Sebastian Krijgsman Van Spangenberg

Tell us a bit about your background and what you were doing before joining INSEAD.

I am originally from the Netherlands. I grew up Dutch and part Indonesian. My family is from Indonesia, so I travelled there a lot growing up. I did my undergraduate degree at Tilburg University in International Business Administration, and during my last year, I went on an exchange to Singapore Management University, focusing on entrepreneurship and financial innovation.

Before INSEAD, I already had a company in financial impact, consulting on how to execute impactful projects. I also have a background in the culinary arts, working as a private chef and instructor. I’ve always been naturally curious. I was in debating societies and the European Parliament project, so I’ve always liked doing a lot of different things at once.

What made you choose the INSEAD MIM specifically?

While I was in Singapore, I took a course on building and scaling new ventures. The instructor invited guests like the third employee of Airbnb and the founders of Y Combinator. Some of them had studied at INSEAD, which is how the school first got on my radar.

I was drawn to the diversity. My parents took me travelling through Asia every summer, so I’ve always been interested in different cultures. At INSEAD, you have a cohort of 217 people, and if you give them one problem, you get 217 different ways of tackling it. Also, my studies in the Netherlands were very theoretical; I wanted to go to a business school where I could actually implement research in the real world and make a practical impact.

You co-founded SEHA Consulting with a classmate. How did the INSEAD environment foster that?

From the start of the programme in Period 0, you are told there are unlimited opportunities here. I actually met my co-founder, Hannah Huibregtsen, before the programme because we are both Dutch. On the first day, while we were getting coffee and standing outside in the sun, we began discussing what we would undertake if we had the opportunity. We just said, 'Let’s do something together.'

The environment gives you the feeling that everything is possible. We just went out there and tried things, and it turned into something really cool. We are having a great time, and it’s helping us both develop.

I learn from her structured consulting background, and she learns from my creative entrepreneurship style.

Can you share some details on the projects SEHA has handled?

Our first project was a 'Micro-M&A' analysis. My aunt was looking to buy a company that makes vitamin sprays, but she didn't have the financial or commercial knowledge to value it. Hannah and I dove in, did the entire analysis from beginning to end, and submitted a bid.

Now, we are on our third project. Our second one was for a large, growing wastewater engineering firm in India, which belongs to the family of one of our INSEAD friends. We’ve been helping them expand into new markets on a new continent. We’ve even used the INSEAD network to find alumni at major firms like Veolia to help grow those partnerships. It’s been amazing to literally apply the slides from our Marketing and Financial Statement Analysis classes directly to our client work.

How would you describe the culture and the 'soft skills' aspect of the programme?

 It is high pressure and high stakes, but we have a real 'work hard, play hard' culture. It’s competitive, but in a community way. Everyone wants to win, but we want to win together.  

In terms of soft skills, I learn the most from just spending time with my peers. For example, I’ve done years of debating and client work, so I can help others with their communication and how to talk to CEOs. Meanwhile, I can learn from my classmates who are better at financial modelling or slide design. I learn a great deal from the people I work with every day in the MIM.

What is your main message to people considering the programme?

The programme is short, and it flies by. It feels like I arrived in Fontainebleau a few days ago, but also like I’ve lived here for 10 years. My advice is to take more moments to just sit down, look around, and enjoy.

Every day, I am surrounded by brilliant, motivating people. We are all overachievers. We want to build the mountain and move the mountain, but you have to take a breath and realise we are in one of the most special years of our lives. Don’t forget to enjoy the view and the people around you.