In 2017 I was an IT student organising hackathons for other students. One of the other organisers was Rasmus Tyrén, who was studying economics. We didn't know it yet, but we were starting a company.
The first idea is rarely the one that lasts
Our first product was Joober, an app that gathered Norwegian job listings in one place. It was a good idea, and it taught us a lot. It wasn't what Rada Labs became, though. Over time we changed course to building white-label apps and a platform for digital engagement, for businesses, schools and the public sector.
We changed our business model more than once. Every pivot felt like a loss at first, and every one of them opened something bigger.
Three lessons I still use
- Dare to let go. If you hold on to your first idea too tightly, you'll miss better ones.
- Hackathons are real work. Short, intense cycles force clarity. We even won NAV's innovation award at Hack4NO.
- Build with people, not just for them. Working with students taught us more about users than any spreadsheet.
In the next post I'll write about moving from founder to consultant: what carries over, and what I had to relearn.