Starting My Next Company
Who’s in?
Update: I’ve written a follow-up post about the vision for my next company which is to make better apps for music creators.
After leaving SoundCloud, I’ve been taking some time off to recharge my batteries back in Stockholm, and now I’m really stoked about pouring my heart into a new project. I feel the time is right for combining my passion for starting companies with all the learnings from SoundCloud and create something new. I’m gonna go all in on a new startup as soon as I get the right people excited about working on the right thing. I guess that’s what entrepreneurship is all about.
At the moment, I’m spending most of my time prototyping ideas, reading about stuff, and meeting smart people to get feedback and input. I’m also looking for potential co-founders and people to work with. I believe a great team is usually more valuable than a great idea, and that great ideas usually come from great people working on problems together.
In order to really leverage my experience, I want to build a software-based product with an internet component that allows it to be scalable and lean. I want to tackle a concrete problem and the product should preferably be monetized from the start. The company will be design/product driven and not necessarily competing with advanced technology. However, I think it’s a important to combine great software design with deep knowledge in a specific area in order to create products with substance (i.e. I’m not building a new tool for finding the best burger in town).
I have a long list of ideas and currently I’m mainly focusing on recruiting. Hiring the right people is such a pain for both small and large companies and there is so much room for improvement. I want to build tools that not only simplifies the hiring process, but also teaches small companies best practices and reshapes the way they think about hiring. Essentially, it’s about combining great software design with education and process design. The tools will also be used to collect data which will open up for new ways of matching people and companies.
Some other areas I’m exploring are mobile travel guides (it’s time to fully leverage the potential of smartphones and cheaper data), content curation tools (shape new consumer behaviors in the digital media space), and service marketplaces (there are plenty of industries that need a modern marketplace).
Things I Like and Do Well
- Vision and strategy
- Product and market research
- Marketing and branding
- Partnerships and sales
- Raising money
- Hiring and managing teams
The Types of People I’m Looking for
Someone who wants to take the lead on building a world class product, initially by building prototypes to validate that the product is valuable and feasible, and as the company grows, scale and lead the product organization.
Someone who’s a great designer (yeah, that’s a pretty wide definition, but I’m looking for someone who can create simple and beautiful things).
Someone who’s a great engineer, excited about building new stuff, and want to be responsible for architecture and technology decisions.
Someone with a specific interest/knowledge/skill (e.g. someone who knows a ton about hiring) and want to turn that into a new product or service.
Wanna Kick Some Ass Together?
If you feel like being part of defining and building an awesome company and product, drop an email to hello [at] henriklenberg.com so we can get together and discuss ideas and see if we rock together.
Or follow @lenberg on Twitter to get updates on my startup journey.
