What happens when you cross an ambitious Dutch engineer, a life-changing stint in Japan, and a goal to outnumber soldiers with students?

You get Edwin van Rest.

In this wide-ranging and unexpectedly hilarious conversation, I sit down with the founder and CEO of Studyportals to unpack a journey that started with a dream to study abroad and turned into a mission to make global education transparent, equitable and accessible for all.

From dressing up as “RoboCups” at an AIEC dinner (yes, really) to grappling with the challenge of cultural humility, Edwin speaks candidly about what it takes to build a company with real impact — and how scaling Studyportals was just the beginning.

Some standout moments from the episode:

• The real origin story of Studyportals — involving cigars, gospel churches, and a poster-less village in Africa

• The unexpected tipping point that launched them across Europe (spoiler: it involves the European Commission and a very bad website)

• Why he’s more interested in purpose than profit — and how that drives their BHAGs

• The dark side of misinformation in international student recruitment

• The power of cultural difference — and what Japan taught him about communication, humility and leadership

Edwin doesn’t just talk the talk — his team now tracks 2 new student journeys per second. If you’ve ever wondered how to build a mission-driven company from the ground up (or just want to hear how a guy in a Robocop costume changed the game), this one’s for you.

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The podcast wouldn’t be possible without The Koala News, Australia’s international education news website.

Global Horizons is a production of The Global Society, Australia’s Learning Abroad support company. Our editor is Len Zamora and our distribution specialist is Gelo Ablao. Rob Malicki is the executive editor and host.

This episode is supported by Choosing Your Uni, Australia's unique, AI-powered platform that helps domestic and international students to find the right institution for them, and that helps Australian institutions to access new markets.
For guest suggestions and feedback, email podcast@globalsociety.com.au