Jussi Kallasvuo is a General Partner at Antler, a global early-stage investor and the world’s most active investor in AI. We talk about what makes a great startup, common founder mistakes, the importance of grit, how AI is fundamentally changing how companies are built, and more.

Learn more:

https://generogrowth.com/

https://www.antler.co/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jussi-kallasvuo-9748953/

(0:00) Introduction

(0:45) What is Antler and how it’s different from traditional VC

(9:52) How Antler finds top talent from 180,000+ applicants

(19:07) Common founder mistakes, problem-first thinking, and business models

(36:30) Building startups in Finland vs Sweden and Estonia

(45:57) How AI has changed company building

Nordic Business Forum started with evening seminars in Jyväskylä and grew into one of Europe’s leading leadership and business events. We sat down with CEO & Co-founder Hans-Peter Siefen to talk about navigating the pandemic, building an unforgettable customer experience, and what it takes to run a world-class event.

Learn more:

https://generogrowth.com/

https://www.nbforum.com/

(0:00) Introduction

(1:35) The early days of NBF

(10:15) Getting Al Gore as a speaker

(15:20) Scaling NBF into Europe's top leadership event

(20:00) Sales, rejection, and the mindset for success

(28:10) Creating an unforgettable customer experience

(31:20) Surviving the lockdown

(37:45) Virtual, hybrid and in-person events

(47:50) Why leadership is difficult and lessons from great leaders

Risto Siilasmaa co-founded F-Secure in 1988 at just 22, and later became Finland’s richest person during the dot-com bubble. As chairman of Nokia, he led the transformation of the company from a struggling handset maker to a global leader in network infrastructure. He has one of the best startup investment track records, with multiple unicorns in this portfolio.

In this episode, Risto shares 30+ years of insights on entrepreneurship, leadership, and tech.

Learn more:

https://generogrowth.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/siilasmaa/

(0:00) Introduction

(0:55) Starting F-Secure: early challenges and IPO

(8:50) The dot-com bubble and how money changes people

(24:50) Tough decisions and building resilience

(34:20) Nokia: crisis, disruption, and transformation

(58:53) Investing in unicorns and how to spot great founders

(1:12:35) Future tech trends: AI, quantum computing and clean energy

Sanna Suvanto-Harsaae is one of the most respected and sought-after business leaders in the Nordics. She currently chairs the boards of companies like Finnair, BoConcept, and Posti Group. We discuss the six essentials and superpowers that drive leadership success.

Bob W. is a fast-growing, profitable startup that’s raised €70 million to transform hospitality through technology. What began as an Airbnb side hustle is now Europe’s top-rated hospitality brand, operating in 10 countries. We sat down with CEO and co-founder Niko Karstikko to discuss their incredible growth journey.

Saxdor is the world’s fastest-growing boat brand. We sat down with CEO Erna Rusi to discuss the journey to 100 million euros in revenue, scaling a team of over 600, driving innovation, and building a global brand. This podcast was recorded live at a Genero Growth Event.

Fredrik Heinonen is a partner and Deputy Managing Director at Miltton, a Nordic consultancy specializing in communications, insight, and strategy. We discuss the agency’s journey from 4 to 400 employees, navigating the different phases of growth, the rising importance of stakeholder management, effective communication in a noisy world, attracting top talent, and more.

Rolf Ladau is the CEO of Paulig, a 148-year-old family-owned food company. We discuss the fundamentals of consumer branding, growth playbooks, the business case for sustainability, how Santa Maria grew to become the European leader in Tex-Mex and more.

Learn more:

https://paulig.com/

https://generogrowth.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rolf-ladau-458b892

(0:00) Introduction

(1:10) Working at Unilever, P&G, Coca-Cola and more

(4:15) How to build and maintain world-class consumer brands

(11:40) Do brands spend too little on marketing?

(14:25) Becoming the CEO of Paulig

(20:30) Santa Maria’s growth journey, playbooks, and the future of snacking

(33:07) How Paulig has succeded for 148 years

(40:15) The art and science of brand positioning

(46:05) Feedback loops and learning from mistakes 

(49:33) The business case for sustainability

Marianne Vikkula joined Wolt as a small startup with fewer than 100 employees. Today she’s the COO, overseeing a global operation with 10,000+ people across 27 countries. We discuss operational excellence, how to hire well, lessons learned from DoorDash, and how leaders can increase speed, raise the bar for quality, and narrow the focus.

Learn more:

https://wolt.com/

https://generogrowth.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mvikkula

(0:00) Introduction

(1:08) Marianne’s background and why she joined Wolt

(4:42) Operational excellence and bringing energy into an organization

(10:34) Increasing speed

(17:07) Raising the bar of quality

(25:30) Narrowing the focus

(32:24) Doing hard things

(37:45) How to grow and develop as a leader

(41:25) Lessons learned from DoorDash after the acquisition

(47:57) How to hire

(57:56) The future of Wolt

As CEO of Pilke, Mari Puoskari has driven rapid growth and achieved profitability at Finland’s largest private early education company. Now also CEO of Dibber Sverige, Mari joins us to discuss the Nordic model of early childhood education, employee well-being, leadership, personal habits, the future of childcare, and more.

https://generogrowth.com/⁠⁠

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mari-puoskari-b0ab69

https://pilkepaivakodit.fi/

https://www.dibber.com/

(0:00) Introduction