Episodes
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Risto Siilasmaa co-founded F-Secure in 1988 at just 22, and later became Finland’s richest person during the dot-com bubble. As chairman of Nokia, he led the transformation of the company from a struggling handset maker to a global leader in network infrastructure. He has one of the best startup investment track records, with multiple unicorns in this portfolio.
In this episode, Risto shares 30+ years of insights on entrepreneurship, leadership, and tech.
Learn more:
https://generogrowth.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/siilasmaa/
(0:00) Introduction
(0:55) Starting F-Secure: early challenges and IPO
(8:50) The dot-com bubble and how money changes people
(24:50) Tough decisions and building resilience
(34:20) Nokia: crisis, disruption, and transformation
(58:53) Investing in unicorns and how to spot great founders
(1:12:35) Future tech trends: AI, quantum computing and clean energy
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Sanna Suvanto-Harsaae is one of the most respected and sought-after business leaders in the Nordics. She currently chairs the boards of companies like Finnair, BoConcept, and Posti Group. We discuss the six essentials and superpowers that drive leadership success.Learn more:https://generogrowth.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sannasuvantoharsaae(0:00) Introduction(1:30) How to lead yourself(12:00) Why results matter and how to achieve them(26:40) How to keep learning and avoid stagnation(35:29) Future orientation: stop fault-finding, start forward-thinking(40:40) The most important thing(50:25) Why fun and trust make teams perform better(58:19) Europe’s challenges and lessons from Denmark
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Bob W. is a fast-growing, profitable startup that’s raised €70 million to transform hospitality through technology. What began as an Airbnb side hustle is now Europe’s top-rated hospitality brand, operating in 10 countries. We sat down with CEO and co-founder Niko Karstikko to discuss their incredible growth journey.Learn more:https://bobw.co/https://generogrowth.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikokarstikko/(0:00) Introduction(0:30) From corporate life to entrepreneurship(3:15) How an Airbnb side hustle and travels in Asia sparked the idea for Bob W.(7:45) Finding a German co-founder(12:30) Lessons learned from his first startup(16:30) The insight and journey to finding product-market fit(21:30) Building a leaner, tech-powered model for hospitality(25:00) Early challenges: water damage, bad press, and starting up in Estonia(30:00) Navigating the pandemic(33:50) Raising €100 million in funding(40:02) Expansion and customer acquisition(51:40) Growing as a CEO: building a strong team and creating the right work culture
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Saxdor is the world’s fastest-growing boat brand. We sat down with CEO Erna Rusi to discuss the journey to 100 million euros in revenue, scaling a team of over 600, driving innovation, and building a global brand. This podcast was recorded live at a Genero Growth Event.Learn more:https://saxdor.com/ https://generogrowth.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/erna-rusi-b677a25b/(0:00) Introduction(0:45) Erna’s journey from telecom to boating CEO(3:11) The Steve Jobs of boating(5:07) Demand creation vs. demand capture(7:17) Managing the operational challenges of growing to 100 million euros(10:28) Capital efficiency and financial discipline(13:15) Building a strong team culture with 600 people(17:10) Global expansion, innovation, and customer experience(32:37) Being fast in actions and decisionmaking(34:30) The best and the worst parts of being a CEO
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Fredrik Heinonen is a partner and Deputy Managing Director at Miltton, a Nordic consultancy specializing in communications, insight, and strategy. We discuss the agency’s journey from 4 to 400 employees, navigating the different phases of growth, the rising importance of stakeholder management, effective communication in a noisy world, attracting top talent, and more.Learn more:https://miltton.com/ https://generogrowth.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredrik-heinonen-42a58b1/(0:00) Introduction(1:18) The early days of Miltton(5:15) Why is Sweden so good at communications and marketing?(8:10) Attracting and retaining talent(13:45) Internal communications at Miltton(19:15) The stakeholder economy(22:30) Developing insights that drive strategy(25:15) How to communicate effectively in this day and age
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Rolf Ladau is the CEO of Paulig, a 148-year-old family-owned food company. We discuss the fundamentals of consumer branding, growth playbooks, the business case for sustainability, how Santa Maria grew to become the European leader in Tex-Mex and more.
Learn more:
https://paulig.com/
https://generogrowth.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rolf-ladau-458b892
(0:00) Introduction
(1:10) Working at Unilever, P&G, Coca-Cola and more
(4:15) How to build and maintain world-class consumer brands
(11:40) Do brands spend too little on marketing?
(14:25) Becoming the CEO of Paulig
(20:30) Santa Maria’s growth journey, playbooks, and the future of snacking
(33:07) How Paulig has succeded for 148 years
(40:15) The art and science of brand positioning
(46:05) Feedback loops and learning from mistakes
(49:33) The business case for sustainability
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Marianne Vikkula joined Wolt as a small startup with fewer than 100 employees. Today she’s the COO, overseeing a global operation with 10,000+ people across 27 countries. We discuss operational excellence, how to hire well, lessons learned from DoorDash, and how leaders can increase speed, raise the bar for quality, and narrow the focus.
Learn more:
https://wolt.com/
https://generogrowth.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mvikkula
(0:00) Introduction
(1:08) Marianne’s background and why she joined Wolt
(4:42) Operational excellence and bringing energy into an organization
(10:34) Increasing speed
(17:07) Raising the bar of quality
(25:30) Narrowing the focus
(32:24) Doing hard things
(37:45) How to grow and develop as a leader
(41:25) Lessons learned from DoorDash after the acquisition
(47:57) How to hire
(57:56) The future of Wolt
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As CEO of Pilke, Mari Puoskari has driven rapid growth and achieved profitability at Finland’s largest private early education company. Now also CEO of Dibber Sverige, Mari joins us to discuss the Nordic model of early childhood education, employee well-being, leadership, personal habits, the future of childcare, and more.Learn more:
https://generogrowth.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mari-puoskari-b0ab69
https://pilkepaivakodit.fi/
https://www.dibber.com/
(0:00) Introduction(0:45) The business of early childhood education(5:40) Priorities as a CEO(9:30) Employee well-being and labor shortage in the industry(15:18) Growing from 100 to 150 million euros and turning profitable(18:00) The Nordic approach to early childhood education(22:10) Sweden vs Finland(26:00) Screen time, physical activity, and other trends related to children(32:53) How curiosity drives success(35:50) Corporate strategy and internal communication(41:11) Routines, habits and personal productivity
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The Finnish state is an investor or owner in over 70 companies. We discuss with Minister Anders Adlercreutz the state's role as a shareholder, lessons learned from the Fortum-Uniper deal, challenges with subsidies, and more.Learn more:
https://generogrowth.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andersatz
https://valtioneuvosto.fi/omistajaohjaus/yhtiot
(0:00) Introduction(0:30) How the Finnish state manages its portfolio of 70+ companies(3:28) Government ownership of public companies(12:05) Northvolt and the challenges with state aid(18:30) What can we learn from the Fortum-Uniper deal?(21:54) Political strikes and SSAB’s 4.5 billion euro investment(24:20) Should Finland be more ambitious with our state-owned investing and ownership?
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Antti Kummu, a founding partner of CapMan Growth, joins us to discuss their take-private of Silmäasema, what makes companies valuable, the importance of storytelling, Elon Musk, and much more.
Learn more:
https://generogrowth.com/
https://capman.com/private-equity/growth/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/antti-kummu-cfa-a85aa11/
(0:00) Introduction
(0:40) Antti’s background and Finnvera and Tesi
(3:35) Working as CFO at a rapidly growing company
(6:53)The role of metrics and data in understanding a business
(14:07) The insights behind the Silmäasema take-private
(18:47) CapMan Growth’s investment strategy
(23:55) Working with strong-willed entrepreneurs
(26:25) What makes companies valuable?
(31:17) Storytelling
(36:37) Timing the market vs building a good business
(38:55) Raising 130 million euros
(44:45) Private equity in Finland, Elon Musk
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Petteri Lahtela is the co-founder and former CEO of Oura, the $2.55 billion startup behind the world's most accurate smart ring. We discuss the challenges of the early days, the importance of intention, Prince Harry's endorsement, and more.
Learn more:
https://ouraring.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/plahtela/
https://generogrowth.com/e-commerce-growth-method/
(0:00) Introduction(0:57) Petteri’s career before Oura(6:05) Why they decided to make a ring(11:10) The challenges of the early days(14:00) Oura’s mission and why a genuine intention matters(21:43) How to build a world-class brand(25:55) Meeting entrepreneurs in San Francisco(31:12) Prince Harry(36:42) Kickstarter, influencer marketing, and driving growth in the early days(47:11) Is there a downside to tracking and measuring everything?(53:50) The massive future opportunity for Oura
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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
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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
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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
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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?
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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 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
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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
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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?
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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 meetings(15:44) The importance of focus(20:38) Creating a good strategy(23:27) Implementing the strategy(26:55) Communicating to the entire organization(31:43) Company purpose: what it really is and why it matters(38:29) Building a high-performance team and culture(48:05) How to make hard decisions(56:04) Sanna’s surprising book recommendations
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