CEO Talk: Maarten Kuper, QBayLogic

This interview features Maarten Kuper, CEO of QBayLogic.

Tell me a bit about your background? How did you first get started with QBayLogic?

I grew up in Enschede, in the eastern part of the Netherlands, and ended up studying right there at the University of Twente. I started with a bachelor’s in Applied Physics, then made the switch to a master’s in Industrial Engineering and Management. It was an interesting mix of technical and organizational thinking that still shapes how I work today.

After university, I started as a management trainee—but to be honest, I didn’t really know what I wanted. I had studied hard, kept all doors open, and suddenly almost everything seemed possible. That might sound like a luxury, but it also made it incredibly difficult to choose a direction. I think that’s a struggle people often underestimate.

My first job wasn’t a good fit. I felt boxed in. I missed the freedom to follow my own ideas, to work from intuition, to shape things in a way that made sense to me. Over the years I tried a lot of different roles—operational advisor, strategic consultant, project manager, program lead, branch manager—you name it. It wasn’t until 2019 that I finally took the leap and started working for myself, helping organizations as a change manager, program lead and advisor to leadership teams.

That’s when QBayLogic crossed my path more seriously. My father co-founded the company in 2016, and from the sidelines I’d been following it for a while. At some point during my self-employed phase, he asked me to get involved more actively—to help shape the strategy and business side of the company. So in September 2021, I started working one day a week with the team. That quickly grew. In January 2022 I joined full time, first as General Manager, then Managing Director, and now CEO. As the company grew, so did our roles and responsibilities—and eventually, our job titles started catching up.

Funny enough, when I was five years old, I already said I wanted to be a director one day. I had no idea what that meant at the time, of course—but the idea stuck with me. Later in my career, before joining QBayLogic, I discovered how much I enjoyed helping people grow, supporting them, and creating space for them to do their best work. I found out that leadership, when done with attention and care, could really make people flourish. That gave me a strong drive to eventually take full responsibility for a team and a company.

There wasn’t one single moment when I thought, yes, this is it. It was something that gradually grew over time, especially after joining QBayLogic. I’ve learned so much in these first few years—and I’m still learning every day. But I’ve also come to truly enjoy the role. Being CEO now feels both natural and meaningful.

Tell me about QBayLogic?

QBayLogic is a chip design company made up of passionate engineers who love complex challenges. Everyone on the team is deeply skilled, driven to push the boundaries of both hardware and software, and genuinely enjoys working together. We work hard, but we also laugh a lot—and I’m proud to say we’ve built a culture where people come to work with a smile.

What really sets QBayLogic apart is our use of functional programming in hardware design. Like other FPGA design companies, we know our way around VHDL and Verilog. But we’ve also pioneered the use of Clash, a Haskell-based language for developing digital hardware. That allows us to express designs at a higher level of abstraction—resulting in clearer architectures, faster iteration, and in some cases, performance that wouldn’t be feasible otherwise.

We’ve been able to show what’s possible when you step outside the traditional boundaries. Some of the results we’ve achieved were considered unattainable just a few years ago—and it’s exciting to see that barrier continue to shift.

The kind of customers who thrive with us are usually the ones who have hit a wall. Their current tools or methods are no longer giving them the performance or flexibility they need—and they’re open to exploring a new approach. They often have a clear idea of what they want to achieve, but not yet how. That kind of ambiguity is exactly where our team does its best work. We love turning those complex, high-stakes ideas into working hardware.

Looking ahead, one of our biggest challenges—and at the same time, our biggest opportunity—is education. Functional programming has been around for as long as imperative programming (yes, I checked!), but for a long time it had the reputation of being too academic or slow. That perception is starting to change, but it takes time. The same goes for FPGAs—many people still associate them with niche use cases or steep learning curves. So our mission is to show the industry what’s truly possible when you combine the two.

What problem did you see that needed to be fixed? What is your approach to solving that?

I didn’t come from a background in digital hardware or chip design—my training was in physics and industrial engineering—so when I joined QBayLogic, I had to learn fast. But sometimes, being slightly outside of a field helps you spot the patterns others take for granted. What I started noticing in many technical discussions was a recurring theme: performance limits.

Companies that work with chips often hit walls they can’t overcome with CPUs anymore. And while GPUs have become the go-to for AI, there are many other problems—especially those requiring low latency, real-time response, or heavy parallel processing—where FPGAs offer the best solution. But they’re still underused, often because of legacy thinking, complexity, or lack of awareness of what’s possible.

At QBayLogic, we saw a clear opportunity: to push those boundaries forward, and to make FPGA development more powerful and productive—especially through functional programming. That’s the technical side of the story.

But there’s another problem I care deeply about—one that has more to do with people. When I joined QBayLogic, we were just a team of seven. From day one, we approached growth as a shared journey: Where do we want to go? What kind of company do we want to be? My role in that was shaped by my background—as an advisor, strategist, and coach.

I strongly believe that people do their best work when they can be themselves. That means creating an environment where people feel safe, seen, and supported. It sounds simple, but it takes daily work. As a leader, you don’t get to “switch off.” You have to stay curious, listen deeply, and show up with consistency and care. That’s how we’ve built the culture we have at QBayLogic—and it’s something I guard closely.

For us, solving technical challenges and building the right culture go hand in hand. You can’t reach the edge of what’s possible if your team doesn’t feel inspired, safe, and energized. That’s the balance I try to hold every day.

What is the best moment in your day?
The best part of my day is when I get to feel the energy of the people at QBayLogic. That can be when we’re working together on a complex project and making real progress, when we celebrate a win for a customer, or even just when we laugh together. I live for those moments. Seeing people enjoy what they do—and enjoying it together—is what makes this job worth it.

I really believe that joy at work is essential. It’s not just a nice-to-have. When people laugh, feel seen, and share in something meaningful, the work becomes better too. That’s why I try to create space for that. Whether it’s a game night, a lunch walk, a run together, or just chatting over coffee—those moments of connection matter.

At the same time, I try to lead by example. If I ask my team to take care of themselves, reflect, and work from a place of balance, then I need to do that too. So I regularly check in with myself: How am I feeling? What do I need? Only when I take care of my own energy can I show up fully for the people around me. That’s the kind of leadership I believe in.

Visit QBayLogic website: https://qbaylogic.com/