The Dutch software company that could shape EU-China relations for decades
- Datenna is using open source intelligence to furnish governments with the data they need to make policy decisions on China
- In a rare interview, chief executive Jaap van Etten tells how a decade working in science and technology in Beijing put him ahead of the curve
In an old printworks encased in brown bricks, nestled above a sushi joint in the Dutch city of Eindhoven, sits the most important European company you may never have heard of.
Datenna – a portmanteau of “data” and “antenna” – sells software. If the foosball table in the staff area does not give away its line of business, the low-level house music pumped into a bar area populated with bottles of colourful liquor surely will.
Datenna uses open source intelligence (OSINT) to furnish governments with the data they need to make policy decisions on China.
The company does not consult or advise, nor does it work with private businesses. It only provides state actors with unfathomable levels of detail on the business, administrative and technological landscape in the world’s second largest economy.
And, as governments look to build out economic security policies designed to curb or catch up with China’s advancements – all while Beijing is restricting access to official data – this information is getting to be like gold dust.