SOME THINGS I HAVE DONE
I have held at least 500 taks and presentations since I started out as an entrepreneur, idealist and business woman, and have taken on both small stages, large stages, panels, classrooms and private groups with attendants ranging from teenagers, students, polititians, royalty, executives, presidents, peace prize laureates and more.
I thrive on stage, and I love being able to inspire and enegrize people through storytelling.
Lived in a castle
Instead of going the normal route, I left home at the age of 17 to spend two years at The United World College of the Atlantic in Wales. For two years I called this castle my home - together with about 400 other young people from around the world. All young people who had been selected by national committees in their home countries based on academic performance and leadership potential.
Living in this global bubble changed the way I see the world. And it changed the way I interact with people. When you have friends from every single nation in the world, it does!
Launched Bipper with Tele2
September of 1999 my first technology servive, Bipper, was launched in partnership with the European carrier Tele2. Bipper enabled parents to control any mobile phone through a software placed directly on the SIM-card. With Bipper parents could define limits to who the kids could communicate with, when the phone should work and how much they could use it. It also offered the children a personal location based safety alarm.
Bipper was the first service of it's kind globally, and was launched both in Norway and Bulgaria that fall.
Spoken on small and large stages
I have held at least 500 taks and presentations since I started out as an entrepreneur, idealist and business woman, and have taken on both small stages, large stages, panels, classrooms and private groups with attendants ranging from teenagers, students, polititians, royalty, executives, presidents, peace prize laureates and more.
I thrive on stage, and I love being able to inspire and enegrize people through storytelling.
Imagined the future
When I started on my technology journey in 2006 I had no background from technology, but I had a strong vision of the products I wanted for myself and my kids. For the younger kids I wanted to develop a mobile watch, and for the older kids I imagined a really cool phone with touch screen, only two buttons (on/off + SOS alarm) and a range of features visible for the kids on the phone as square icons. Parents could define what features the kids should have access to through an online webportal. This was in 2006.... The iPhone was not yet launched and people were using feature phones. Today the phone I drew looks very similar to another device, and we are just beginning to see mobile watches.
Been blessed
I visited Daial Lama the first time at his home in India in 1998. I had co-founded a youth organization, and Dalai Lama was supporting our projects. Since then I have met him on several occations. This photo was taken at Prague Castle during the Forum 2000 conference in 2000. I had been involved in that initiative since 1998, but this year I was a new mom and brought my daughter along with me. The conference gathered world leaders from all areas, and when discussing the future my daughter quickly became the center of the conference.
Published a book
In 1999 the book "Do you have a moment?" (Har du 2 sekunder?) published. The book was one of the projects of the youth organization I co-founded, and was a collection of writings by young people from around the world together with world leaders. Over a period of two years we collected writings on thoughts, dreams, visions and fears about the future from people under 30 from all countries of the world. The book was part of the international millennium TV-show broadcasted globally on New Year's Eve 2000.
Failed
For the last several years I have developed mobile based personal safety services for children, families and adults. My company has come far launching services globally and becoming number one in our niche, but it has proven hard to turn it into a financial success. The external factors have changed; from feature phones to smartphones. From a willingness to pay for software to an expectation that everything should be free. From a tech based app offering to a service based offering. We have seen, adapted and re-launched continously, but we have not succeeded financially. Failing is hard, but it's also the most valuable lesson I have ever learnt. I'm stronger and wiser due to not succeeding as well as planned.
Been honored as one of the greatest business thinkers in the Nordics
With the following criteria: (1) Originality of their ideas, (2) Practicality of ideas, (3) Impact of ideas, (4) Results achieved, (5) Business sense, and (6) International outlook, I was named on of the 20 greatest Nordic Thinkers. Whereas Daniel Ek (Spotify) and Nicklas Zennstrom (Skype) topped the list, people like Jens Stoltenberg and Ingvar Kamparad did not make it to the top. I was one of two women on the list. Full list here.
Joined Jada Pinkett Smith
Jada Pinkett Smith invested in my company in 2013 and has been helping us launching bSafe across the world. The photo is from a photoshoot with women's magazine Redbook in the US. The story was on Jada and her girlfriends. I have been extremely blessed to have the support of and to have been working with one of the biggest Hollywood stars. Jada, her family and her team rocks big time!
Lived in Silicon Valley
To build a tech company you should be where it happens - I thought. And moved my whole family to Silicon Valley summer of 2012. A massive risk to take on, but no win without risking to loose. Three years in Silicon Valley were amazing. The whole family has a second home, and we have experiences, networks and a world view only this area gives you.
Closed NASDAQ
Together with the rest of the f.ounders group, I got the amazing eperience of ringing the NASDAQ closing bell. A fantastic network of people, and one of many great experiences together with this group.
Debated with Hillary Clinton
As the co-founder of an international youth organization I brought together young grass root activists and the decision makers of the world. This again resulted in me being invited to important international conferences to represent the youth. Hillary Clinton was one of the many global leaders I met and debated with at these events. Others include George Soros, President Vaclav Havel, Shimon Peres, President Frederik Willem De Klerk, Dalai Lama, Vigdis Finnbogadottir and many more.
Launched Bipper on a huge talkshow in Bulgaria
In October 2010 Bipper was launched in Bulgaria in partnership with Vivacom. As part of the media and launch tour I was the main guest on the main talkshow. One of many amazing, new and interesting opportunities I have had.
