Operating Partner
Valor Ventures
Jean-Luc Van Hulst is a registered investment advisor, serial entrepreneur, and technologist with deep expertise at the intersection of software, AI, and venture investing.
Jean-Luc brings more than two decades of operating experience to Valor Ventures. He studied mathematics and econometrics at Erasmus University and began his career as a founder, building and scaling a software development firm, Finalist, to multiple international locations, including an offshore presence in China. In 2010, he successfully exited the business through a sale to investors, marking the first of several entrepreneurial milestones. He later attended the Birthing of Giants program at MIT and has held multiple board leadership roles within Entrepreneurs’ Organization chapters.
At Valor, Jean-Luc leads the firm’s AI-driven operational infrastructure, overseeing systems that streamline internal operations, compliance, and technical diligence. He plays a central role in evaluating product architecture, data strategy, and engineering maturity across Valor’s investment pipeline, ensuring technical rigor and scalability from first check forward.
Jean-Luc serves as a board member to several Valor portfolio companies, including Sailes and Autonoma, where he advises founders on product strategy, engineering execution, and AI adoption. In addition, he leads Valor’s CTO Council Masterclasses, convening senior technical leaders to share best practices on building, scaling, and governing modern software organizations.
Beyond his professional work, Jean-Luc is deeply committed to philanthropy. He supports technical infrastructure for Back on My Feet, which helps formerly incarcerated return to community; underwrites scholarships for high-potential youth; and is a sustaining underwriter of the Startup Runway Foundation (501c3), which helps connect underrepresented founders to their first investors. An avid long-distance runner, he brings the same discipline and endurance to his personal pursuits as he does to his professional life.