Rogier van Duyn

Find your Ikigai!

In his youth, Rogier van Duyn witnessed firsthand how one can achieve business success through hard work. His father left his job at the ANWB at the age of forty and founded several successful businesses. As a young boy, Rogier already realized that there was only one way to become successful: to follow your heart and go all the way. Rogier struggled with his studies; he had difficulty concentrating. However, sports were his great passion, and he played hockey and tennis at a high level. He went to the United States to combine his studies with a tennis scholarship, and upon returning to Amsterdam, he started various businesses. Nevertheless, he felt a lack of purpose.

”At some point, I realized that I was too far removed from my own feelings. I wanted to be successful and make money, which I had not been very successful at until then. After choosing to follow a new path and dare to listen to my feelings, I noticed that the entrepreneurial spirit within me burned brighter than ever before.”

During a break in 2014, he wanted to travel and prepare for an extreme triathlon in Norway. His journey took him to the Brazilian surf beaches and ended in New York, where he was inspired by the local fitness scene. It sparked his interest, and Rogier decided to start something similar in Amsterdam. He wrote a business plan to establish a boutique indoor cycling company in a city where bicycles outnumber people. Eventually, he managed to convince a handful of friends and acquaintances to invest out of the 100 conversations with potential investors. Rocycle was born.