Martijn Veldkamp
Enterprise Architect · Virtual CTO · Farmer · Sarcastic Realist
Cutting Through the Hype
I spend my days architecting large-scale solutions for the complex organisations and my evenings staring at the horizon on a farm in North Holland. It’s a contrast that keeps me sane: cutting-edge AI and cloud architecture by day, and things that actually work like gravity, old Volvos, and slow-drip coffee from my Mocca Master.
My philosophy is borrowed from Colin Chapman: “Simplify, then add lightness.”
In a world obsessed with adding more “features” (and currently, throwing “AI” at problems like it’s magic dust), I focus on strategic architecture, Conway’s Law in action, and maintaining a healthy scepticism for the current AI gold rush. To me, most Generative AI is a very expensive, very advanced autocomplete. It’s a tool, not a saviour.
Latest Articles
Thoughts on architecture, AI strategy, governance, and the art of building systems that last.
- Can you handle it?
The current evolution from prompt engineering to autonomous AI agents has accidentally validated decades of management theory. These latest generation of AI…
- Escaping the Feature Factory
We spent the last decade obsessing over speed. We adopted Agile, we SCRUMmed, did the DevOps, and we measured our success by velocity and deployment frequency. For the… Read more: Escaping the Feature Factory - Architecture as a Coaching Discipline
There is an old, persistent stereotype of the Enterprise Architect. They sit in a metaphorical ivory tower, disconnected from the reality of the development teams. They draw perfect,… Read more: Architecture as a Coaching Discipline - Balancing Act: Robustness with Customer Focus
AI of course, still in love with nano banana Balancing Act: Robustness with Customer Focus Martijn Veldkamp "Strategic Technology Leader | Customer’s Virtual…
- Stop waiting for “Perfect Data”!
Having fun with Banano Nano Stop waiting for "Perfect Data"! Martijn Veldkamp "Strategic Technology Leader | Customer’s Virtual CTO | Salesforce Expert |…
- Are We Building Lasting Value or the World’s Most Expensive Bubble?
The AI infrastructure boom is not an abstract headline to me. It’s hitting close to home. Here in the Netherlands, close to where I live. Microsoft has acquired… Read more: Are We Building Lasting Value or the World’s Most Expensive Bubble?
Work With Me
I help organisations cut through complexity — whether that means designing an AI strategy that isn’t just a vendor pitch, untangling technical debt, or providing Virtual CTO leadership for teams that need strategic direction without the permanent headcount.
What I bring: Strategic architecture, data & AI governance, digital transformation leadership, and the pragmatism to tell you when the emperor has no clothes.
Reach out on LinkedIn or drop me an email.