Nerd Nite 33
Be prepared for the start of this season’s Nerd Nite Amsterdam as we will go into a battle of wills and courage. Have you ever dreamed about having your own company? But are you struggling with the thought of it being only a “one-day-fly”? Then you should definitely listen to Tomislav Ladika! He will explain some helpful concepts to start your own firm and how to survive the first hype to make your dream true. For the second battle-round, hear out Marleen Balvert, fighting against one of the top 10 causes of death with radiation. She will show us that mathematics are the tools to use to kill cancer cells! Join us on the 22nd of September, be there and be square!
DETAILS:
Friday 22 September
Doors open at 20:00
First talk at 20:30
at CREA Muziekzaal
Nieuwe Achtergracht 170
1018 WV Amsterdam
Startups: Believe the Hype?
By Tomislav Ladika
Ever heard of startups called unicorns? Today’s high-flying startups are fittingly described like magical creatures, because the way they are valued has more to do with fantasy than reality. How can a company with no sales three years ago be one of the most-hyped public companies now? Or how did Tesla become the most valuable U.S. car company this summer despite negative profits? Tomislav will give you the answers to these illogical questions at the next Nerd Nite. He will guide you through this fantasy of startup valuation by giving an overview of the models used to value young firms. He explains how expectations about the future and the costs to scale-up determine the value and success of these magical animals. Curious? We are!
Bio: Tomislav Ladika is inherently suspicious of over-hyped investments. His passions include studying young firms’ business models—the Financial Times is prime bedtime reading—and staking out contrarian positions on those that rely on questionable assumptions. He is on the finance faculty of the University of Amsterdam Business School, where his teaching and research focus on how companies make investment decisions, and how analysts in turn value those companies. He has an economics PhD from Brown University.
Math to the rescue – How mathematics can personalise radiation therapy treatments
By Marleen Balvert
When somebody mentions mathematics, you probably think of complex equations. Who doesn’t? But what if you can apply mathematics to have an impact on society? Marleen took on this challenge and began her research on how to best treat cancer. The difficulty in radiation treatment of cancer patients is that the high-energy beams that are aimed to the tumor not only kill the evil cells but also healthy cells and organs. How could you minimize this effect for every individual patient? The complexity of this problem lies in its immense amount of possibilities within the radiation therapy hardware: think about beam position, dose rates and many more! This optimization might already seem impossible to you, and gladly, that’s where Marleen’s math comes to the rescue! Sounds too complex? Come to Nerd Nite and find out!
Bio: When not running outside – weather permitting – or baking cakes, Marleen loves to solve complex problems using the straightforward logic of math. She also wants to find out the best way to treat cancer without killing the patient. She combined these two passions in her PhD on radiation therapy plan optimization. Currently she continues pursuing her dream job as a scientist and works as a postdoc on the relation between genetics and complex diseases. During the second talk of the evening, she will share with us a drop of her passion!
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