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Alumni 2012

Läs om fyra av Leapfrogs-projekten från 2012.
Read about four of the Leapfrog projects from 2012.

Jobgration

Omniflit

Art by Video

Intelligent Street Lighting

 


Hi Alma Sandberg...

Founder of Jobgration and received a Leapfrogs check in 2012. Alma studied a master of entreprenurship in Lund and is originally from Albania.

Alma Sandberg

 

What is Jobgration?

Jobgration is a platform that helps internationals with an academic and professional background establish in the Swedish job market. Jobgration at the moment has a collaboration with Arbetsförmedlingen.

How did you come up with the business idea?

In my position as Vice President for Tamam I met many highly educated individuals with a non-Swedish background that despite competence and a long time in Sweden had a very hard time finding a job. I wondered why it was so hard for them to get a job and I discovered that they lacked contacts and networks in the Swedish society. Together with a classmate that had discovered the same problem when working at Arbetsförmedlingen, I started Jobgration with an aim to help people become more integrated in the society and to find a job.

Did Leapfrogs help your project move forward?

Yes, definitely. Without Leapfrogs I wouldn't be able to work on my company as much as I did and the process of starting the company would have moved very slowly.

 

What has been your greatest challenge so far?

The greatest challenge for me has been to find the right partner that shares the same vision and goals as me. It can be very time consuming to work with people who don't work towards the same goals as you. It has also been challenging for me to start a company in Sweden when my Swedish is not so fluent. I have to rely on my business partner or friends when communicating in Sweden which has slowed the development of the company down.

 

What is the next step for Jobgration?

We will work with improving the website and incorporate a service where job seekers can register their CV and be searchable for employers. In the future Jobgration will also offer business developer advice to people with a non-Swedish background and professional Swedish courses.

 

Would you recommend students to apply for Leapfrogs and do you have any advice to give them?

Yes! It is an exciting journey to start a company and Leapfrogs gives you a push in the right direction. My advice to people that want to start a company is to find the right partner from the start and to be patient. Everything will take longer than you think so don´t give up!


Hi Linnea Vikbrant...

Linnéa Vikbrant has a background in strategic communication and received a Leapfrogs cheque during 2012 for a project called Omniflit.
 

Linnea Vikbrand

What is Omniflit?

Omniflit makes travelling easier, cheaper and more social. A smartphoneapp and a web interface matches you with co-workers or friends that have the same, or similar, travelling patterns as you.


How did you come up with the business idea?

I started working for the company some time after it had been registered as a business as the team needed someone with my background. The core business idea developed somewhat during my time with the company as we explored different angles based on input we got.

 

Did Leapfrogs help you develop as a person?

Yes, I learned a lot during the three months I worked full time on the company. I got a chance to develop my entrepreneurial skills and pursue new opportunities. It was great that we could use the money for whatever we saw fit for the project. That, among other things, enabled a visit to the annual political event of Almedalsveckan where we met with politicians and decision makers.

 

What were the greatest challenges you faced during the Leapfrogs time?

It was a challenge to work as close with people as you do in a team and it was crucial to develop a good internal communication as well as an external one. Moreover, being responsible for marketing communication, I found it challenging yet very fun to create a credible and comprehensible communication strategy around something that didn't fully exist.

 

What happened after Leapfrogs?

After Leapfrogs I worked with the project parallel with my studies but when I graduated I got a job as a CEO for a publishing company and couldn't continue working for Omniflit. I have frequently used my experience from Leapfrogs in my job as a CEO as they were actually looking for someone with an entrepreneurial mindset. Leapfrogs was therefore a positive influence both on me as a person and on my career.

 

Would you recommend students to apply for Leapfrogs and do you have any advice to give them?

If you think you have a business idea you should definitely apply. I particularly wish to encourage students from other academic backgrounds than Business or Engineering to apply. Entrepreneurship is a skill everyone can develop – regardless of academic discipline. To me it's a way of thinking. A Leapfrogs check is a ticket to a spectacular ride – don't miss out!


Hi there Sofia Landström...

...founder of Art by Video and one of the 28 students granted a Leapfrogs cheque in 2012. 


Sofia Landström

 

What is Art by Video?
It is a company that makes art more available for everyone, mostly via our website artbyvideo.com.The goal is to create an interactive forum where artists and art lovers can come together, regardless of where they are located. Discussions and conversations should be at the centre and developways to view and understand art.


How did you come up with the business idea?
In the summer of 2011, I packed my bags and moved to Chicago for the summer. I had studied art history, visual culture and administration for two years, and I needed the satisfying feeling of getting away and working in my field. I got an internship as a gallery assistant at a major artcentre swarming with artists, gallery owners, andcreative studios. It was somewhere in this crowd that the concept of Art by Video was born. I realised that I needed to start a company to work with art.

 

Did Leapfrogs help your project move forward?
Yes, without the money from Leapfrogs it would really have been difficult to work at the beginning, without an income or anything. It also gaveour work legitimacy.

 

What has been your greatest challenge so far?
To keep pressing on; starting a business takes time and giving up is not an option!


What is the next step for Art by Video?
To expand and create new solutions, for example in the form of virtual galleries and suchlike. 


Hi Tatyana Kolyaka...

Working with the project Intelligent Street Lighting and a company called Greinon Engineering together with Serdar Köse who received a Leapfrogs check in 2012.

 

Tatyana Kolyaka

 

What is the project about?

The project aims to create an intelligent and environmental friendly street lightning system. The system allows a variance in light during the day and does also automatically light up the street when a person or vehicle is passing. The solution consists of hardware for the streetlamps and an advanced software system based on wireless communication.

 

How did you come up with the business idea?

The idea started off from a master thesis project in wireless communication in 2011. Together with the supervisor for the thesis, the project has now developed to a registered company. During one year between spring 2012 and 2013 we got an opportunity to use an office space in the student incubator Venture Lab.

 

Did Leapfrogs help the project move forward?

Receiving a Leapfrogs check gave a self confidence boost to continue with the idea. Of course the money did also help us to focus on the project. We had prior received financial support for the project but then solely for specified technical development. The Leapfrogs check gave room for coverage of daily expenses – this was crucial to get time to really work on the project.

 

What is the next step for the project?

Since early autumn 2013 our company has moved in to an office in the Ideon Innovation Incubator in Lund. During the winter the product will be tested around Lund as a pilot case. After this we hope to get in touch with and sign agreements with more customers. An idea is also to extend the physical product offer with consultancy services within wireless- and telecommunication.

 

Would you recommend students to apply for Leapfrogs and do you have any advice to give them?

Yes! It's a very good opportunity to get time to work with your project, get a self confidence boost and recognition for the idea. During the Leapfrogs project you have to work hard since three months pass fast. When the months and money is over you need to be prepared for what comes after.