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...

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)...

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...

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...

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?

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 ...

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...

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...

Sanna Suvanto-Harsaae has been on the boards of over 20 Nordic companies like Finnair, Clas Ohlson, Posti, and Paulig. We talked about why strategies fail, how to build a high-performance culture, making tough decisions, and much more! https://generogrowth.com/⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sannasuvantoharsaae/ (0:00) Introduction (0:47) Sanna's transition to board roles (4:08) Deciding which companies to join (5:35) Being an effective board member (12:02) How to run board...

In just eight years, BookBeat grew from zero to 100+ million euros. We spoke with CEO Niclas Sandin about strategy, branding, customer acquisition, competing with big names like Spotify and Amazon, and whether AI will change the industry. https://generogrowth.com/ https://www.bookbeat.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/niclassandin/ (0:00) Introduction (1:02) How BookBeat got started (3:36) Having a 200-year-old family business as the owner (5:10) BookBeat’s 4 strategic...

In just 3 years Lyvia went from an idea to a group of 40 companies with 2+ billion SEK in total revenue. We talked with CEO and co-founder Sebastian Karlsson about the insights, strategies, and decisions behind their rapid growth. https://generogrowth.com/ https://lyviagroup.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastian-karlsson-8629193b (0:00) Introduction (0:47) 500 million SEK in 5 years and how it all started (6:22) Lyvia’s business model (9:09) How to learn both capital...

Polestar is an electric car company known for its minimalistic design and technological innovations. We talked with CMO Åsa Borg about building a global brand, running a Super Bowl ad, the importance of design, her proudest moments & biggest challenges, and more. Learn more: https://generogrowth.com https://www.polestar.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/åsa-borg-4898b038/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4QI0VzbkHk (0:00) Introduction (0:43) What is Polestar? (5:03) Building a...

Supermetrics is one of the most successful software companies to come out of the Nordics, growing profitably and quickly to over 50 million euros in ARR (annual recurring revenue). We sat down with Demand Gen Director Edward Ford to discuss how they did it. Learn more: https://generogrowth.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/fordedward/ https://supermetrics.com/ (0:00) Introduction (0:50) Joining Supermetrics (4:20) Why Supermetrics has always focused on profitability (5:33) What is demand...

MUSH began as a startup with little money and no brand, selling commodities to a tiny segment of the pet food industry. Over almost 20 years they’ve built an international brand while helping grow the entire raw feeding segment. We discuss their journey with Magnus Pettersson, the Business Director at Snellman Pet Food. Learn more: https://generogrowth.com https://www.mushbarf.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/magnus-pettersson1979 (0:00) Introduction (0:50) How MUSH got started in...

Jesper Åström is a growth expert who's spent over 45,000 hours launching hundreds of tactical campaigns for companies around the world. We discuss all things related to growth marketing, including case studies, common mistakes, and underutilized tactics. Learn more: https://generogrowth.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesperastrom https://www.youtube.com/@JesperAstrom/videos (0:00) Introduction (1:07) What is growth marketing? (4:45) Jesper’s framework for why and how companies...

Riikka Söderlund is a SaaS marketing expert and the CMO of Katana, a Tallinn-based startup that has raised over 50m€ in funding. We discuss all things SaaS marketing, from KPIs and attribution to selecting business-appropriate strategies and hiring world-class talent. Learn more: https://generogrowth.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/riikkasoderlund https://katanamrp.com (0:00) Introduction (0:51) How Riikka got started with SaaS marketing (2:56) Why do Finnish companies underinvest...

Anssi Mäkelä is the CMO of Polar, a leading global player in sports watches, fitness trackers, and heart rate monitors. We sat down with him to discuss their approach to creative and messaging, marketing tactics, and why the traditional agency model is dead. Learn more: https://generogrowth.com https://www.polar.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/anssimakela (0:00) Introduction (0:53) The traditional agency model is dead (4:03) Building in-house competency and why awards don’t...

Camillo Eriksson, co-founder and CEO of Twistshake, joins us to talk about building the world's biggest baby brand. We cover topics like expanding to 70 markets, launching a dozen or so innovative products each year, and doing influencer marketing on a massive scale. Learn more: ⁠https://generogrowth.com/⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/twistshakebaby/⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/camillo-eriksson-770480b8/⁠ (0:00) Introduction (0:52) The baby bottle that started it all (5:14) The...

Björn Thorngren is the CEO and founder of MEDS. We talk about how they became the fastest-growing company in Sweden, the strategies they used to acquire 800,000 customers and raise 50M€ in funding, what the pharmacy markets in Sweden and North Korea have in common, and much more! Learn more: https://generogrowth.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bjornthorngren/ https://www.meds.se/ (0:00) Introduction (0:50) The insights that led to MEDS (3:14) The unique online pharmacy market in...

Saeid Esmaeilzadeh is a scientist and entrepreneur who has co-founded, managed, and invested in over 30 technology companies. (0:00) Introduction (0:57) What got him into the science and chemistry (2:30) Getting started in business (4:00) Failure (6:22) Applying an empirical approach in business (7:52) Saeid's no-b******t policy (14:16) Creating a culture of critical thinking (18:19) Investment philosophy (22:47) Incentives, deal structure and autonomy (26:57) Building vs...

What does it take to build a global brand from scratch at a 90,000-person startup? We discussed this and more with Lisa Gilbert, VP of Global Marketing at Kyndryl. (0:00) Introduction (0:49) Working 20+ years at IBM (3:58) Choosing career paths and knowing who you are (6:25) Joining Kyndryl and lessons learned (12:20) The power and importance of branding (15:00) Balancing brand consistency with localization (17:45) Activating employees to become brand ambassadors (21:07) Scrappy...

Byron Sharp is one of the global leaders in marketing research and the author of the best-selling book ‘How Brands Grow’. We discuss the myths and realities of effective marketing, covering topics like customer acquisition, the effect of advertising, and loyalty programs. (0:00) Introduction and 'How Brands Grow' (2:35) Using science to identify law-like patterns in marketing (6:06) Is it more profitable to retain customers than to acquire new ones? (11:00) Do loyalty programs actually...

Thomas Floberg is the COO of Microsoft Sweden and a 17-year veteran at the company. We discuss the past and future of work, productivity, leadership, and artificial intelligence. (0:00) Introduction and why he joined Microsoft (1:55) Hybrid work at Microsoft (6:15) Processes and habits for making hybrid work successful (10:54) Measuring output and the productivity paradox (15:17) Leadership principles at Microsoft (17:35) Artificial Intelligence at work (22:51) How companies can...

How does marketing actually work? What is the key to great advertising and how can we avoid the most common mistakes? We discuss this and much more with Erik Modig, author, speaker, entrepreneur, and professor at Stockholm School of Economics. (0:00) Introduction (0:48) Customers don’t care care (4:02) Marketing metrics (6:44) Explain the benefit in 3-5 words (9:52) Impressions are not created equal (15:25) Small vs big brands (16:38) Effective messaging (18:57) How to create great...