Merel van Helsdingen (NL)

Founder and Managing Director of Nxt Museum, the Home of New Media Art in Amsterdam.

Merel founded Nxt Museum in 2020 with a mission to push the boundaries of what a museum can be in the digital age. Nxt offers a space for research, education, experiment and creation bringing Art, Tech, Science and Sound into one space. Nxt actively supports artists and their practice using new technologies and new ways of presenting work at scale.

With a Bachelors in Film and a Masters in Business Administration as well as Strategic Roles in Digital Marketing and Business Development at Apple, BBH, PVH and several tech startups Merel is combining her cultural passion with her entrepreneurial spirit. Over the last seven years, Merel has built the museum from scratch, leading the project from the business plans and initial concept to branding, fundraising, building and artist liaison, with the support of her co-founder and network of advisors. Merel is active in the Dutch cultural scene as part of the advisory board of several digital and cultural initiatives.