TRC Co-founders Menno van der Zee And Alex Wallar Named To The Forbes 30 Under 30 List For Europe
The Routing Company (TRC), a global on-demand vehicle routing and management platform, has announced that co-founders Menno van der Zee and Alex Wallar have been named to the Forbes 2024 30 Under 30 list for Europe.
The annual Forbes Under 30 list celebrates the “brightest young entrepreneurs, leaders, and stars” spanning multiple categories including arts and culture, social impact, retail and e-commerce, manufacturing, entertainment, and more. Van der Zee and Wallar were specifically named to the technology category.
Forbes recognized both co-founders for bringing, “Uber-style on-demand pickups and analytics to public transport with deals in the UK, US, and UAE.”
“Our journey at The Routing Company, reshaping the future of public transportation, has been nothing short of incredible. Just recently, we celebrated moving our 1 millionth passenger — a milestone I could have never imagined when we founded the company in 2019,” van der Zee said. “I’m grateful to our talented and dedicated team who are driving this progress forward and am eagerly looking forward to what lies ahead.”
“To be included in this year’s Forbes list is an incredible honor, especially because working in the public transport industry is not always seen as technology forward,” Wallar said. “What we’re doing, however, is instigating significant change in the way millions of people move, and in doing this we are reducing dependence on cars and single occupancy vehicle trips, while increasing accessibility, equity, and sustainability in transportation — and that’s something we can easily get excited about.”
Wallar is co-founder and CTO of TRC. He was pursuing a PhD in EECS at MIT where he developed algorithms for optimizing mobility-on-demand systems, when he co-founded The Routing Company alongside Menno van der Zee. Prior to MIT, Wallar received his BSc in computer science at the University of St Andrews and his S.M. degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT. Prior to TRC, he was a researcher with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.
Van der Zee is co-founder and Director of Algorithms for TRC, where he drives international R&D for route optimization algorithms. In 2023, the Dutch publication Het Financieele Dagblad named him one of 50 “FD Talenten,” recognizing “distinctive ideas that move the world forward.” He speaks regularly at tech and transport-focused conferences. Van der Zee holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from The Netherlands’ Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) with a minor in Engineering Physics/Applied Physics from the National University of Singapore, and culminated his studies with a Masters in Systems and Control Engineering from TU Delft. He also spent time in Boston as a Global Entrepreneur in Residence at UMass, and was a UFirst Fellow at Underscore VC.
“We are thrilled to see Menno and Alex recognized in this year’s Forbes Under 30 list, namely as standout leaders in the technology category,” TRC Chief Executive Officer James Cox said. “While they are co-founders of The Routing Company, they have also been instrumental in shaping the growth and direction of the company while drawing many talented people to the team. As such, it is a recognition that all of us can celebrate and take ownership of, as we continue to focus on moving the world.”
