Daan van der Zwaag has spent over a decade building apps to bridge technology and society. He currently leads the venture-backed startup Gaia Computer Technologies, Inc. (GAIA AI) where they are building AI design tools for architects. His contributions are recognized by MIT, Accenture, the University of Michigan , Hyper Island, The Next Web, and Cornell University. In his career, he frequently collaborated with pre-seed to Series D startups worldwide and has helped raise over $50 mm in funding. His work uniquely combines Product Design (UX/UI) + Software Engineering (Web/iOS) and Strategy & Research (Branding/GTM). In 2023, he finished a dual MSc. Information Science studies at Cornell Tech (NYC) and Urban Technology at Technion Institute of Technology (TLV). Before this, he completed his BS. in Communication & Multimedia Design (NL) and Innovation & Entrepreneurship (DK).