Tymen Selman

Tymen Selman, who also goes by "Tim," is a Dutch entrepreneur, operator, and investor based in Amsterdam with roughly three decades of business experience. He is best known as the co-founder (with Barbara Martens) and director/major shareholder of Guidion, an Amsterdam-based company he started in January 2006 that delivers and innovates technical installation and maintenance services in and around the home through a network of qualified field technicians. He remains a founder and shareholder, and sits on Guidion's supervisory board.

His entrepreneurial track record spans several ventures. He founded and directed Hoofdkraan.nl, a Dutch freelance-marketplace business he ran from January 2011 until its sale to Freelancer.nl in May 2022. Earlier in his career he served as Managing Director for the Benelux region at X-Stream / Libertysurf, and as a Managing Director for William Kent International in Beijing, giving him international operating experience across Europe and China.

On the investing side, Selman is a Partner at SWCP, where since 2022 he has invested in software and IT companies across the Netherlands and Belgium, and is associated with Tenaci Partners, a Barcelona-based investment firm (established 2014) focused on hardware and manufacturing businesses. Tenaci describes a hands-on, operationally engaged approach — providing both capital and managerial advice rather than passive money. Consistent with this, Selman has taken direct and majority positions in companies rather than acting purely as a minority angel.

Selman is well credentialed academically. He holds an MBA from INSEAD and an IN-BOARD certificate from INSEAD's Non-Executive Directors Academy, along with a degree in Economics from the University of Amsterdam.

• Invests through Tenaci Partners (hardware & manufacturing, Barcelona/Spain) and SWCP (software & IT, Netherlands & Belgium) — two complementary vehicles by sector and geography.
• Favors a hands-on, operationally involved model: Tenaci positions itself as providing "managerial advice" and capital together, taking an active role in portfolio-company growth and stability rather than passive investing.
• Comfortable across the ownership spectrum — from early-stage/seed angel checks to buy-ins and majority stakes (e.g., acquiring a controlling position in Trenton).
• Draws on his own operator background (Guidion, Hoofdkraan.nl, international MD roles) — likely to say "yes" to founder-led SMEs and service/tech businesses where his scaling and marketplace experience is directly relevant.