#70: From founder to investor with Tom Even Mortensen

Jyri Engeström is a startup expert, having sold his company to Google and invested in numerous unicorns. We discuss opportunities and technologies, lessons learned from Silicon Valley, and how Finland (of all places) could become a leading global startup hub. Learn more: https://yes.vc/ https://generogrowth.com/⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jyriengestrom/ (0:00) Introduction (0:28) Founding Jaiku and its acquisition by Google (4:05) Working at Google and why he quit (8:23) Jyri’s transition from entrepreneur to investor. (11:07) How top VCs find, attract, and evaluate investment opportunities (20:20) Capital and the critical role of networks (31:12) How to turn Finland into a leading startup nation (40:21) Working on big problems (44:38) Immigration and attracting top talent (49:58) Thoughts on the future and advice for young people

25 Huhti 202454min

Christoffer Rutgersson co-founded Bambora, and helped lead the startup to a 1.5 billion euro exit. Then he became CEO of public fintech company Qliro, quickly turning it profitable while doubling down on growth. Learn more: https://www.qliro.com/ ⁠⁠https://generogrowth.com/⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/christoffer-rutgersson-7ab7a611/ (0:00) Introduction (1:00) Buying 14 companies in 18 months and hiring hundreds of employees (4:49) Lessons learned from 1.5 billion euro exit (9:40) Joining Qliro as CEO (17:35) Getting Qliro to profitability (21:52) Reducing cost and doubling down on growth simultaneously (23:41) How to attract talent quickly (26:18) Being a public company CEO (30:49) Helping e-commerce merchants (36:08) Improvements in conversation rates (39:23) Expanding outside the Nordics (41:34) Future growth

11 Huhti 202448min

MAX is a family-owned restaurant chain with more than 170 locations, consistently ranked as the favorite burger chain in Sweden. We talked with CEO and owner Richard Bergfors about the secret to their success, competing with giants like McDonald's and Burger King, international expansion, failures and challenges, market trends, and a lot more. Learn more: ⁠https://www.max.se/⁠ ⁠https://generogrowth.com/⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/burgerspotting/⁠ (0:00) Introduction (0:55) How MAX got started (5:05) @Burgerspotting and eating 400+ burgers per year (10:03) Max’s secret to success (14:15) The competitive advantage of a family business (17:40) Will Max become bigger than McDonald’s in Sweden? (20:38) Expanding to Poland and Egypt (24:55) What Richard loves most about his job (26:45) Why MAX is no longer in Dubai (29:27) The "better burger" trend and market consolidation (33:40) Betting on plant-based (38:47) Richard’s go-to MAX order, recent lessons learned, inspiration, thoughts on the future

14 Maalis 202447min

Matsmart is an online grocery store that has helped save over 65,000 tons of food from going to waste. We talked with co-founder Karl Andersson about the company's journey to 100 million euros in revenue. Learn more: https://generogrowth.com https://www.motatos.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlan (0:00) Introduction (1:04) How a batch of Christmas soda led to Matsmart (8:10) The problem of food waste (10:40) Customer behaviors and creating a new category (17:35) Building the Matsmart brand (27:38) Expanding outside of Sweden (33:45) Quick-commerce and the evolving food e-commerce space (38:13) Getting to profitability (42:15) Raising 200 million euros in funding (48:05) What does the future hold for Karl and Matsmart?

29 Helmi 202452min

Learn more: ⁠https://generogrowth.com https://boxbollen.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacoberiksson/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/victor-eriksson-019846a0/(0:57) Working together as brothers(6:35) How Boxbollen got started(13:45) Partnering with A-list celebrities(20:29) Placing big bets(23:22) Boxbollen’s growth playbook(25:59) Growing profitably(30:20) Building a lean and efficient team(34:40) Dealing with competitors and scammers(37:20) New markets, product launches, selling the company?

15 Helmi 202446min

Innovation is a term that is as often used as it is misunderstood. To tackle this huge topic, we sat down with professor, speaker, author, advisor, and innovation expert Alf Rehn. We talked about the role of psychological safety in building an innovative culture, why small improvements may be more important than big ideas, lessons learned from companies like SAS and IKEA, and more. Learn more: https://generogrowth.com/ https://alfrehn.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/alfrehn/ (0:00  Introduction (1:15) Taping down cables to the floor (8:10) Small improvements over big ideas (12:25) Company culture and psychological safety (28:20) The processes and incentives that lead to innovation (40:30) The role of leadership

1 Helmi 202450min

HMD Global is the manufacturer behind Nokia phones. We talked with CMO Lars Silberbauer about the "dumbphone" trend, HMD's unique approach to sustainability, how they compete against the likes of Apple and Samsung, and more. Learn more: https://generogrowth.com/ https://www.hmdglobal.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/larssilberbauer (0:00) Introduction (0:45) Joining HMD (5:24) Nokia’s brand power and cultural significance (8:57) Feature phones vs smartphones (10:33) Turning HMD into a house of brands (13:15) Why leaders must get their hands dirty with AI (20:47) Understanding trends and markets around the world (25:32) Avoiding analysis paralysis (27:55) HMD’s unique approach to sustainability (35:12) Manufacturing in Europe (40:57) Measuring marketing performance

22 Tammi 202448min

We sat down with Fredrik Skantze, CEO and co-founder of Funnel, the Swedish SaaS company that’s raised over 120M€ to build the leading marketing data hub. Join us to hear Fredrik talk on building a global company, getting rid of sales commissions, lessons learned from Silicon Valley, and much more! ⁠https://funnel.io/⁠ ⁠https://generogrowth.com/⁠  ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredrikskantze⁠  ⁠https://funnel.io/marketing-data-state-2024⁠ (0:00) Introduction (0:46) The pivot that led to Funnel (6:23) Finding product-market fit and the early days (9:57) Figuring out go-to-market  (13:39) How digital marketing has evolved over the last 15 years (22:40) Getting rid of bonuses and sales commissions (29:15) Company culture and lessons learned from Silicon Valley (36:49) How the Nordic ecosystem is changing  (41:39) Key takeaways from Funnel’s survey on AI and marketing (46:12) What keeps Fredrik motivated and excited?

11 Tammi 202452min