Simply Briefed

In this episode of Simply Briefed, Kristine sits down with Siavash Habibi, CEO and Co-founder of Team Scaleup, to explore the experience advantage in company building.

Because learning by doing is powerful — but learning alone can be expensive.

Together, they look at what first-time builders often don’t yet know they don’t know, why repeat founders tend to spot risks earlier, and how support systems, coaching teams and experienced operators can help companies move from early energy to sustainable traction and growth.

The conversation moves beyond the classic startup story of ideas, capital and ambition. Instead, it asks a more practical question:

How do we help more people build well — before mistakes become too expensive?

Siavash shares lessons from building and scaling companies, including the shift from founder energy to structure, why growing too fast can drain a team, and why opportunity selection may be one of the biggest company killers.

One of the core ideas in the episode is his analogy of having ten plants and only one litre of water: when resources are limited, the real skill is knowing which opportunities deserve attention — and which ones will only split your focus.

This episode is for founders, operators, product builders, team leads and anyone trying to build something new inside or outside an organization.

Because AI may make it easier to build.
But experience may still be what helps us build better.

• Why first-time builders are often under-exposed rather than overconfident

• What repeat founders see that others miss

• Why learning by doing needs better support systems

• How energy gets you started — but structure helps you scale

• Why “unknown unknowns” can become expensive

• What builders can learn from coaching, training arenas and experienced operators

• How to choose which of your “ten plants” deserves the water

Siavash Habibi is the CEO and Co-founder of Team Scaleup.

He has spent 15 years building, scaling and advising companies — from both sides of the table. He has been Co-founder and COO at TechBuddy, helping the company grow from a small team to 50 employees across four markets, completing three acquisitions along the way.

At McKinsey, he worked as a green business building expert, helping greentech scaleups from inception to pre-IPO with growth acceleration. He has been a mentor in the Swedish Institute’s She Entrepreneurs program and was part of scaling a London-based TV venture from startup to 40 million viewers globally.

Siavash has also worked with non-profits such as Water.org, co-founded by Matt Damon and Gary White, and the Clinton Foundation, working on solutions to address global challenges at scale.

Today, he runs Team Scaleup, a Swedish investment readiness accelerator that helps scaleups build the foundation that Series A investors expect. He has a fascination for business building and a passion for closing the information gap between well-connected founders and hidden founders.

Connect with Siavash:
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AI makes doing more easier. But what actually deserves more?

AI is giving founders, entrepreneurs and professionals access to more capability than ever. We can build faster, test more ideas, learn quicker and use tools that previously required much larger teams.

But more activity does not automatically mean better progress.

In this episode of Simply Briefed, Kristine Lium talks with Ekaterina Yurchenko — entrepreneur, ecosystem builder and host of Founders Walk — about the human side of expanded AI capability.

Through Ekaterina’s conversations with founders, we explore what happens when people suddenly have access to more tools, more ideas and more possibilities. How does that change ambition, pressure, focus and decision-making? And when execution gets easier, how do we stay close to the actual problem, the customer and the work that deserves our attention?

The episode introduces the idea of capability paralysis: when access to more capability makes it harder to choose what should actually receive our time, energy and focus.

Because the real question may not be how much more we can do with AI.

It may be what actually deserves more.

Ekaterina Yurchenko is an entrepreneur, ecosystem builder, and former athlete. She hosts a walk-and-talk podcast with founders across Europe, exploring entrepreneurship, ambition, resilience, and building for the long run. Through almost 100 conversations with founders, she has developed a strong interest in the mindset, habits, and support systems behind sustainable high performance.

What if your small business had an AI colleague? In this episode of Simply Briefed, Kristine talks with Marcus Larsson from Vorker.ai about AI colleagues for small businesses — and how agentic AI can support the work that often sits around the work.

A lot of AI is still explained in the language of the people building it: agents, workflows, orchestration and automation layers. But small-business owners experience it differently — as unanswered emails, inconsistent marketing, late follow-ups, half-finished proposals, scattered notes, receipts, admin and simply too little time.

Together, they explore how AI colleagues could help small businesses with follow-ups, emails, bookkeeping, LinkedIn content, proposals and everyday business administration.

They also discuss why many small-business owners see the value of AI but struggle to know where to start, why context is key to making AI useful, and where human judgment, relationships and trust still matter most.

Because the real unlock may not be that small businesses suddenly become automated. It may be that they finally get support for the tasks that quietly decide whether the business keeps moving.

Guest: Marcus Larsson, Growth at Vorker.ai

Learn more: Vorker AI

Connect with Marcus: LinkedIn

Host: Kristine Lium

Connect with Kristine: LinkedIN

Produced by: PIMM

What if the biggest shift in AI isn’t that software gets built faster —but that far more people can suddenly start building at all?

For a long time, creating a digital product required one thing:the ability to write code.

If you didn’t have that skill, your ideas often stayed exactly that — ideas.You needed developers, funding, and time just to get started.

But that equation is starting to change.

In this episode of Simply Briefed, we explore the rise of vibe coding — a new way of building software by working with AI through conversation — and what it actually means in practice.

Together with Viktor Margeirsson, we go beyond the hype to understand:

• what vibe coding really is (and what it isn’t)

• what you can realistically build today

• how AI is changing the process from idea to product

• why speed matters more for validation than for building

• and how non-technical professionals can start experimenting themselves

We also explore a bigger shift:

If the barrier to building drops —who becomes the builders of the future?

This is not an episode about tools.It’s about what becomes possible when more people can test ideas, solve problems, and learn by doing.

If you take one thing from this episode:Don’t start with the tools.Start with a problem you understand — and try building something small.

About the guest:

Viktor Margeirsson Co-founder of Test 1313 years in startups across design, sales, operations, and product managementNow building and validating software products using AI-driven development

Test 13

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Host: Kristine Lium

Produced by PIMM AB

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Contact us: [email protected]

Keywords:
AI development, vibe coding, build apps with AI, no-code tools, product development, startup validation, MVP, AI for business

Description

For decades, scaling B2B revenue followed a simple formula:hire more salespeople.

But AI is starting to challenge that model.

In this episode of Simply Briefed, Kristine Lium is joined by go-to-market strategist Charlotte Altmann to explore how AI is changing the way companies prepare, sell, and scale — not by replacing relationships, but by reshaping everything around them.

From account research and personalization to team structure and decision-making, they break down where AI is already creating real value — and where it still falls short.

They also explore a deeper shift emerging across Europe.

On one side:relationship-driven, structured markets like the DACH region, where trust and process still define how business is done.

On the other:a new wave of AI-first companies rethinking how to scale, moving faster and building differently.

So what happens when these two worlds meet?

And could this combination become Europe’s real competitive advantage in a changing global landscape?

About the guest:

Name: Charlotte Altmann

Title: I’m the founder and CEO of  cse advisory

Background:

Charlotte has been running CSE advisory for nearly six years, a boutique consulting firm that supports European B2B tech companies in entering and scaling in the DACH market.

With over 15 years of experience across marketing and sales, I’ve worked with more leading B2B SaaS companies and VCs across Europe, from early-stage startups to hyper-growth and corporate.

Contact:

LinkedIn

Website

Host: Kristine Lium

LinkedIn

Website

Online shopping has followed the same pattern for years:search, scroll, compare, decide.

But that pattern is starting to change.

Instead of typing keywords into a search engine, more people are asking AI assistants what they should buy. The AI compares products, filters options, and may eventually complete the purchase itself.

So what happens when AI becomes the interface between customers and products?

In this episode of Simply Briefed, Kristine Lium speaks with Erik Wikander, founder of Wilgot, about the shift from search-driven commerce to agent-driven commerce.

They explore:

• why product discovery is moving from keywords to conversations

• how AI assistants may change the role of product pages

• why structured product data is becoming critical

• how customer reviews, returns, and service data can shape product discovery

• whether AI could create a more level playing field for smaller brands

If AI becomes the primary way people discover products, the key question may no longer be who has the biggest marketing budget.

Instead, it may simply be:Which product best fits the customer’s need?

Guest bio
Erik Wikander is the founder and CEO of Wilgot, a platform built for the era of AI search and agentic commerce. Wilgot helps brands optimize their product content so it can be discovered, trusted, and cited by AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google.

Before founding Wilgot in 2024, Erik spent more than a decade working at the intersection of product, marketing and growth. He served as CMO at Lendify (later acquired by Lunar), one of Europe’s leading fintech companies, where he led growth, marketing, and digital acquisition.

Following the launch of ChatGPT, Erik founded his previous company with the vision of bridging AI-driven content creation with SEO. That work led him to a deeper realization: the way people discover products and information online is fundamentally shifting, which ultimately inspired the creation of Wilgot.

His passion lies in helping companies adapt to the shift from traditional search to AI-native discovery. Erik focuses on building infrastructure that allows brands to structure, optimize, and scale their product information so it becomes visible and trusted in the new generation of AI-powered interfaces.

Contact:

Website

Email:

LinkedIn

AI is increasingly part of how we think, create, and work. But when AI helps shape the output — who actually owns the result?

This episode explores how ownership shifts in the age of AI. Not from effort to automation — but from visible effort to judgment, verification, and responsibility.

AI can assist the process.But accountability still belongs to the person who signs off.

AI is no longer just a tool we use. It’s becoming part of how we think.

• We draft strategies with it.
• We structure presentations.
• We analyze data.
• We generate ideas.

Artists compose with it.

Professionals build business cases with it.

But when AI participates in the process — who owns the output?

In this episode of Simply Briefed, Kristine Lium sits down with returning guest Sofie Marin to explore ownership, responsibility, and value creation in the age of AI.

Together they unpack:

• the difference between being creative and being an artist

• why tools have always shaped expression

• the line between delegation and abdication

• how speed increases temptation

• why transparency and trust matter more than ever

• and where ownership now lives

AI can assist your thinking.

But it cannot carry your accountability.

Ownership doesn’t live in the tool.

It lives in the person who signs off.

Key topics

1. Creativity is human; artistry is professional expression.

2. Tools have always shaped creation — AI is another layer.

3. Delegation is different from abdication.

4. When speed increases, temptation increases.

5. Transparency becomes essential when processes are less visible.

6. Ownership today lives in verification and judgment — not in effort alone.

7. AI can support capability — but it cannot carry accountability.

Guest Framing

Sofie Marin is founder of Arts Dynamics, a learning network for creative entrepreneurs navigating the intersection of art, technology, and AI. She works closely with creators exploring how authorship, responsibility, and value evolve in a rapidly shifting digital landscape.

Arts Dynamics

LinkedIN

AI is often described as something that makes learning faster or easier.But in reality, learning has never been effortless — and it still isn’t.

In this episode of Simply Briefed, we explore what actually changes when learning can be personalised. Not by lowering expectations or removing struggle, but by improving structure so effort is placed where it matters most.

Using math as a clear and honest example, founder of House of Math Vibeke Fængsrud explains why learning breaks down when structure doesn’t match the learner — and how AI now makes it possible to adapt learning paths to the individual. The result isn’t less work, but more accessible learning that builds confidence instead of frustration.

Together, host Kristine Lium and Vibeke discuss:

• why struggle is still a necessary part of learning

• how personalised structure changes motivation and outcomes

• what math can teach us about learning in general

• and why lifelong learning is becoming a personal responsibility, not an optional extra

This conversation is for anyone curious about learning, work, and how AI can support human capability — without replacing it.

Name: Vibeke G. Fængsrud
Title: Founder & CEO, House of Math

Background:
Vibeke G. Fængsrud is the founder of House of Math and a former lecturer in math and physics. After failing math in high school and repeating a year, she went on to earn a master’s degree in Mathematical Finance. Since 2004, she has worked closely with learners, developing teaching methods that challenge one-size-fits-all education by focusing on structure, effort, and personalised learning.

Quote:

“Learning doesn’t get easier — it gets clearer when structure fits the learner.”

Contact: Linkedin

#learning&development #artificial intelligence #education

AI is no longer something we experiment with on the side. It’s becoming part of the infrastructure of how work gets done.

In this episode of Simply Briefed, we don’t offer answers or frameworks for pricing in the age of AI. Instead, we raise the questions that increasingly sit beneath everyday decisions about work, creativity, and responsibility.

• If effort and execution are no longer scarce, what do we actually value?
• What does judgement mean when machines can produce at scale?
• And how do we begin to talk about value and pricing without relying on old assumptions?

As AI becomes structural rather than experimental, familiar ideas about value start to feel unstable. Hours worked, effort invested, and technical execution no longer fully explain why something matters — or why it should be paid for

This episode doesn’t try to resolve that tension.

Instead, through examples from creative work, archival practice, and knowledge-based roles, we surface the underlying questions shaping the future of value and pricing. The goal is not agreement, but common ground — a clearer starting point for conversation.

This is not an episode about tools, prompts, or productivity. It’s an invitation to rethink how we talk about value when AI becomes part of everyday work.

In this episode we are revisiting two previous conversations with Sofie Marin & Erik Rosales

Name: Sofie Marin

Title: Founder & CEO Arts Dynamics, Creative / Tech Business Strategist, Board Member, Fuglesang Space Center

Background: Senior cultural affairs and business strategist, consultant and mentor in the intersection of creativity, tech, innovation and entrepreneurship for impact. Background in music, arts and culture in senior leadership positions (The Royal Dramatic Theater, Royal Swedish Opera, STIM). Founded award-winning production company From Sweden Productions.

Name: Erik Rosales

Title: Artist and innovator. Currently on a mission to democratize conversations about artificial intelligence with the performance lecture, AI.DENTITY. 

Background: + 20 years of experience at the intersection of digital innovation and performing arts. Focusing on pushing the boundaries of storytelling through new technology. Artistic Director for Digital Innovation at Kulturhuset Stadsteatern in Stockholm, pioneering projects integrating AI, VR, and interactivity into performances. A driving force behind Sirqus Alfon, blending physical theater, technology, and humor. He's toured internationally and won multiple awards. Recently, Erik presented his work at a TEDx event, combining cutting-edge technology and performing arts to ignite dialogue about our AI-driven future.

AI is increasingly entering organizations without a big decision behind it. The tools appear, features activate, and suddenly expectations shift — often before teams, leaders, or routines are ready.

In this episode of Simply Briefed, Kristine Lium is joined by Kathrine Hogseth, CEO of CRM-Konsulterna, to explore what actually changes when organizations move from automation to AI-supported work.

Together, they unpack why automation and AI play different roles, how structure enables intelligence, and why adoption depends less on technology and more on leadership, learning, and culture. From customer experience and CRM to broader organizational change, the conversation looks at how teams can move from availability to intention — and from intention to real value.

Whether AI has quietly appeared in your workflows or you’re actively shaping how it’s used, this episode offers a grounded perspective on what comes next.

Guest bio:

Kathrine Hogseth is CEO and owner of CRM-Konsulterna, a Microsoft consultancy working with CRM, automation, and AI-supported business solutions. With a background in technical sales at Ericsson and CRM/ERP consulting at EVRY, she has spent over a decade helping organizations turn structure, data, and emerging technologies into real business value.

Email: [email protected]

Contact: www.linkedin.com/in/kathrine-hogseth

AI, automation, work, leadership, organizational change, technology adoption, CRM, customer experience, learning culture, efficiency, collaboration