Martin van Blerk - Forward-Thinking Tech Innovator
An innovative tech leader with experience in software and mobile game development, Martin van Blerk is a member of Namaco, a New Zealand-based digital hub with more than 23 team members worldwide and over 10 years of expertise bringing forward-thinking, disruptive businesses to market.
Support for Entrepreneurs
Martin van Blerk and the other members of Namaco provide creators with initial funding, effective marketing strategies, and operational guidance, while requiring no upfront cost and splitting the risk. Described as "industry-agnostic," Namaco is open to working with innovators with unique ideas that challenge industry norms. Its leadership team supports these innovators with a strategic, data-driven approach in regard to product/service development, creative marketing, and operational support. Namaco has played a critical role in the success of more than a dozen successful projects since its inception.
Software
Beyond his involvement with Namaco, Martin van Blerk is the CEO of Caliber, a software company with an industry-leading applicant tracking system that also boasts customer relationship management capabilities. Working with the vision of providing recruiters more time to focus on their core responsibilities, he created Caliber with input from leading recruiters so as to optimize its automation of time-consuming and mundane tasks, including candidate screening and progression.
Game Development
Martin van Blerk has also worked in game development through his involvement with Pixelmon, a gaming ecosystem he founded in 2020. Van Blerk exited Pixelmon in 2022 through an acquisition by a Singaporean studio. The company, which continues to attract industry leaders to its executive team and advisory board, received an $8 million seed funding round in early 2024.
Philanthropy
In 2023, Martin van Blerk co-founded Project Saved with Andrew Cannon. The organization is dedicated to ending human trafficking in Nepal through prevention, rescue, rehabilitation, and advocacy. Working with a local and international staff on the ground in Nepal, Project Saved operates safe houses, works alongside local authorities at border crossing checkpoints, and maintains an education center where vulnerable children can receive food, shelter, schooling, and support. Project Saved has already benefited more than 3,000 young women and children in Nepal.
