority, his core passion remains unchanged. “I still like to implement stuff. I still like to do coding, it’s fun, so I do it,” he says. 

His focus is also on the horizon, preparing for the next great cryptographic shift: Post-Quantum Cryptography. “These quantum computers will eventually be here, in 10 years or so, and that means that the current cryptography will not be good enough,” he explains. For him, this isn't a distant threat; it's the next fascinating puzzle to solve. "I think that's very exciting in general... It's something I need to look into."

Beyond the code: Piano and LEGO robots

For a man whose career is built on pure logic, Martijn finds essential balance in pursuits that are creative and emotional. Eight years ago, he started learning the piano, a skill he finds challenging precisely because it’s “not driven by pure logic.” He now plays in a band, finding joy in the shared energy of creating music.

This passion for sharing knowledge and sparking curiosity finds another outlet on some of his Fridays off. Whenever he can, he coaches a team of local primary school children for the First Lego League, guiding them through designing and programming LEGO robots for competition. “It is really nice to be able to transfer some of my knowledge of computer science,” he says, “even though at this age they’re mostly fascinated that they can get something to run.” In the kids’ excitement, he sees a reflection of his own journey: the simple joy of making a machine do something amazing.

Martijn’s journey, guided by curiosity and logic, is a testament to his core belief in doing what you love. “It’s important to find something you’re passionate about,” he says. “The reward is that once it works, it works. And that’s a great feeling.”

Now, he proudly looks back and realises the irony of being in the centre of innovation and not being aware of it at the moment. “When you look back, you recognise you were part of that, or in the middle of it, but you didn't notice it back then,” he shares humbly. “I guess the same is true for today at Signicat.”