For the first time in my life I got a call yesterday morning from a journalist who had received a tip about Bipper with very accurate information that very few people knew. Not sure I like this . . .
OK - I cannot be angry or upset about that I got two great articles about Bipper published in the two largest financial papers in Norway today, but I’m really not sure about whether I like secret tips and sources of information. And to tell you the honest truth I absolutely did not believe that Bipper and I would be that interesting this soon that there would be any value in secret media tips.
Ok - here is the story. I had been working until nearly three in the morning the night before and allowed myself an extra hour in bed before I got up in the morning (ok two extra hours...). I had just finished my breakfast and started working when the phone rang. Unknown number. I picked up, and a man said “You are raising 10 million kroners now at a price of about 65 millions, can you confirm?”. I was completely taken off guard. Was he a wealthy journalist wanting to invest? Did he have wealthy friends wanting to invest? Or was this really something he wanted to write about?
And yes - it was the latter. How could it be? That tiny Bipper is raising some capital is a story I really didn’t think was very interesting, but I guess I was wrong. Apparently we are “really hot” right now and a lot of people are following the development. That the other newspaper DN phoned me just a few hours later about the same story, just proves the case.
I really did not know how to react, and asked if I could call him back after I had spoken to my chairman Svein Johnsen. What was I allowed to say? I guess showing a journalist that you are unprofessional in handling the press is not the right thing to do, but this time I was taken off guard and just felt really small and young. I’m not a professional business woman yet. Not at all! I’m an idealist who have started a company to make mobile kids safer.
I actually used to work as a journalist when I was 16 (a few years as a teenage activist fighting for a community house for the young had proven to me that the only way you will be listen to and taken seriously - even in a small town - is if you get the local newspaper to write about you), and I do love the media. I guess you could even call me attention seeking. I have always loved the spotlight. Since the age of three I have found my way to the stage - singing a song (no - I do not have a good voice), dancing (I’m not good at that either!) or playing the flute (which I was quite good at! Luckily I stopped entering the stage doing things I really wasn’t good at when I was about 11). Since I became interested and involved in community issues (first locally and then internationally), I have found my ways into the spotlight and press by fighting for or against the things I believe in. And I love the fact that I am able to inspire and engage people by just being concerned and involved.
But now the story that was being written was not a result of me contacting the press to tell a story I believed would inspire people, it was a result of someone sharing a piece of secret information with the press. And that took me completely off guard!
The stories published today are both really good and positive (according to one of the papers I’m apparently really rich, but I have yet to touch the money I’m worth myself. Hopefully one day...), and it’s just really awesome that editors, journalists, investors, and other people find Bipper interesting.
It’s also a bit frightening though... We haven’t even launched Bipper yet, and already we’re the hot topic at editorial morning meetings. Can’t believe it! But when a lot of people have high expectations, there is also a lot to prove! I will do all I can to prove that we’re not just a nice story, but a great safety solution for parents!
Page 3 in Finansavisen
Page 30 in DN
Me (age 21) in January 2000. I had just published a book
where children and young people from everywhere,
as well as well known personalities, wrote about
their lives. The mission was to create “international understanding”.
Age 20 talking about my role as a student representative in
panel debates with Hilary Clinton and President Vaclav Havel.
Age 26 fighting against the new regulations for taking exams
at the University of Bergen. And - yes - we were heard!
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