Name: Linnéa Westerlund
Title: COO and Co-founder

What is your connection to SSES, and how has it influenced or affected your journey?
We have a really close relationship to the people working at SSES and they have given us a lot of support. E g everything from tips for funding, connections to potential clients and help with website. Also, some days when you just need some encouragement, they provide that as well!
When you are an early stage startup almost everything is uncertain, so it has been great to have an office to go to where there is people that support you.

What advice would you give those just starting out as entrepreneurs?
Companies are built by people, so it’s important to find the right ones. Finding those with the right competence, experience, mindset and values is hard, but totally worth it. Don’t get so eager that you recruit on the premises of “it’s not a good fit but I just want to move forward”. Invest a lot of time in building your core team.

Do you enjoy working in interdisciplinary groups? If so, what are the benefits?
Yes, definitely. It’s easy to get stuck in your own way of thinking. E g it’s in my nature to see things from the business perspective and that might limit my thinking sometimes. It is a great experience for me to work closely with people from both psychology and tech. We are all so very different in our thinking and that’s where the magic happens in EQ Accelerator.

What’s your favorite word, and your definition of it? (Swedish, English, or other)
“Yes” is my favorite word. It opens doors where you never thought you’d enter. When saying “Yes” to doing things that scares you, you grow. Sometimes you might not know how to do it, but with a mindset of “how hard can it be”, you will solve it on the way. The worst thing that can happen is that you screw up. But hey, at least you were brave enough to throw yourself out there!

What’s one trend you’re most excited about in the next 5 years?
Cognitive technologies. Just imagine how this will revolutionize the area of psychology. This excites me a lot.

How would you define success?
To live your life in a way that aligns with your values, not other people’s.