Jonathan van Wersch

Okay, so here’s the story on Jonathan van Wersch. This dude’s a straight-up tech wizard and a total big change in the startup world. He’s part of YC S25, and he’s the co-founder and CTO of Phases – a company that’s trying to shake up how clinical trials are done, starting with recruitment using AI agents. Basically, they’re automating a super complicated, slow, and expensive process – that’s some real deal innovation right there.

But here’s what’s crazy about Jonathan – he’s not your typical tech guy. Born in the US with a Dutch dad and Egyptian mom, he’s lived in five different countries before even finishing school. That kind of background? That’s a whole world of perspective, and you can feel it in how he approaches problems. Dude’s got a global mindset, which is perfect for tackling big issues like healthcare.

He’s got solid academic creds too – both a bachelor’s and a master’s in mechanical engineering from the University of Bath, finishing with first-class honors in 2020. But here’s the kicker – despite his formal engineering background, he’s totally self-taught when it comes to software. He knows his data structures, algorithms, operating systems, compilers, system design, distributed systems – all that nerdy shit. That’s some serious hustle. He jumped into programming on his own, probably because he’s just passionate about it, not just doing it for creds.

Before jumping into Phases, he worked at Meta on the mobile ads team. So he’s got legit big tech experience, understands how to scale and build stuff at a massive level. That’s probably what gave him the confidence and skills to go all-in on his own startup. The dude’s got a real tech hustle – loves programming, runs, does side projects – he’s constantly building and learning.

What does all this say about him? Man, he’s driven. He’s someone who sees big problems and just jumps into solving them. His diverse background and tech chops show he’s all about pushing boundaries and not settling. Starting Phases, especially in healthcare, isn’t some small move – it’s about making a real impact. And I get the feeling he’s in this for the long haul, not just the shiny startup life.

Bottom line: Jonathan’s the kind of guy who’s got the brains, the global perspective, and the grit to really change the game. He’s not just another engineer – he’s a builder with a mission, and he’s crushing it. Keep an eye on him – he’s someone who’s gonna do some serious shit.