#36 Thinking big from day 1 to Unicorn | Pål Næss (Gelato, a Norwegian Unicorn)

Most startups don’t fail because of their product. They fail because they think too small.Gelato became a Norwegian Unicorn by doing the exact opposite.In this episode, I sit down with Pål Næss (employee #2) to unpack what it really takes to build globally from day one - and why most founders never get there.Pål has seen hundreds of startups and is a well-known voice in the Scandinavian ecosystem - currently advising several CEOs and sitting on various Boards.In our conversation, we go deep into Gelato’s journey, but also explore generally:* Why thinking globally from day one changes everything* The hidden cost of starting “local first”* What separates ambitious founders from the rest* What does hands-on Leadership execution looks like* How to scale across markets without losing focus* Pål’s lessons learned from his journey and from meeting great Founders* Dealing with investors* And moreEnjoy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afonsofranco.substack.com

In this episode, I sit down with Uri Levine - serial entrepreneur, investor, and co-founder of Waze, one of the most successful navigation apps ever built.Uri has spent the last two decades building and investing in startups, and in this conversation, he shares the hard truths behind startup success and failure.We explore what it really means to fall in love with the problem rather than the solution, why product-market fit is the single most important milestone in a startup’s life, and why most startups fail long before anyone ever hears about them.Uri also shares his perspective on how founders should think about focus, iteration, failure, fundraising, storytelling, and team building. Along the way, he offers very candid advice about how startups actually work - and why so many founders waste time chasing ideas instead of solving meaningful problems.This conversation is both practical and brutally honest, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the mindset and discipline required to build a successful company.Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afonsofranco.substack.com

Today’s guest is the Innovation legend Alex Osterwalder - 5x best-selling author, inventor of the widely known Business Model Canvas (BMC), and Founder & CEO at Strategyzer.We covered a lot of ground here. Everything from unpacking the transformation of Strategizer from a consulting firm to a scalable SaaS platform, to Alex’s hard-won lessons from his journey navigating the tension between exploration and execution, the power of innovation scorecards, why CEOs must own innovation if they want their organizations to survive, where founders and teams go wrong - and a lot more.This is a masterclass on turning vision into systems, managing risk, and learning how (and when) to kill your own ideas.We discussed:* Why business cases are just fantasies - until tested* How to balance Explore and Exploit* Why CEOs should spend 40% of their time on innovation* How to design a system to manage risk and kill ideas quickly* Why strategic clarity enables innovation autonomy - and how to get there* Running multiple ideas in parallel, testing different business models* Team set up and traits & skills you need* Examples of successful companiesCheck out Strategyzer’s platform and guided programs here: https://strategyzer.com/scandinavian-product-podcastBrought to you by:Gnist - Gnist is a leading boutique consulting company in Norway that helps companies reach their full digital potential. Whether you are a developer, product lead, tech lead, or business leader - Gnist can help you with the tools and practices you may need.UX Signals - Don’t let your busy schedule stop you from talking to users.Automatically recruit interviews and user tests with people who are using your product. Talk to them while their user experience is still fresh in their mind. Used by big companies like DNB Bank, Vipps MobilePay, NAV, and many more.Tell them Afonso sent you, and get 50% off your trial.Know more here This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afonsofranco.substack.com

This is a raw and unfiltered conversation with the legendary Unicorn founder ($2.9B exit with ForgeRock) Lasse Andresen.Every founder in Scandinavia should listen to this.We talked about why Norwegian startups need to stop thinking small, lessons learned from an IPO at Nasdaq and from the painful early days without funding, what Norway’s startup ecosystem needs to do to truly compete on the global stage, what Founders in Scandinavia should consider - and what the typical traps they fall into are.It’s a punchy chat - A La Lasse - with tons of great stories, insights, and advice.We discussed:* Why Lasse only has a Plan A, never a Plan B* What it really takes to go from zero to unicorn* How he validated his idea before building anything* Why ForgeRock went horizontal instead of vertical niche* Hiring and Firing* How boards can slow you down if you’re not careful* Why Norwegian startups need to think global from day one* What Norway’s startup ecosystem need to do* Advice for Founders in Scandinavia* And more!I loved this conversation, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it too :)-----Brought to you by:Gnist - Gnist is a leading boutique consulting company in Norway that helps companies reach their full digital potential. Whether you are a developer, product lead, tech lead, or business leader - Gnist can help you with the tools and practices you may need. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afonsofranco.substack.com

Brought to you by:Gnist - Gnist is a leading boutique consulting company in Norway that helps companies reach their full digital potential. Whether you are a developer, product lead, tech lead, or business leader - Gnist can help you with the tools and practices you may need.UX Signals - Don’t let your busy schedule stop you from talking to users.Automatically recruit interviews and user tests with people who are using your product. Talk to them while their user experience is still fresh in their mind. Used by big companies like DNB Bank, Vipps MobilePay, NAV, and many more.Tell them Afonso sent you, and get 50% off your trial.Know more here------------------My guest today is Morten Rand-Hendriksen, one of the clearest voices on tech ethics and AI in the world, author of multiple AI & Tech courses on Linkedin Learning - as a Principal Staff Instructor at LinkedIn.In this conversation, we unpack:* The hype and the harm behind AI agents* Why startups are building on dangerous ground* Why language models are being misused* The hidden risks of outsourcing decision-making to machines that don’t understand context* The future of content creation: the ridiculous state of the current business models* And much moreWhether you’re a founder, a business leader, a product mind, or just AI-curious - this one will make you pause and rethink.Enjoy!Check out Morten’s courses on all things Tech & AI here: Linkedin Learning courses This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afonsofranco.substack.com

My guests today are Martin Spinnangr and Shubham Bhattacharya, CPO at Munu and former CPO at Favrit - two Nordic rivals in the world of hospitality SaaS. We talked about what it takes to build and scale a vertical SaaS product, the challenges of defining your ideal customer profile, why most product validation efforts fail, acquisition vs. retention, the real cost of poor strategic alignment, and more. Shubham is currently a Lead PM at Xeneta and Martin has been a Product leader in Laerdal Medical and Easee before Munu - so this conversation brings different perspectives to the table and it was good to connect with these two again! Enjoy :) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afonsofranco.substack.com

My guest today is Ninni Høver - Head of Product at Vipps MobilePay, the largest mobile wallet in the Nordics.This conversation is part of my series of talks with more than 20 product leaders in Scandinavia. Make sure you subscribe to my newsletter so you don’t miss out!This episode is packed with lessons learned from both scaling and going through a large merger.I don’t know a single Norwegian who doesn’t use Vipps. So how does Ninni's team decide what to build? How do they balance priorities between different markets? What has changed in her leadership style before and after the merger with MobilePay? We cover all of this and so much more:* How Vipps MobilePay became the Nordics’ #1 mobile wallet* Leading Product through a merger* The power of simplicity and other product principles at Vipps MobilePay* How to navigate different market needs* Where most PMs and teams need to step up* How to test and kill a bad idea fast* And more This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afonsofranco.substack.com

My guest today is Tor Erik Skårdal and Stian Øien - two former product leaders at Easee, once one of the fastest growing tech companies in Norway and the largest platform of EV chargers for homes in the Nordics.This is one of the most vulnerable conversations in the podcast so far.Most people in Norway and Sweden know how difficult Easee’s journey has been.From being one the fastest growing tech companies in Europe, to having to layoff most of its people after a sudden sales ban in a crucial market.Tor Erik (former CPO at Easee), led Product in the company at a very challenging time.Stian (now CPO at Futurehome and former VP at Easee), led Product at Easee from the early days and all the way to potentially even becoming a new Norwegian unicorn. Speaking of hyper scale…So how does a crisis like this impact your leadership approach and how product teams are led? What’s the reality inside a company that is hiring several people every week versus a company that’s forced to let go most of its people?We talked about that and much more:* Leading teams with outcomes* Killing ideas fast* Lessons learned from hyper scale* Managing hardware products vs software* The reality for Product teams in times of extreme crisis* And moreThis episode is part of a series where I interview 20+ CPOs across Scandinavia. Subscribe for free so you don’t miss out.This conversation was extra special in many ways, and also nostalgic (I worked with Stian when he was leading Product and with Tor Erik who was a PM in one of my teams).Happy to be able to share this special chat with all of you.Hope you enjoy it! :) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afonsofranco.substack.com

My guest today is Francesca Cortesi, former Chief Product Officer at Hemnet - the largest housing marketplace in Sweden.This is a deep dive into Hemnet's journey into adopting the Product Operating Model and Francesca's product and growth leadership journey.Francesca shared deeply insightful stories, practical advice, and her perspective on driving change while keeping teams aligned and inspired.We talked about:* How Hemnet moved from features to outcomes.* Why Strategic context is the most important thing for a CPO* Why incremental changes beat big revolutions* The surprising power of revisiting your business model and internal incentives* Why asking for help can be a leadership growth hack.* Product Leadership lessons to recognize and adapt to new growth phases* And moreThis was a joy, Francesca's journey at Hemnet is a very interesting, practical, and real case and she's also a great human being.Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afonsofranco.substack.com

My guest today is Cecilie Skjong, Investment Manager at Skyfall Ventures - a Norwegian early-stage venture capital fund.As a founder, nailing your pitch, thinking big and challenging yourself to be more visionary, and quickly testing your ideas to get a sense of the market pull are crucial.And the same applies to a cross-functional team building a new product in a scale-up. The same applies to a product leader leading a new opportunity in a large organization.After being exposed to hundreds of pitches and investing in several early-stage ventures, Cecilie shared with me:* Characteristics of great founding teams* The importance of drive and resilience when testing ideas and building products* Early signs of market pull* Thinking big and the importance of Vision* How to craft a great pitch* The power of Founder-led Sales* The importance of understanding your macro trends (Waves)* The state of the Norwegian startup scene* And moreIf you’re a founder, I recommend pairing this episode with:* Episode 1: Testing Ideas with David Bland, co-author of the book Testing Business Ideas written together with Alex Osterwalder* Episode 9: Understanding Jobs to be Done with Bob Moesta, co-creator of the JTBD framework together with Clayton Christensen* Episode 19: Nailing your Positioning with April Dunford, bestselling author of one of the most well-known marketing books out there This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afonsofranco.substack.com