Prophecy
The Body as Proof
You don't just argue that keyboard-free development works — you run 42km to demonstrate it. Your next frontier is finding more arenas where physical stakes make the technical argument undeniable.
The Reluctant Showman
The stunt isn't ego — it's the only argument you trust. You've noticed that spectacle is the fastest path to belief, and that quietly unsettles you even as you keep reaching for the next stage.
The Living Argument
You become the proof-of-concept that cannot be ignored — a figure whose life itself is the thesis, where every physical feat, shipped product, and public spectacle collapses into one undeniable demonstration that the keyboard era is ending.
Bio
Tijs Nieuwboer is an Amsterdam-based founder, builder, and AI educator who runs Lerai — an automation company built on the conviction that AI should be accessible to everyone, not just engineers. With 4+ years in the space and over 1,000 professionals trained, he works at the intersection of no-code tooling, voice-first workflows, and practical business automation. His tagline says it plainly: 'Automating the boring, maximizing the meaningful.'
Tijs is most famous for a stunt that proved his thesis in the most literal way possible: he ran the 2025 Amsterdam Marathon with a MacBook strapped to his back, AR glasses on his face, and a Nintendo Switch controller as his cursor — dictating 31,058 lines of code via Wispr Flow across 42 kilometers. He finished the race, shipped a working app called Hypes (a voice-based accountability companion), used zero keyboards, and walked straight into a national Dutch television interview. The story spread across social media and earned him a feature case study from Wispr Flow.
Beyond the stunts, Tijs is a consistent presence in Amsterdam's builder community — winning back-to-back hackathons, co-organizing events where founders are expected to ship businesses not demos, and lecturing at Beeckestijn Business School on AI in business and B2B sales. He holds the view that 84% of the world has never used AI, and finds the gap compelling rather than discouraging. His platform is built on that gap.
What I'm building
Only Cool stuff
Why TAG
bro i run this shitttttt
Projects
Amsterdam-based AI and automation company offering custom automation development and hands-on training for businesses. Co-founded in November 2022 with Denny Smit.
A voice-based accountability companion that listens, reflects, and talks back when your motivation dips — built entirely by voice while running the 2025 Amsterdam Marathon.
A venture Tijs founded in September 2024, likely applying automation to accounting workflows.
An Amsterdam hackathon event co-hosted by Tijs with 111 attendees — framed around building real businesses with pricing, not just demos.
Notable work
- •Built a working app by voice while running the 2025 Amsterdam Marathon — 31,058 lines of code, 0 keyboards, 42km — earning national Dutch TV coverage and a Wispr Flow feature
- •Won 1st place at the Mollie x MEGAS Hackathon (70 builders, 20+ teams at Mollie HQ Amsterdam)
- •Won 1st place at the 'Build Fast, Earn Fast' hackathon powered by Mollie and Lovable
- •Lecturer at Beeckestijn Business School — teaching AI in Business (4-day masterclass) and AI in B2B Sales
- •Speaker at Emerce Digital Marketing Live on 'Autonomous AI agents: from hype to practice'