Andreas Green Rasmussen

Bankrupt. Small. 6 hours away. These are a few of the characteristics of the business that today's guest Jens Grudno bought. Those were the bad. But there were also the good: * 117 years old * Strong brand * Differentiated, high-quality product * And cheap — Jens didn't pay much for the business This is the story of how Jens worked his way through finance and startups, and arrived as the owner of DOVO, an old business manufacturing an old product: straight razors. This is a turnaround story, and Jens acknowledges that he chose for himself a very difficult task for someone who'd never bought a business before. But as you'll hear, he is drawn to outsized challenges, to proving the haters wrong. But it wasn't just an emotional decision. This is a guy who read Benjamin Graham's The Intelligent Investor as a teenager, so he thinks like an investor, always seeking value, risk-reward asymmetries. And he thought the downside here was limited, while the potential to restore this centenarian to its former glory represented big upside. Now of course, there's theory... then there's reality. This has ended up being extremely difficult, and everything has taken longer than predicted. But Jens has survived and stabilized DOVO, and he's gearing up for the launch of a new product that he's optimistic will dominate its category and catapult its revenue. Enjoy this rollercoaster ride with Jens Grudno, owner of DOVO. ( 👉 link to interview in comments below)

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How a simple idea led to a $55mn fundraise Simple but brilliantly executed Originally Sana AI, a Swedish startup, wanted to help large corporates to get some "order" in their complex and messy internal database/data, acting like an AI-powered learning and knowledge platform. Earlier this year the reality was that it had big clients indeed but was struggling to respond to calls and meetings with these large corporate firms like Electrolux...making it harder to prospect new ones or scale. So its founder simply flipped the business He decided to create a free version of the AI agent that could draft emails, take meeting minutes and complete simple forms that it was selling to enterprise clients, now guess what? 6 months after launching this trial version around 100,000 new workplaces had signed up and teams with more than five members now pay $30 per user per month. And today Sana AI raised $55mn at a $500 million valuation to scale its research lab and help its commercial expansion in the US. It's also now one of the best funded AI startup in Europe (its Series B was done last year) Its founder, Joel Hellermark, built Sana AI 8 years ago and wanted to use AI to create personalised workplace training plans, that, before AI even became "trendy". Not bad huh? https://lnkd.in/eeP4n_fZ

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Slush 2024 - what a great week! The cherry on top was finally launching DeepScan Diagnostics after two years of hard work. Being able to tell the world what we’re building feels very nice and the response has been energizing. The overall vibe at Slush this year was surprisingly optimistic, even in tough market conditions. Among early stage founders, in particular, there was a strong focus on bigger and better opportunities ahead, a clear contrast to last year’s uncertainty. Here are a few quick reflections: ⚖ The quality of European early stage startups keeps climbing. Compared to 2-3 years ago, the bar is noticeably higher. 💰 Funding is still tight, and those without strong angel or VC networks are feeling the squeeze. 🤖 AI remains the buzzword, but there’s a shift: more founders now understand how to apply it meaningfully instead of just forcing it onto their pitch. That said, there’s still room for improvement. I’d love to see more "AI-assisted" businesses and fewer "AI-driven" ones. As always, Slush wouldn’t be complete without some harsh Finnish weather. Snow and slush on Wednesday were a fitting reminder of what makes Finns resilient. The week left me with a lot of ideas on especially how to accelerate early stage business building in ways that benefit both founders and investors. I had the chance to test a few of these ideas during the event and will share more in a future post. For now, I’m happy to be back home celebrating my dog’s 10th birthday. A little late but no less special ❤️

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Got a killer idea or early case within digital health or energy? Read on to see if you are a match and get in touch ⚡️ At KRING, we have two tracks for investments; we invest in our developed ventures in our #venturestudio, BUT we also invest in early-stage external cases, when there is a match 🎯 First of all, there needs to be a match between you as co-founder(s) and KRING's values. Naturally, we have some key criteria for our external investment strategy. We could be a good match if your startup is: 1) 🧬 Within digital health, focused on early diagnostics and early intervention, chronic disease prevention, management and reversal, functional medicine, or behavioural-based health interventions. 2) 🌏 Within energy, focused on energy renovation, optimization, grid flexibility, EV infrastructure or the built environment. 3) 👶🏽 Early in the journey with ongoing development needed for product-market fit, go-to-market strategy, team capabilities or other strategic work. 4) 💻 Has a digital business model that is asset-light with low fixed costs and high scalability. 5) 💸 With early focus on profitability - we build ‘Zebras’ rather than ‘Unicorns’ and aim to make our companies sustainable with early profitability. Classic “VC journeys” are the exception. 6) 🤓 Has a B2B2C or B2C focus. We focus on solving real end-user problems with a demonstrated high level of value-add and consumer demand, either directly or via corporate partnerships. In the case your startup does not fall within each category above, there may still be a relevant match between your case and KRING. If you are interested in learning more, please get in touch with me or fill out the assessment on our website: https://lnkd.in/dvNGP_iW 📩 Don’t hesitate to get in touch - we would love to hear from you! 🤘 #venturestudio #startupstudio #impactstartups

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Exceptional entrepreneurs come in many shapes and sizes - show us who you are and what you can do! 🛠️💡🚀 Since we at KRING mainly develop our venture concepts in-house, we care less about your idea, and more about YOU as a potential co-founder. Ideas change, people remain. The mindset and values we are looking for in individuals are (among others): 🤘🏼Proactiveness, hands-on, structured thinking, skin in the game, empathy, and kindness. Our experience has taught us that while the mindset and drive is alike, the educational, professional, and personal experiences across the best entrepreneurs differ a whole lot - and thank god for that! We don’t like to put people in a box - but nevertheless we have tried to provide a framework for our typical #cofounder profiles: 💚 Health and Energy industry experts 🦸🏽‍♀️ Second-time entrepreneurs (successful or failed) 📊 Management consultants 🛠️ Operators in high-growth startups / scale-ups 🌈 ...Surprise us and show us what you got! We are constantly looking for great people to join us on our mission to make the world a better place - one #impact venture at a time. Are you curious and what to learn more about building a venture with KRING? 👉Reach out to our Head of Talent & Culture, Agnes A.. Have we forgotten an ideal co-founder above or do you have any reflections to share! We would love to hear from you! #venturestudio #teamiskey #peoplegame

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Properly the 5 best startups in the universe! I have received millions of requests from startups to be on the Højer List (aka Magic Rectangle). Here are the 5 startups I believe will all become unicorns in 2025: 1. ReefCircular ApS - “We're turning shell waste into sea life with 3D-printed reefs!” Showing up (early) is 80% of success, and this company was the first to apply. Not only that, but they are also doing something with sea reefs and have "circular" in their name. No governmental agency or middle-aged business angel will EVER deny them money. It's a well-deserved spot on the magic list. 2. Complir - "Lets retailers sell any physical product in any market". I don’t like this startup at all. They declined my offer to invest in the company a few weeks ago. How dare they say no to me! They seem very arrogant! But the FOMO is real, and by putting them on the list, I hope they will reconsider. Call me! 3. Kripthonite Therapeutics - “Solves a decades-old challenge in cancer treatment.” Let’s be honest: Most investors in biotech (including myself) don’t have the scientific skills to evaluate a startup’s claims. So, how do we perform due diligence? Simple - we invest in the biotech startups with the coolest names! Here, you have a startup referencing Superman in its name. I foresee a 300 MUSD Series A round coming up soon! 4. Nume (from Scaleup Finance) - "The one and only kickass AI CFO." Seriously, “CFO” sounds so dull, so I had already rejected them. But here is a team that understood the assignment and knows that I am the next Gartner of startup research. I really appreciate the 6 bottles of Dom Pérignon they sent. Of course, they need to be on the list – and, of course, also in the Magic Rectangle. 5. Remote.io - “Rocket fuel loaded, AI product incoming, unstoppable momentum! 🚀” Have you ever seen so many buzzwords so close together? Neither have I - and they even put in a rocket emoji! This team is on fire! Honorable Mention: Sikr - "Helps SMEs get started in cybersecurity with easy onboarding." These guys don’t listen to instructions. I asked for a maximum of 10 words - they came back with a 1,500-word description. So, either they are very smart or very dumb. So, check them out- but at your own risk! -------------- How to get one of the 5 remaining spots? Just write – in less than 10 words – why your startup is better than the rest! -------------  

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3️⃣ tips to drive more impact from your Board Meetings 👇 We have received a lot of great feedback on our way of doing board meetings So good that multiple elements have been added as best practice at some prestigious universities and implemented in a couple of Denmarks biggest companies 🏢 It is not rocket science, but here a few tips based on our learnings: 1️⃣ Video Material as preparation 🎥 Before the board meeting starts everyone should know what to discuss (Agenda) & have the needed context to discuss it. We use videos to ensure that, where with just 1 hour of video content we can add a lot of relevant context to bring everyone up to speed 🚀 This should not take more than a couple of hours to prep & I would recommend to almost only use your day-to-day work material as the things you record from. Loom is a good software tool to do the videos This brings me to my second advice 😃 2️⃣ Do not spend time on reporting - aim to create value 📊 When talking to founders I often get surprised on how many spend the majority of their board meetings doing reporting. That SHOULD be done beforehand (ideally monthly) and all potential questions to this should be addressed in writing before the meeting. It is okay to spend the first 30 minutes on clarifying questions to material etc. - but do NOT let it overflow and capture the meeting 👻 Instead we often design workshops with clear Desired Outcomes and work with the Board like it was an internal strategy session daring to be 100% transparant & vulnerable and utilise their experience on the topics to get as much value as possible. We never vote or make definitive decisions (with the exception being fundraising and similar matters) - instead we regard it as input and make the business decisions in the Leadership Team, who has the needed day-to-day context to make great decisions 3️⃣ Board don’t really make the differences, but can for sure be supportive At the end of the day the impact in a business is created daily and I have never heard anything that felt that their board meetings, where truly transformative. Ensure you have the best possible people to get feedback on strategy & aim for the maximum output, but… Also remember to have fun 🏎️ This builds a stronger relationship making it easier and better to use the board members between the meetings, which is where the actual value is created 💸 (Picture is from our go cart session at the last board meeting - sadly the 3 ligthest people made the podium 😉) These were a few tips based on my experiences, but I am but no mean an expert, so would love to hear you: How do you maximise the value of your investors & board members inside & outside the board room? 🤔

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Harnessing the Power of AI and Patient Reviews in Healthcare As a Co-Founder of RepuGen, I’ve witnessed how patient reviews can revolutionize the healthcare industry. In today’s digital world, reviews not only influence patient decisions but also provide valuable insights for continuous improvement. But managing feedback at scale can be overwhelming—that’s where AI-powered solutions like RepuGen come in. Our platform leverages #AI to: ✅ Analyze patient feedback for actionable insights ✅ Predict and address potential concerns before they escalate ✅ Automate review collection and follow-up processes ✅ Strengthen online reputation across major platforms By combining the power of #AI with patient reviews, healthcare providers can improve care, build trust, and stay ahead in an increasingly competitive industry. At RepuGen, we’re proud to help providers turn feedback into actionable improvements and foster stronger patient relationships. Let’s shape the future of healthcare, one review at a time! 🚀 #AIinHealthcare #PatientExperience #RepuGen #Innovation #CofounderInsights #HealthcareInnovation #PatientFeedback #ReputationManagement #HealthcareAI #PatientExperienceMatters #DigitalHealthcare #AIForHealthcare #HealthcareGrowth #OnlineReputation #HealthcareMarketing #HealthcareLeaders #PatientCareFirst #HealthcareTransformation #PracticeGrowth

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🚀 TechBBQ Hero Academy is back! 🚀 We are thrilled to announce that Antler is once again partnering with TechBBQ around the exclusive Hero Academy, a founder training program supporting local early-stage startups 🙌 This transformative project is proudly powered by Københavns Kommune, in a collective commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship within the community and partners ScaleupXQ and Antler 💪 We look forward to hosting another amazing day filled with insights, learning, and networking for all the newly accepted program participants! And I'm happy to share insights w. founders - just like the other amazing mentors Victor Riparbelli, Christian (Chris) Bach, Nima Sophia Tisdall, Thomas J. Howard, Maiken Michelsen, Henri Parviainen, Jennifer Montague and Nicolaj Højer Nielsen 💪 If you missed it, don't worry - there is an option to build your next startup w. Antler in Denmark/Nordics 🚀 . We still have a few open spots available for our next residence starts on August 19th. What you get? 🔍 Co-Founder Matching (+200 full-time founders) 💡 Idea validation & mentoring 🌍 Global network of thousands of Founders, Advisors, and Investors 💰 Pre-seed and follow-on investment + support on next rounds Read more and apply now- more info in the comments 🌶🌶 #HeroAcademy #Startup #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #Denmark #VentureCapital #Preseed #Tech

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Rubbing shoulders with the star: Vivino 😱 Launched Saturday, my app 'Wine Todo' reached the top 20 within the Food & Drinks category (at least in Denmark) yesterday. Currently, it's sitting at #15, right next to Vivino, which feels kinda crazy. After all, it's Vivino: we all know it, most of us have it on our phones, and it has been the leading wine app in the app store for years—probably a decade. Just being shoulder to shoulder with such a renowned app feels incredible... even though it's just for a brief moment until my app drops in the ranks again, which I honestly know it will. Why? My app is more niche, focusing on just helping people learn about wine. It requires a higher investment from users than just scanning a wine. So, in all honesty, I expect it to drop soon, though my focus is to keep it visible and as high up as possible for as long as possible. I know this is no guarantee of success. Not at all, actually. A potential "vanity metric" at worst, but it’s interesting to see how the app store algorithm works—because I certainly haven't gained thousands of downloads yet. But as long as it's up there, I can be a bit proud. Because just standing in the shadow of apps like Vivino—but also Uber Eats, The Michelin Guide, and Yelp—is kinda cool.

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🎙️Do VCs have moral obligations when investing in & nurturing startups? I'm thrilled to share the latest episode of "Startup to Scale Up Game Plan" where I sat down with Robin Egerot, Managing Partner at Goose Valley Ventures . Robin's extensive experience investing in companies like Klarna, Lunar Bank, and Receipt Hero makes this episode a must-listen! We explored: 🧭 The ethical considerations in venture capital & the Mensarius Oath 🤝 The crucial role of trust & loyalty between investors and founders 🧠 Goose Valley's proactive approach to supporting founders' mental health 🚀 Insights into the Nordic startup ecosystem & emerging technologies like AI Robin's wisdom and passion for fostering innovation shine through, offering invaluable advice for both budding VCs and startup enthusiasts. Watch the clip below and share your thoughts! ⬇️ You can also listen to the full episode via the links in the 1st comment #VentureCapital #MentalHealth #AI #NordicStartups

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Yesterday, I was honored to be recognized by E24.no's Leadership Talents as one of the top 10 company builders in Norway for my work with Masterchannel – and I’m especially proud of one thing. 🌟 As the article mentions, I started my first record label at 16, signing a few artists. A few years later, I began producing music and achieved some viral hits in my early 20s. Eventually, I transitioned into tech and business, starting my first company in gaming tech at 25, which unfortunately didn’t succeed. After that, I began a PhD focusing on data-driven business models before diving headfirst into the startup world. All of that experience has accumulated into what I'm most proud of: combining my experience and passion for music, tech, and business – and turning them into one project: Masterchannel. I’m also proud that I convinced my Co-Founder, Simon, to join me in Norway. Together, we’ve built Masterchannel into a global music tech company – in one of the toughest countries in the western hemisphere to launch and scale a music tech business. While it’s my name being recognized, building a company is always a team effort. I deeply appreciate everyone who has supported us along the way. Your support helps us navigate tough times and fuels our drive to keep pushing forward. Let’s go! 🚀

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Emerging vs Established Managers? A lot of discussions by institutional LPs about whether to invest in emerging GPs will end just there. There are exemptions such us AlphaQ Venture Capital Fund of Funds, which actively invests in emerging GPs. Hear what Stephan Heller had to say on the topic on the EUVC 's podcast with Andreas Munk Holm ✅ Looking to raise capital for your #fund and increase the international pool of your LP #investors?   🤝 Need warm #LP introductions?   📝 Selling #secondaries to increase liquidity?   🧐 Looking for co-investments?   ▶ G+QUANT's link for inquiries and fund decks: https://lnkd.in/gjC_EuTE #venturecapital #vcfundraising #lp #gp #familyoffice #fundoffunds #investors #alternatives #secondaries

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Today, I’ll do something I very rarely do. Talk about an actual feature in our product. AI-synonyms. It’s really cool and it’s an upgrade we rolled out to all clients for free! 🎁 One of our awesome clients, Legeakademiet.dk, an online toy shop, got early access to our AI-Synonyms feature and saw a very nice boost in search engagement. The new feature applies Artificial Intelligence (AI) to solve the problem of zero search results. To improve the search experience, it identifies potential alternative keywords or queries that produce relevant results. As an e-commerce manager you can continue adding synonyms manually in the Dashboard, but also take your mind off those cases that are out of your reach. Today, artificial intelligence is everywhere, including deep within our products. A generative tool, but also a deep learning engine that knows everything about your store's products. Search with spelling errors and you’ll get great search results. Search for something out of stock or not in the store’s product lineup and you’ll still get great search results. The toy store saw a direct conversion rate of 7.9% and an indirect conversion rate of 22.7% when we observed performance with AI-Synonyms engagement. The feature prevents zero-result pages, reducing bounce rates and abandoned carts. Turning out-of-stock scenarios and mistakes into opportunities 🚀 Lukas Rogvall Rasmus Leth Skjoldan Philip Andersen Brian Petersen Casper Emil Sciuto Rouchmann Mads Gustafsen Alexander Stefansson Just add 🧠 Kasper Refskou Jensen Hello Retail #ecommerce #personalization #productintelligence

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The ongoing Nordic AI Summit let us communicate Brua's call to action, and the audience had a chance to experience our product. We went on a journey through time. We covered the fuller history of AI from myths and philosophy to modernity. We looked at the role of artificial minds in our midst through the lenses of our broader cultural history, to uncover what it might take to sculpt a socially responsible role for AI. That is Brua's mission. You may call me mad, but there are two ways to create culture. The hard way is to work on solving "pain points" that are symptoms of a deeper issue, invariably creating a path to a future crisis. The even harder way is to work on the deeper issue head on. Brua is about the latter in the context of AI. I'll do a longer session on this to kick off an AI Salon (online) on June 20, 1-2pm CET. All welcome. Thanks Nordic AI Summit, 🔵Bastian W. Harbo, Mikkel Selente for helping us communicate the Brua approach to a future with AI at the summit. I appreciate it 🙏

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Who needs to know what when implementing AI solutions in your health care organisation? How do you prepare your organisation for implementing and adapting AI? How about grabbing a cup of ☕ or 🍵 and listening to my colleague Annabelle sharing valuable insights around this topic.

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If you're selling (basically any) physical product, you might've heard of DPP - Digital Product Passport. I joined in on Dansk Mode & Textil and Erhvervsstyrelsen's talk, and here are the main takeaways: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁? A DPP is a digital record that provides essential data about a product, from manufacturing to end-of-life. It includes information like: - Product lifespan - Recyclability ♻️ - Environmental impact 🌱 - Energy efficiency ⚡ - Material composition This allows consumers to better understand what kind of product they're buying, and what sort of impact it has on the environment. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗣𝗣? It's still quite early days. The final standard proposition for DPP will be sent in December 2025 - however, the EU funded an analysis to identify the barriers. Here are some of them: - Fragmented IT systems - 49% of the companies point to fragmented IT systems being a barrier - Silos - Companies are creating data silos which are not built for cross-company communication 𝗦𝗼, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲? The advice was crystal clear: 1. If someone is pitching you a complete DPP platform, be very skeptical. The requirements don't exist yet, so no one knows what they will be. 2. Start preparing your product data and product data systems. Ensure that they are accurate and gathered in one platform, as this will make things much easier in the future. Speaking from first-hand knowledge: A lot of (highly profitable and large) companies struggle with their product data and product content so don't be embarrassed about it. With more and more requirements coming from regulations and trade partners, now is probably the best time to take a look under the product hood.

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Women-led VC Funds Pitch Event📢 It is widely known that women are difficult to find in the male-dominated VC/PE sector. Women founders are receiving breadcrumbs of VC funding, with women GPs even less than that. So join us at AlphaQ Venture Capital's Global Allocator Alliance Pitch Event on 27 June where women GPs will present their VC Funds. In case you wish to participate in any of the future events DM me. ✅ Looking to raise capital for your #VCfund and increase the international pool of your LPs?   🤝 Need warm #LP introductions?   📝 Selling #secondaries to increase liquidity?   🧐 Looking for co-investments (Series A/Series B)?   ▶ G+QUANT's link for inquiries and fund decks: https://lnkd.in/gjC_EuTE #VentureCapital #VentureFunding #VentureDebt #Fundraising #Innovation #Technology #Entrepreneurship #Investing #Network #Investors #LPs #GPs #EmergingManagers #FamilyOffice #Markets #Economy #Business #Founders #Startups #StartupFunding #ai #artificialintelligence #unicorn #secondaries #secondarydeals

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Terma, a renowned Danish company, excels in combining Tech and Defense, spearheaded by top-notch professionals for decades. It's been an honor to learn from influential figures like former CEO Jens Måløe, board member Anders Eldrup, and Jørgen Huno Rasmussen. Not to forget, the innovative LinKS alumni Lars Gert Lose, serving on Terma's board. LinKS has had the. Honor of playing a role in educating and in shaping decision-makers in Denmark, from politicians to corporate leaders, with the world's leading business schools. Witnessing Europe unite under a common identity and business platform is truly remarkable, showcasing unprecedented speed and ambition. The recent news of ATP's investment in Terma underscores the significance of supporting Danish core competencies. ATP's bold move sets an example for investing in Europe, fostering global alliances in Defense and Tech. This strategic investment aligns with the vision for a strong and progressive European business landscape. #InvestinEurope #BuildglobalAlliances #DefenseandTech #ATP #Terma

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