Hi, I’m Joris Verhaak.
“Dutch creative strategist and keynote speaker who loves fusing pop culture with pop tech for fresh, entertaining takes on innovation and human behavior.”
Latest keynote
The Matrix is already here
We like to think technology changes the world. In truth, it changes us. Every swipe, every ping, every algorithm rewires the brain a little further toward ease, comfort, and control. We built machines to serve us and ended up serving what they reflect: our habits, our hopes, our hunger for attention.
What does it say about us when a machine feels more honest than another person? When AI becomes a partner, a therapist, or a memory of someone we’ve lost? The Matrix isn’t a film about the future anymore. It’s a mirror held up to how we love, trust, and cope in the digital age.
This keynote looks beyond the hype to explore what technology really does to us. It’s not a list of trends or tools, but a behavioral deep dive into our craving for validation and frictionless intimacy, and why every day we keep choosing the blue pill anyway.
An entertaining and confronting look at the fascinating relationship between our brain and technology.
Time: 35-45 minutes
Languages: Dutch & English
Bookings & info: Get in touch
I once aspired to become an astronaut (spoiler: it didn’t happen). Luckily, my love for storytelling, fascination with technology and human behavior allowed me to explore space in a different way.
As a creative strategist, it’s been my job for many years to make complicated stuff simple and enjoyable.
As a keynote speaker, I love combining pop culture with pop tech to make exciting innovations entertaining and easy to understand. Entertaining and confronting, or, as I call it, inspiration with a bite and a beat.
Joris Verhaak
The Matrix is already here
Neo took the red pill to escape the Matrix. We might already live in it. This keynote explores how technology rewires the brain. A psychological look at our craving for control, validation, and frictionless intimacy, set against the backdrop of the iconic 1999 film.
Premiered in 2025 — now on stage.
AI the force be with you
Princess Leia is one of the most iconic sci-fi characters of our time, and her journey parallels the birth and rise of AI. We dive into the brain of artificial intelligence, exploring what makes it so powerful and where it might lead us.
Created and toured in 2023 – 2025
Follow the Dogg
Snoop Dogg and the invention of the web have more in common than you might think. We journey from Web 1.0 to Web 3.0, uncovering how the blockchain, NFTs, metaverses and more are connected and why Snoop seems to be the center of it all. Just follow the Dogg.
Created and toured in 2021–2023