About us

A Dutch and Belgian team in London. You always talk to one of us.

We've spent our careers delivering large programmes for banks and global firms, where nothing goes live without being specified, tested and signed off. We bring the same discipline to small teams, at a small-business price.

The founders

Portrait of Walter Rijneveld

Walter Rijneveld

Co-founder · Technology & Automation

Delivers live SAP banking programmes for lenders in the UK and Germany. Previously private equity in Boston and AI business development. Dutch, lives in London.

  • Banking software delivery, UK and Germany
  • Private equity analysis, Boston
  • Master's in Business Data Analytics and in International Business, Hult International Business School
LinkedIn profile
Portrait of Bert Cardoen

Bert Cardoen

Co-founder · Strategy & Growth

Senior strategy and transformation consultant at a global technology consultancy. Previously innovation consulting in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Trained in corporate law. Belgian, lives in London.

  • Strategy and transformation consulting
  • Innovation consulting, Cambridge, MA
  • Master of Laws (corporate law), KU Leuven · Master's in International Business, Hult
  • Speaks English, Dutch, French and German
LinkedIn profile

Based in London · Between us we work in English, Dutch, French and German · Polder is a trading name of Walter Rijneveld and Bert Cardoen, a partnership.

Why letting agents first

We started where we saw the clearest problem.

Independent letting agents run on enquiries and follow-ups, with small teams and long days. Many of the jobs that slip are rule-based and repetitive, which is exactly what automation is good at, as long as a person stays in charge. The same is true for many other small businesses, which is where we're heading next.

How we work

Our commitments.

  • We say honestly whether something is worth automating
  • Nothing goes live without your sign-off
  • If a product isn't sure, it hands over to a person
  • Everything is logged where you can see it
  • We reply within one working day

Why "Polder"

Calm, measured ground. Kept that way quietly.

A polder is low land reclaimed from the water, found in both the Netherlands and Flanders, and kept dry by pumps that run day and night without anyone noticing. The mark in our logo is the peil: the agreed water level that every dyke and sluice is checked against. That's how we run automations for you: measured, checked and under control.

Straight answer

We're new. Here's what you can check.

We don't have client results or case studies yet: the first pilots are starting now. So instead of logos and quotes, here's what we can offer.

  • A free month before you pay anything, with no card and no contract
  • We set it up at your office, so you meet us in person
  • Every message it sends is logged where you can see it
  • A written data processing agreement before we start
  • Real names. You'll always speak to one of the two founders

Founding pilots

Five places for independent letting agents in London.

After each 30-day pilot, and only with the agent's permission, we'll publish:

  • How many messages it sent, and how many it handed to the team
  • How quickly enquiries got a first reply
  • What didn't work, and what we changed
  • The agent's own words, unedited

Until then you won't see testimonials or logos here. We'd rather show nothing than make something up.

Ask about a pilot place

Come and meet us, or we'll come to you.

Pick any product and try it free for 30 days. It's running in about a week, with a 15-minute setup visit at your office. If it doesn't help, we switch it off.

We reply within one working day. Happy to pop by anywhere in London.

Send a messageShort form, two minutes Emailhello@polder.uk WhatsAppMessage Walter Call Walter+44 7551 128886