Jelle van der Tas

Founder, AIVAS | Conversational AI Solutions

Through continuous learning, I have developed expertise in artificial intelligence, product strategy, and building companies from zero. This journey has shaped who I am today and led me to where I am now.

I grew up in the Netherlands with one clear ambition: to build something that could change the world. For many years, I tried to make it on my own. I started several ventures, learned through failure, and climbed the corporate ladder. Yet, the rat race never fulfilled me. As an entrepreneur at heart, I wanted to create something meaningful that could make a real difference.

When I discovered generative AI, everything changed. I realised I could finally bring my ideas to life: quickly, independently, and at scale. So, I took a leap of faith: I quit my job, left my country, and moved to Singapore to pursue my vision.

That decision led to the creation of AIVAS, in partnership with Sky Ventures Capital.

AIVAS is building AIM: the AI Interaction Model. A foundation layer for AI that understands, feels, and responds like a human. The problem we solve is simple but massive. AI is entering the physical world: food courts, airports, hospitals, hotels, retail stores. But today's AI falls apart the moment environments become unpredictable. It can't tell who is speaking to it. It can't sense frustration or confusion. It has no memory of who you are. The result is billions invested in AI hardware that delivers frustrating, robotic experiences.

We are changing that. AIVAS combines visual intent detection, voice intelligence, and emotional awareness into one system that makes AI interactions genuinely natural. Our technology knows who is engaging, filters out the noise, understands tone and emotion, and remembers context across conversations. It works in 40+ languages, including the code-switching reality of Asia: Singlish, Hinglish, Taglish, and beyond.

We started with kiosks and terminals, deploying through distribution partners across thousands of touchpoints in APAC. But kiosks are just the beginning. AIM is designed to power any device that needs to interact with humans naturally: robots, vehicles, companions, healthcare systems, enterprise tools. One model, endlessly configurable, trained on real-world interactions that no lab can replicate.

The long-term vision is an AI companion that is truly personal. Not a chatbot. An AI that understands you, helps you professionally, and becomes a genuine part of your daily life. Available to everyone, with privacy as a choice, not a luxury.

We are backed by Sky Ventures Capital and supported by NVIDIA, Google Cloud, and AWS. Headquartered in Singapore: the most multilingual country in APAC and the perfect proving ground for AI that speaks the world's languages.

I lead with clarity, accountability, and a bias for action. My passion is building AI that works where people actually are: noisy, messy, multilingual, real.

Outside of work, I focus on personal growth through reading, structured learning, walking, working out, and journaling. These habits keep me grounded, resilient, and committed to continuous improvement.