Eric Castien (NL)

Did you know Lionel Messi's brain is what makes him stand out in between muscle machines constantly trying to stop him on the pitch? Decoding game intelligence in global football. With that mission Eric Castien (1974) and 2 neuroscientists started Talent Tech company BrainsFirst 10 years ago. Combining neuroscience & machine learning, the serial entrepreneur is leading the wave of skills-based talent matching in Sports & HR. Besides many elite clubs and federations, also corporates and public sector organisations are using their software today. By revealing the unique natural abilities of a brain, promising career paths become visible. Especially for starters & switchers on the labour market detecting these biological foundations of future performance is key. Castien is quite optimistic about human intelligence in times of AI. Favourite talent quote: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”