Three years ago I won the regional finals in the business plan competition Venture Cup. With the cash prize I won I started the company. Today I was back where it all started to try to inspire this years finalists...
Three years ago I had just finished (my first) business plan!
Eight months prior to that day my daughter Oda had started school. Four months later I had concluded that there was a great need for a safe mobile solution for kids. And another month later I entered Venture Cup. I was in maternity leave and had read about Venture Cup in a student newspaper. There was a cash prize of 100 000 kroners (about $ 20 000), and I knew I needed that money if I was going to be able to take the risk on starting my own company.
Mid April (or was it May?) I knew I had reached the regional finals with my business plan, all written while breastfeeding my baby boy and renovating our first house, and I was sitting at the club Metro waiting for the verdict together with a couple of friends. I was so nervous! I was so excited! But I really had no clue that this day would take me to where I am now...
Today I was given the great honor of speaking at the regional finals in Venture Cup. I really felt very humble to be back. A bit nervous as well actually. Guess I remembered the butterflies in my stomach from three years ago way too well.... But it felt good to be there and speak about Bipper and my journey for a few minutes. My one mission was to show them that it’s possible!
I started this journey three years ago, and in April 2007 Bipper was only me and a business plan. I wasn’t even certain that it was possible to develop the solution I had envisioned in my head. But today Bipper has grown into a company with global visions and have just signed a hugely prestigious deal with Motorola. I also made a big point of letting them know that it will demand a lot of work. Tons! But if they want it enough, they can do it!
Three years ago I was the one sitting nervous
waiting for the jury’s decision. Today I was the speaker!
Team Bipper looooves Innovation Norway, and I truly do
believe that they love us too! This was actually the first time
I met Rolf Sørland (Ass. Director), and was happy to learn
that the whole staff knows about Bipper. Makes me even
more eager to prove that we will be a success!
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