Article about Monica Vaksdal and She Invest in Finansavisen
Monica Vaksdal, Founder and CEO of Sknow, participated at a She Invest-trip in San Francisco and Silicon Valley earlier this fall. The purpose of the trip was to educate female investors about the tech industry, and Finansavisen, a leading Norwegian business newspaper, have written an article about it. Our CEO joined the She Invest study trip not just as a Founder and Entrepreneur, but also as she has slowly started to move in to the Angel Investor role herself.
As Monica says herself; ‘I strongly believe in Pay It Forward’ and ‘investing in my own company, but also investing in other startups coming on the scene now, through time, small purchases and my experience is very meaningful to me’. Based on this, she wanted to learn from the best of the best; how do you recognize a great startup (and investment opportunity) from the big startup scene? What characterizes the stars and can you see these early on? Also, as a Founder, she wanted to get familiarized with sitting on the other side of the table. ‘What do VC’s and professional Angel Investors look for? How can I be better in communicating what Think Outside is doing and our potential to attract the best and most right investors for us?’ You can read an excerpt below or the full article in Norwegian in the printed paper.
Monica Vaksdal, a guest at Finansavisen’s Entrepreneur Interview earlier this year with the company Think Outside, was a part of the trip. She sais that: “This trip has given me greater insight and understanding of the investor system in Silicon Valley and how it works compared to the Norwegian one. In addition, I’ve also gained a network of highly skilled women.”
When asked about where she think the best foundation for angel investing is, Monica thinks it’s easier to obtain female ownership in Oslo than San Francisco. “There are often smaller amounts of money involved, less professionalization and therefore a lover barrier to become an angel investor. I think this makes it easier for women to engage in the ownership side of startups in Norway.”
The investor environment and network in San Francisco and Silicon Valley is arguably more closed than the one in Norway. Still, several of the women interviewed, including Monica, agree that you need contacts in different industries early on in order to succeed in both places.
“The best opportunities are traditionally presented in smaller and more closed environments. Nowadays, most startups present themselves at different events and pitch competitions. So if you visit different startup-hubs or competitions a few times a month you’ll get a good overview of the possibilities available and the different companies.”
