# Steven Schuurman

> Dutch entrepreneur and philanthropist Steven Schuurman co-founded Elastic and served as its first CEO from 2012 to 2017. A SpringSource co-founder and former Orange11 CEO, he now combines board service with philanthropy, digital education, and technology policy through FutureNL, the Dreamery Foundation, and the Centre for Future Generations.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Chairman at Centre for Future Generations; Co-founder and Non-executive Director at Elastic
- **Organizations:** Elastic, SpringSource, Orange11, Sogyo, FutureNL, The Dreamery Foundation, Centre for Future Generations, Atlantis Entertainment
- **From:** Delft, Netherlands
- **Nationality:** Dutch
- **Education:** B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, TH Rijswijk (now The Hague University of Applied Sciences)
- **Known for:** Co-founded two open-source software companies, SpringSource and Elastic., Served as Elastic’s founding CEO from July 2012 to May 2017., Won the 2015 LOEY Award.

## Career timeline

- **2000** — Started his career at software services company Sogyo.
- **2005** — Co-founded SpringSource.
- **2009** — VMware acquired SpringSource for $420 million.
- **2009-2012** — Led JTeam, later renamed Orange11, as CEO.
- **2012** — Co-founded Elastic with Shay Banon, Uri Boness, and Simon Willnauer; Orange11 was acquired by Trifork.
- **2014** — Founded the digital education initiative that became FutureNL.
- **2015** — Won the LOEY Award.
- **2017** — Handed Elastic’s CEO role to Shay Banon effective May 1; continued as a non-executive director.
- **2018** — Elastic listed on the NYSE.
- **2020** — Established the current Dreamery philanthropic foundation.
- **2021** — Joined the Giving Pledge.

## Achievements

- Co-founded two open-source software companies, SpringSource and Elastic.
- Served as Elastic’s founding CEO from July 2012 to May 2017.
- Won the 2015 LOEY Award.
- Committed to giving the majority of his wealth through the Giving Pledge in 2021.
- Founded FutureNL, supporting digital literacy in Dutch schools.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Elastic’s 2026 proxy statement lists him as a continuing independent non-executive director with a term ending in 2028.
- **2025-11** — CFG approved its 2026-2028 policy plan, naming him chair of the Dutch foundation board.
- **2025-01** — As CFG chairman, welcomed Thomas Lingard’s appointment as CEO, effective March 2025.
- **2024-03** — Co-authored an essay with Marietje Schaake on independent technological expertise for democratic policymakers.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenschuurman/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/steven-schuurman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-14