B. J. G. van der Kooij is the author of the Invention series, a collection of historical analyses documenting groundbreaking technologies. He obtained his MBA from the Rotterdam School of Management in 1975 and then an MSEE with a focus on microelectronics from Delft University of Technology in 1977. Over the course of an illustrious career, he served as a member of the Dutch parliament, launched a software technology start-up, and taught management of innovation at Eindhoven University of Technology.

Now retired, he is using his expertise in technological innovation, scientific and political policy, and economics to bring insightful historical and social context to the applications of general purpose technologies. He continues to research and publish scholarly articles on the nature of innovation as the basis for his Invention series.