Simply Briefed

The Nordic innovation scene is moving fast. AI-native startups are emerging at speed, collaboration is increasing, and new companies are forming with fewer constraints than before.

In this episode of Simply Briefed, Kristine speaks with Adrian McDonald, CEO of Epicenter, about what these signals actually mean when looking into 2026. They explore the growing gap between founders building with AI from day one and enterprises navigating security, skills, and structural friction.

Rather than focusing on isolated success stories, the conversation looks at what it takes to turn individual wins into shared momentum — and whether the Nordics can build systems that scale innovation across companies, industries, and borders.

Turning an idea into something real is never just about timing or technology — it’s about understanding what truly matters. In this episode, we open up the early-stage world with Jon Kåre Stene, Partner & Co-founder of Skyfall Ventures and former COO of Oda.com.

Skyfall Ventures is an Oslo-based pre-seed and seed-stage VC investing in ambitious founders building technology with global potential.

More at: https://www.skyfall.vc/

Together, we explore why some ideas survive the AI wave while others stay concepts, how real problems become the backbone of strong companies, and what signals investors look for long before there’s traction.

Key topics

• How early-stage investors read signals long before traction

• Why real problems matter more than clever ideas

• How AI tools shorten the distance from idea to impact

• What makes founders stand out in fast-moving environments

• Why some ideas gain momentum while others disappear

• The mindset behind spotting “10% moonshot” potential

• The culture shift inside the modern startup ecosystem

We also touch on two references from the conversation:

Chris Sacca on Dialectic: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6o9q6GKgiphuyWK3KqZR1s?si=3VObI5wfQb-BUdr6YshCZA

Coteau on team size and efficiency:https://open.spotify.com/episode/7h8ctH9qH746Dj20h0QDIx?si=7LnMjO9yQqCKQ6qCp0cZ_w

This episode isn’t just for founders — it’s for anyone curious about how innovation actually works today, when AI tools lower barriers and the time from idea to impact has never been shorter.

How early-stage investment actually works - A quick cheat sheet based on the episode:

• Pre-seed / seed / Series A — the earliest stages of a startup, long before profitability.

• Venture capital (VC) — investors provide funding in exchange for ownership, betting that a few wins pay for the many that don’t make it.

• Valuation — an updated estimate of what a company is worth at each funding round.

• What VCs look for today — data, distribution, margins, and a real problem worth solving.

• “50x case” — an investment that could realistically grow fiftyfold.

• Why so many startups fail — 8–9 out of 10 don’t succeed, which is why VCs search for early signs of exceptional potential.

Follow Simply Briefed for more insights! Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcast, connect on LinkedIn, and join the conversation.

Guest: Jon Kåre Stene Skyfall Ventures

Host: ⁠Kristine Lium⁠

Socials: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ & ⁠Instagram⁠

Produced by: ⁠PIMM

Most of us feel like we’re late to the AI game — but research says otherwise.
McKinsey shows nearly 80% of companies have started using AI, yet only one in ten have scaled it strategically. Thomson Reuters adds that fewer than a quarter have a clear AI strategy, while PwC finds that budgets and ambitions are rising faster than results.

In this episode, host Kristine Lium talks with Linn Solvang — AI enthusiast and founder of Passion4Fitness — about what AI readiness really means. Linn shares insights from helping Norwegian businesses assess their readiness and turn curiosity into action.

Together, we explore:

• The gap between personal and professional readiness

• Why organizations stall between intention and action

• How openness and sharing speed up adoption

Guest Bio: Linn Solvang — AI enthusiast and founder, Passion4Fitness

Linn Solvang is an entrepreneur driven by curiosity — exploring how AI can make a real difference in everyday business.
What began as a personal experiment to make her own company, Passion4Fitness, more efficient quickly became a journey into what’s possible when curiosity meets technology.

As she saw the results, Linn began sharing her experiences with others — showing that AI isn’t just for tech companies but a tool any business can learn from and grow with.
She now helps others see how AI can unlock new opportunities for growth, innovation, and smarter ways of working.

With her natural curiosity and hands-on approach, Linn has become a voice for practical AI adoption — bringing together entrepreneurs and professionals to test, learn, and build confidence in using AI to take their businesses forward.

LinkedIn

Keywords: AI adoption, AI readiness, digital transformation, Nordic business, leadership

AI isn’t just a tool anymore — it’s becoming part of the team. HR analyst Anna Carlsson joins Kristine Lium to explore what happens when AI becomes a true coworker — and why the future of HR will depend on understanding data as deeply as people.

What if your next teammate wasn’t human?

As AI systems start to work alongside us, organizations face a major shift: how do we lead, recruit, and design culture when machines become part of the team? Anna explains why the HR function of the future is about data, design, and ethics — and how that changes leadership and culture.

Key topics

• Organizations haven’t really changed — but our coworkers have.

• HR’s new role: connecting people, purpose, and technology.

A quiet shift is happening in our devices—and it’s changing how we work, collaborate, and trust AI.AI isn’t just a tool we open—it’s becoming something that quietly supports us in the background.

In this episode of Simply Briefed, we’re joined by Michel Bouman from Microsoft to explore what happens when AI is built directly into your tools—and even your devices.

We dive into how invisible AI, hardware integration, and Copilot+ are reshaping:

• productivity

• privacy and trust

• AI adoption in cautious organizations

• emerging roles and human-in-the-loop responsibility
  

This conversation goes beyond the Microsoft ecosystem—offering takeaways for anyone exploring how assistants, agents, and automations are reshaping the way we work.

🎧 Part of our series on Assistants, Agents & Automations.

Follow Simply Briefed for more insights! Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcast, connect on LinkedIn, and join the conversation.

Guest:

Michel Bouman is the AI Powered Workplace Lead for EMEA & APAC at Microsoft, where he drives innovation within the Teams engineering org and the broader Copilot ecosystem.

With 20+ years of experience in digital transformation and collaboration technologies, Michel empowers organizations to explore how AI, trust, and usability intersect at scale. His focus: building intelligent workplaces where assistants and automations enhance—not replace—human contribution.

🌐 michelbouman.nl 🔗 LinkedIn

Host: ⁠Kristine Lium⁠

Socials: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ & ⁠Instagram⁠

Produced by: ⁠PIMM

Automation isn’t new — but it’s evolving fast.

In this episode of Simply Briefed, host Kristine Lium explores what automation really means in today’s workplace, why consistency may matter more than speed, and how to decide where automation truly creates value.

Drawing on insights from Nordic companies like Normain, this episode breaks down:

• The difference between task and process automation

• What it takes — and costs — to automate

• The guardrails that keep humans in control

• And how to recognize when automation actually supports your expertise
  

Stay tuned until the end for a look ahead: agents, assistants, and how to navigate what’s coming next.

Keywords: Automation · AI · Agents · Assistants · Knowledge Work · Human in the Loop · Future of Work · Nordic AI

Key Topics

Consistency over speed · Defining processes · Automation readiness · Costs vs. value · Human oversight · Practical use cases

Stay tuned until the end for a look ahead: agents, assistants, and how to navigate what’s coming next.

Follow Simply Briefed for more insights! Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcast, connect on LinkedIn, and join the conversation.

Guest: Simply Briefed Host Solo episode

Host: ⁠Kristine Lium⁠

Socials: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ & ⁠Instagram⁠

Produced by: ⁠PIMM

Automation isn’t just about speed — it’s about consistency, trust, and keeping humans in control.

In this Simply Briefed episode, we sit down with Sara Landfors, Co-founder and CEO of Normain, one of Sweden’s most talked-about AI startups. Together we explore how AI can reshape recurring knowledge work — from audits and compliance to sustainability reporting — without losing oversight or judgment.

We cover:

• Why consistency can be as valuable as efficiency
• How to tell if your team is ready for automation
• The difference between human in and off the loop
• The guardrails that keep experts firmly in control
• Where automation makes sense — and where it doesn’t

This episode gives you a clear lens on the future of work, practical reflection questions, and a Nordic perspective on building AI that empowers experts rather than replacing them.

Listen now to understand how automation can support your expertise — and where it’s best to keep human judgment at the center.

Voice tech is changing how we work. Tandem Health’s Oliver Åstrand joins us to explore what happens when we stop typing—and start talking to our tools.

We’re entering a new phase of human–machine interaction. Not with clicks. Not with swipes. But with our voices.

In this episode, we talk to Oliver Åstrand, co-founder and CTO of Tandem Health—a fast-growing health tech company using voice technology to radically reduce admin in healthcare and give clinicians back their time.

From the evolution of speech recognition to the role of large language models, we explore how voice is reshaping real work—starting in the treatment room. We also unpack the challenges of privacy, personalization, trust, and tone—and what it means when machines don’t just listen… but respond.

Key Topics

• Why Tandem Health built a voice-first product—and what it’s changing

• How voice improves focus and presence in clinical care

• The emotional friction (and relief) of talking to machines

• What success in speech tech really looks like

The future of voice, trust, and digital conversation

Whether you’re in healthcare, design, product, or just curious about what comes after the keyboard—this episode is for you.

Guest: Oliver Åstrand, CTO & Co-founder of Tandem Health

Host: ⁠Kristine Lium⁠

Socials: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ & ⁠Instagram⁠

Produced by: ⁠PIMM

AI is everywhere, do you even notice it anymore?

From your inbox to everyday decision-making, AI has quietly woven itself into our daily lives. In this episode, Kristine Lium is joined by AI consultant Karin Hamberg Stén to check the pulse of everyday AI adoption.

What do people actually know about AI? How are they using it? And is the pace of change as fast as it feels? Together, they unpack what it really takes to adopt AI beyond testing a trendy tool.

Key Topics

- Why AI adoption isn’t about tools — it’s about mindset shifts

- The journey from fear of AI to curiosity and coexistence

- How AI integrates silently into everyday tools and workflows

- Surprising ways people use gen.AI at work and at home

- Predictions in 2025: from AI agents to workplace norms

- Practical steps to move from AI-curious to AI-competent

Guest: Karin Hamberg Stén — Co-founder, Studio Sten. AI consultant and generative AI adoption specialist.

Host: ⁠Kristine Lium⁠

Socials: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ & ⁠Instagram⁠

Produced by: ⁠PIMM

Follow Simply Briefed for more insights. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, connect on LinkedIn, and join the conversation.

We use our devices every day—but do we really know what’s protecting us… or what’s quietly putting us at risk?

In this episode of Simply Briefed, we explore what digital resilience actually looks like in 2025. Spoiler: it’s not just antivirus software anymore.

🔐 Learn the difference between phishing, smishing, and quishing
🧠 Why critical thinking is your best digital defense
🔑 What passkeys and biometrics are doing to replace passwords
🎓 And whether it’s time for a digital driver’s license to help us all navigate better

With insights from:

• Stig Myklebust, Nordic Consumer Director at Lenovo

• Verner Hølleland, Project Manager at NTNU & Innovation Lead at Nemonoor

This conversation won’t leave you paranoid—it’ll leave you more prepared.

🎧 Listen now and find out:
Are you resilient, or just lucky so far?