Coffee break #001 — Daniel Tveiten
Over the counter — We took a coffee break and had a chat with the people behind the curtains at uppercase, who they are, and why they are there. In this series, the employees share their perspectives with you.
Meet Daniel, our CEO, he likes his coffee black - a medium roast with a fruity blend. No milk, please.
Q: How would you describe uppercase to someone new?
D: Uppercase is a place where we try to do good through design and technology — we are a dynamic group of people that all share a passion for using tech and design to create a better future.
Q: First, let’s talk about your new role, how did that happen? And what is your experience so far?
D: Our previous CEO Peter was due for paternity leave this January and one of the great things with the Norwegian system is that you get to spend some months with your kid and do not have to worry about work. In this period I stepped up as the substitute CEO — but when Peter’s return was due he figured it might be time to switch roles after 8 years at the helm, and the board proposed we continued the arrangement. Suddenly my title changed and a bunch of new challenges knocked on the door.
I am approaching it all in a humble manner, I definitely have a lot to learn as a leader and CEO and try to soak up input from the people around me. Covid most certainly created some extra challenges, but that is part of the game. We rolled up our sleeves and pushed through.
I still get to dabble with design and concept development too — which is very important to me. Anyway, the years to come will be fun — we moved into new great offices last year and are setting up a kind of incubator like environment and we are working on some very exciting things these days so I hope to bring Uppercase full speed into the new decade.
Q: Let’s backtrack — how did you get introduced to uppercase in the first place and what attracted you to join?
D: I changed jobs back in 2011 and started working for BEKK which is a renowned consultancy firm here in Oslo. There I met Tommy Borgen, one of the co-founders of uppercase, we got along immediately and became buddies. At this point, Tommy and the guys were already dabbling with the idea of starting something and within a year they made the leap.. of course we kept in touch and after some time he asked me if I would consider joining them.
I actually had not met the other guys before this point in time, but I joined them for a few beers at their Lilleborg office and they seemed like a fun crew — I obviously knew what they were trying to do through my conversations with Tommy and so the decision was not too hard.
They also needed another front-end developer at the time and I proposed a previous colleague of mine, Tommy Stomlien, as a candidate. Tommy is a great guy and a razor-sharp developer — we had previously talked about starting something on our own, so it was the perfect fit.
Besides a good and ambitious crew, what drew me in the most was the mission and that we were all on the same page. The early days were a lot of work and a lot of fun. Things change over the years — as they normally do — but we still enjoy a good night's work session with a full blast on the speakers while pushing the boundaries of the tasks at hand.
Q: How has uppercase evolved since you started?
D: We have matured a lot since the early days — learned things the hard way and adjusted as we went along. I think we have done a good job of maintaining and evolving our culture and mindset since then — but we are still maturing.
At the start, we were all about creating our own thing, but over the years we have learned that using our extended network and team up talented and like-minded people bring just as much fun to the table. We still do ‘homegrown’, but in a much more structured way than before.
Q: How would you describe your ideal project?
I think the common denominator is the problem disposition. This is key!
In all cases, we make sure to do proper research, get proper insights, and understand the clients’ core needs. What is the end goal(s), and what does that mean for the target audience? Way too often this part is taken too lightly and you get off on the wrong foot.
Q: If someone wants to join uppercase, what are you looking for?
D: Our culture is our most important asset and something we want to preserve and cultivate with all our hires.
In general, we like open-mindedness and passion, passion for your field of expertise, for learning, and for moving things towards the better. You need grit and persistence to prevail and you need to be able to build honest and good relationships with your colleagues.
We are like a family, we make each other strong and we have each other back, but there is also room for discussions and painful questions. All in all — we ride together, we die together ;)
Q: What’s important to keep the team happy and motivated?
D: Our team thrives when we can work together and x-functional and with the freedom to really lay down good work in each step of the process.
We always welcome a good challenge, if it is something technical or a strange design problem, we strive to find the best solutions.
Q: What excites you the most looking forward?
D: There are a lot moving about in our domain these days and many opportunities to explore. The start-up scene here in Norway is really starting to bubble which is great — I believe there will be some good learnings and exciting projects in the next few years, but who knows how the aftermath of Covid will look like.
We are currently in an exciting process with the firm, making some changes, and reaching for that next level. It is, and will be, a lot of work — but I believe that the next leg of our journey will be an exciting one!
Q: Where do you find inspiration?
D: Inspiration comes in many forms — I am a fan of getting away from the screen and pursue some alternative impulses, could be museums, like the new Kistefos at Jevnaker — that building is epic, or exhibitions and similar, just to have a little walkabout can do wonders.
Also as a Norwegian, I love nature and classic outdoor activities — skiing, snowboard, or hiking is things I have done since childhood — it makes your mind wander and gives you a break from every day, it usually sparks some new thoughts or impulses. You know it’s like the classic ‘idea in the shower’ meme. To be able to spend time in the free is important to me and I make sure I get some time every week.
And of course, my colleagues are an awesome source of inspiration — they are all active and interested in tech, design, and other weird things, and will often share what is moving about their minds. So to take time to browse the latest posts on our slack channel #inspiration is usually a good treat.
Q: Who should we talk to next?
D: Tobias — He is our latest intern and since he is new to uppercase he might have some interesting perspectives to share!
Thanks, Daniel!
We’ll be back next month with more insights into uppercase and how we work — in the meantime, dig into our previous posts here.
