Welcome to the team... Kristoffer Olsson!
Aaaaaand we’re back! It’s been quiet over the summer, but now we have some fresh blood pumping through the team here at Ideon Innovation!
Meet Kristoffer Olsson an avid ‘social cyclist’ and passionate musician and songwriter. He has joined us as a business coach and strategist here at Ideon Innovation. He brings a wealth of experience, having worked with ALMI as well as with strategic development at Jönköping Science Park, which operates as an incubator closely tied with the university.
How did you find your way to Ideon Innovation?
I was approached by Ola (Andersson) to see if I were keen to join the team, perhaps due to my previous work in Jönköping. I have just come from ALMI, so I’m so excited to work again amongst start-up companies who want to create something better for the future.
Over the years, I have grown fond of those who are into innovation, want to create something more sustainable and change things rather than complain about them!
What is innovation for you?
The feeling of being creative is one of the best things in life! The ability to have a significant impact and to make something is just brilliant. I find people appreciate me being creative - but I also like structure coupled with creativity - as things get done.
Innovation is not necessarily about creating something out of nothing that’s completely new - that’s usually not the way it happens - it is based on an idea or a series of inspirations and happenings!
What are you bringing to Ideon Innovation?
Two main things - development of ideas and business models for the startups and also support for Ideon Innovation’s business process as a part of a team. I hope to help induce new ideas and fresh perspectives into this place.
What is a success story that you worked with?
One of the companies I helped in the early stages of their business planning has made the big leap into Silicon Valley in recent years, which is awesome. It started with a student from the Netherlands who came to me with a whole stack of ideas. Through the various connections he made while being at the incubator, he met his future team, and together they started building an application - now called Impraise.
It showed me the power of the cross-connections that the incubator environment provides - those settings are so much fun to be around.
When did you first want to change something?
When I started at Home Electronics shop - first as a sales person and then store manager. There I really found the drive that I like to make a difference - to figure out better ways of doing something. I tried to make a lot of changes but then felt the need to educate myself on business and processes. Studying business gave me some of those tools for sure!
How do you change a NO into a YES?
By asking more questions! Rephrasing my starting point and figuring out the real need and finding what fits.
Is there such a thing as work / life balance ?
An old boss of mine told me “You try to do things at 10/10 all the time - I’d like you to go down to 7/10 - and let’s see how that works!" which helped me a lot and I had the same output with less stress, which says a lot. You can’t let perfectionism mess with you!
Good enough is great. Generally it has a lot to do with the individual companies and management. When management uses humanistic methods and encourage outside interests, I think this tends to get better results!
Your greatest inspiration is…
My wife and my daughter - they both make me aspire to be a better person and always reach higher. My wife’s sense of compassion is such a beautiful trait, I really admire how she goes out of her way to help people.
During my parental leave, I realised how amazing it was that I could learn new things from someone who doesn’t know anything! Playing in the sandbox with my daughter allowed me to disconnect from everything else - I recommend it! When I watch her throw herself into an unknown situation, I take that into my own life and ethos and try and do the same!
Your hobbies and methods to unwind?
Music is my heart - singing, playing guitar and harmonica and just writing stuff down. There is always a song stuck in my head - it could be something I write or a tune I’ve heard, and it just rotates! Feist, Ryan Adams, Bob Dylan (of course - To Ramona is one of my favourites) Townes Van Zandt and Gillian Welsh - that’s my top five, but there are so many more.
I find when I'm out on my bike and the wind is rippling through my ears, it's almost a meditation - like a mantra, which is soothing.
Cycling - or ‘social cycling’ especially- is a good way to be social in a group and exercise - I love cycling but also riding with others and having fika - it’s ritualistic in some sense. GotoVelo is a news aggregator I’ve made with a friend of mine, a passion project. It’s a news aggregator of cycling news but getting rid of listicles, and ‘clickbait’ - just focusing on quality!
Tell me the strangest dream you ever experienced?
Three times this has happened - when I realised I’m dreaming within the dream, and I controlled what happened. It’s so very memorable - the last time it happened was seven years ago! I made myself fly - not floating - but more bouncing in full colour - breaking the laws of physics I suppose!
What are you craving to learn more about?
Well, more about this place and all the companies we work with, there are quite a few!
