Martijn Bevelander
Martijn Bevelander is the former CEO and Founder of Bevelander Internet Services of The Netherlands. Though Bevelander Internet Services closed its doors in 2002, Martijn Bevelander continues to break new ground and develop innovations. In 1997, when Martijn Bevelander founded Bevelander Internet Services, he also founded another Internet service that has since become an icon among Netherlands social websites. The entity was the site ChatPlaza, and 11 years after its founding, it is still the number one chat site in the Netherlands. ChatPlaza features blogs, chat, dating, and gaming. In addition to ChatPlaza, Martijn Bevelander also founded the popular Netherlands site StayClose B.V. in 2005. StayClose B.V. is a social networking site that features viral videos, pictures, music downloads, and news. Much like Bevelander’s other projects, StayClose is quickly becoming one of the most popular sites of its kind in The Netherlands. Martijn Bevelander is also an entrepreneur offline. In 2003, Mr. Bevelander acquired a financially struggling Haarlem, NL discotheque nearing bankruptcy. After taking over the nightclub, Martijn Bevelander revamped and revitalized the building, and soon, Club Delirium had regained its title as one of the hottest clubs in Haarlem. Today, Martijn Bevelander runs ChatPlaza, StayClose, and Club Delirium. Despite his busy schedule, Mr. Bevelander still makes time for fun and enjoys watching movies, swimming, keeping fit, and living life “to the max.”
