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It’s been almost 5 years since you walked in the door at Scale Capital – you’re now a Principal. What are the first things that come to mind when thinking back on that journey?
Thank god I took the jump! Early on in my student days I started studying law, before turning to studying politics. I often say that I was convinced I should become a politician, until I met actual politicians. I pivoted into finance and economics and set myself on a path toward corporate finance and equity markets. It felt like a sure-fire way of achieving success, and while I enjoyed the work, I did not enjoy the bureaucracy, the ‘process for the sake of process’ and lack of pace. This all got to the point where I was thinking to myself “Is this what I want to do for the rest of my life?”
So when the chance to join Scale came I jumped and haven’t looked back. The journey since has been full of ups and downs, and we’ve grown as a fund and as a team. What really stands out the most is how much ownership and trust I’ve been given early on, how close I’ve been to real decision-making, and how much I’ve grown through that.
Was there a specific early moment where you thought: ‘This is exactly why I’m in VC’?
I’m an inherently curious soul and love exploring new ideas and learning from the best minds in their fields. That “this is why I’m in VC” feeling hits me every time I meet a founder who’s genuinely obsessed with solving a problem in a way that shifts how you see the world.
What’s your proudest moment so far in your career?
It’s rarely a single moment. I think the proudest are generally either when you see a company you believed in early finally break through a wall that once felt impossible or when you and the company navigated tough times together, and come out better on the other end.
Beyond investing, how have your years at Scale shaped you personally?
Over the years at Scale, my life has changed a lot. I graduated, got married, and will soon become a father, so it’s been quite a journey both personally and professionally.
One thing I’ve truly loved about this job is how naturally my personal and professional life have blended together. It’s a role where I’m somehow always working, yet it rarely feels like work. The two worlds feed into each other in a good way. Experiences outside the office make me a better investor, and the lessons from work make me better equipped for life outside it.
My time at Scale has given me a lot of confidence and skillsets that I use far beyond venture. At the same time, my personal experiences have shaped the kind of investor I’ve become. Growing in a small village in Jutland as the only kid with an international parent, to living in India, has made me more empathetic toward founders who think globally from day one and who are navigating complex, global realities.
You’ve met countless founders across the Nordic region and beyond. What qualities in founders do you now value most, that you might not have fully appreciated when you first started?
Intellectual curiosity, reflection, and relentless grit.
When I first started in venture, I didn’t fully resonate with the typical “just back great founders” mantra that so many VCs throw around. It felt too simplistic, and I was convinced that market, timing, and product mattered more. But over time, I’ve realized that great founders are the single most important factor.
Markets shift, competitors appear, and business models evolve, but truly exceptional founders find a way through. They adapt faster, learn deeper, and attract the right people around them. Intellectual curiosity keeps them ahead of the curve, reflection allows them to process feedback without ego, and relentless grit is what carries them through the inevitable setbacks.
What’s one thing about venture, or Scale specifically, that would surprise your younger self?
How much of the job is about being comfortable with uncertainty. You rarely have all the data, and even when you do, things can still go sideways. Early on I thought good investing was about getting the model right. Now I know it’s about judgment under ambiguity and staying calm when the world isn’t.
What keeps you excited about venture every day?
Definitely being so close to the technological shifts that are shaping our future. Every week, you meet people trying to advance us as a society, whether it’s in AI, robotics, sustainability, or fintech infrastructure.
But beyond the tech, it’s the people. Founders who are almost irrationally obsessed with solving problems most of the world ignores. Being part of that journey, even in a small way, is a real privilege.
And not toot my own horn too much, but startups and venture capital matters on a bigger scale. Mario Draghi’s recent report to the European Commission highlighted, almost all of the US’s economic edge over Europe in the past two decades has come from tech. If Europe wants to stay competitive, we need to build world-class technology companies here, and have the venture capital ecosystem set up to back these winners.
