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AI · Startups

Forward Deployed: with Wonderful

When
Wednesday 18 November 2026, 17:00 to 19:00 CET
Where
Norrsken House Amsterdam, VOC-kade 10, 1018 LG Amsterdam · Map ↗
Price
Free
Going
The host approves each sign-up
Group
Whale
Hosts
Bas van den BrandeAlexander KempenJoris Dekker
Register on luma.com ↗ Add to calendar

Programme

  1. 17:00Doors open
  2. 17:15Fireside chat & Q&A with Sako
  3. 18:00–19:00Drinks and bites

About

Wonderful is valued at $5 billion and operates in more than 35 countries. Its secret weapon? Forward deployed engineers, embedded directly within customers to make AI work in production.

On November 18, Sako Arts, CTO Netherlands at Wonderful, joins Whale for a fireside chat with Joris (leading Deployment at Duna) about all things forward deployed engineering.

We'll cover:

  • What marks a good forward deployed engineer
  • Why embedding with customers beats one-size-fits-all SaaS in an AI-first environment
  • Navigating white-glove service and scalability
  • managing executives and day-to-day stakeholders
  • How to structure change management

Agenda

  • 17:00 – Doors open
  • 17:15 – Fireside chat & Q&A with Sako
  • 18:00–19:00 – Drinks and bites

About Sako Arts
CTO Netherlands at Wonderful, the AI platform putting agents on the front lines of customer service across voice, chat, and email

This September, Wonderful raised a $550 million Series C led by Insight Partners, more than doubling its valuation to $5 billion in under six months. Before Wonderful, Sako co-founded FruitPunch AI.

About Whale 🐳
We bring the next generation of operators and founders together - through expert-led sessions, dinner and hackathons.

# AI

Open on luma.com ↗

Speakers

Also on Wednesday 18 November

All dayFrench Defence & Security TechThe Hague09:30AIAIAI HackatonAmsterdam13:00Scaling People-Centred Justice with AIThe Hague13:30VR Workshop EARTH FROM SPACE®Amsterdam