The story of E-Semble/XVR
Today, E-Semble/XVR Simulation is a leading developer of simulation software that
is used to train incident responders in 30 countries worldwide. But how did it start?
Founders Martijn Boosman and Steven Lohman look back on the first 15 years of
E-Semble.
1999 - 2001
The beginning
Martijn Boosman
Steven Lohman
Martijn: “Before becoming fascinated by virtual reality, I already
had a passion for emergency services. I used to work as a
volunteer for the Red Cross and if I hadn’t failed chemistry in
high school, I would have become a doctor.”
“I was working for Maassen Consulting as a consultant in
simulation technology when I discovered the possibilities of
virtual reality. Back then, virtual reality was mainly used for
things like driving simulators. I figured that by making virtual
reality scenarios flexible, you could also use them for training
disaster response.”
“Martijn was still busy approaching investors, when I was in
“I pitched the idea to Frans Walvis, who –together with my
South America for a six month project. At some point he needed
parents – would become our first investor and is still involved
my written confirmation to convince investors that I would
in the company today. Frans also got me in touch with other
commit to E-Semble. From Ushuaia, the southernmost tip of
investors. They were enthusiastic, but advised me to find some
South America, I sent an e-mail with the message ‘I’m in’.”
partners to create a real company.”
Martijn: “After Steven came on board, Paul van Laar joined us.
Steven: “I was hired by the Dutch Ministry of the Interior to
I knew Paul from the instructor training for Emergo Trainer in
organise an international conference about disaster relief, when a
Sweden. He was a perfect match because he had expertise in
contact at TNO told me about Martijn and his ideas about training
both the medical sector and in didactics.”
with virtual reality. I decided to meet Martijn to see if we could
use him as a speaker, and it clicked between
Steven: “The three founders each had their own strength.
us right away. I was fascinated by his
We also had several characteristics in common: courage and
plan to set up a new company, also
confidence, communication skills and belief in long-term
because it matched my background
customer relations, and an international orientation.”
perfectly. I had worked for a
Disaster Management Training
Martijn: “For Steven and me, this international orientation came
Program of the United Nations,
naturally. I used to live in Italy for several years, and Steven grew
and therefore had an extensive
up travelling around the world.”
international network as well
as knowledge about disaster
response training.”
The Founding Fathers
Martijn: “During the founding of the company, we received
valuable advice from our ‘founding fathers’, leading experts in
the disciplines we were involved in. Prof. Michel Debacker MD,
former Assistant Chief of Staff of the Belgian military medical
service, taught us a lot about medical issues. Frans Walvis gave
many useful tips about setting up a company. Ernst Lohman,
Steven’s father, was an expert in disaster relief for the United
Nations and gave insight in the complexities of large-scale
incident response.”
Getting started
Steven: “So then the three of us started our
software company, literally in the living room.”
Martijn: “At first we used ‘rebranded’ versions of existing
software. That is where the name E-Semble comes from, ‘to
as’Semble’ ‘E’lectronic solutions’. But we soon realised that
this approach was insufficient to match our customers’ demands.
Firstly, the existing technology didn’t allow customers to build
their own, complex scenarios. Secondly, we wanted to reach a wide
audience and therefore didn’t want a complex high-end simulator
that could only be operated by a handful of specialists.”
Steven: “This set the framework of what we wanted to
build: a practical, user-friendly tool that could be used
by an instructor to visualise his own scenarios.”
XVR?
Martijn: “With the X of ‘exercise’ and ‘exam’, and
VR for ‘virtual reality’. Short and sweet, easy to
remember, and it captures the essence of our product
perfectly.”
The first customers
Steven: “In the early years, a considerable share of our revenue
came from consulting; this was particularly Paul van Laar’s
activity. These consultancy jobs led to our first customer for
virtual training: the Dutch Ministry of the Interior.
Martijn: “The first customers who really used our software
product were training agency Trimension, safety region Utrecht
and the fire fighting school of Rheinland Pfalz in Germany.”
Steven: “These first customers were of massive importance to
us. Not only did they bring us the first direct revenues from our
product, they also confirmed that we had a product that offered
real value to the market.”
2003-2007
Products and projects
Steven: “In this period we developed a crisis management
simulator that could support large outdoor exercises. This
enabled us to expand beyond virtual training, into supporting
outdoor exercises.”
Martijn: “Thanks to this new software we were hired to do some
big projects for NATO as well as two Dutch national emergency
exercises called Bonfire and Voyager. “
Steven: “It worked both ways; these new projects also led to
new products. For instance, the ISEE project spawned the ISEE
medical logistics simulator that is still being used today.”
2008-2010
Professionalization
Steven: “We reached a crossroads with E-Semble where we had to
make a choice: do we keep focusing on projects and consultancy,
or do we focus on our products? We decided to focus on the
products, because this allowed us to create a more sustainable
business model.”
Martijn: “Floris Jan van Brederode, who joined us around 2008,
fulfilled a key role during this switch. I knew Floris Jan from my
studies and met him again a few years later on a plane from Rome
to Amsterdam. At that point I already knew I wanted him on
board, but it took until 2008 for him to say yes. He is the one who
set up a structured production process within E-Semble.”
“Two other key contributors were Ferry Pak and Dave Garbett,
who shaped our internal processes for product development and
quality control.”
Steven: “Around this time we also switched to a subscription
model. This further increased the sustainability of our relationship
with our market and customers. Because we could count on future
earnings from that moment on, we were also able to invest more
in the development of XVR. This benefited both our customers
and ourselves.”
Steven: “With the growth of the company we also reached the
limits of our own management capacity. It was time to further
professionalize the organisation and create a clear division of
roles. Martijn fully committed to sales and business development,
2011-2014
Growing further together
and I became responsible for products, services and projects. It
Steven: “From 2010 onwards, we intensified the interaction with
also became clear that we needed someone to run the company
our user community. This resulted in a culture with an incredibly
when we were on the road. “
strong focus on quality and service. We don’t hide under the desk
when a customer calls, but genuinely enjoy the interaction with our
Martijn: “In 2010 we got Joost Beerthuis on board as CEO, to lead
customers. We are always looking forward to workshops and user
the professionalization and growth of the company. Steven and
group meetings, because these are occasions to further build our
I had done a good job as pioneers, but Joost brought a proper,
relationships with our users.”
mature management. He shaped the structure of the internal
organisation, comparable with what Floris Jan had done for the
Martijn: “In this period we also made a further differentiation of
product. Joost also had a key role in the development of our
distinct roles within the company: Product Management, Quality
strategy and new market segments.”
Control, Marketing & Communication, Sales & Business Development.”
2015
and beyond
Steven: “In the next few years, localized content will become even
more of a priority for our users, which is why we will expand the
possibilities to have local content created by third parties. Another
important step forward is the upcoming launch of the online
version of XVR. This will really help training and education centres
to reach incident responders in remote areas. Furthermore, we
will increase our involvement in the ongoing development of
man-machine interaction, and optimize innovations in this field
for XVR. We try out everything and encourage our users to do
likewise, in order to find out what works and what doesn’t.” Martijn: “We will also keep striving for state of the art visual
quality. Not only because our customers expect this. It is a
necessary ambition if you want to be an attractive place to work
for the best modellers and programmers.”
Steven: “Creating a unique product for a market that matters, that
is and remains our passion.”
Martijn: “Every time I see how customers use our product, I feel
humbled by the idea that we actually contribute to the ability of
safety and security professionals to do their job.”
From E-Semble to
XVR Simulation!
From 2015 onwards, our company will
operate under the name XVR Simulation.
By using the XVR brand for our company
as well as our products, we create a
more consistent corporate identity and
strengthen our recognisability in the
international market.