I have always been an enthusiast of almost anything, whether it’s a new idea, meeting a new person or driving a new project. I think the world we live in is much better in many ways compared to how it used to be and I believe we have many tough journeys ahead of us, but intrinsically we are all capable of doing something about it. I love latest tech, new innovations and figuring out new solutions, especially in a team setting! I would also pet anything, even a crocodile, if it didn’t bit me.

What's your story before Skåne Startups?

Since I come from a business background in Sri Lanka, and pursued a bachelor’s degree in International Business in New York with a minor in Finance, business areas have always spiked my interest. During the eight years I spent in New York I have also worked in sales and marketing and business operations. Since then, I have moved to Sweden to explore innovation and sustainability.

I began my journey in Sweden with a scholarship for an MSc at Lund University. This gave me the perfect opportunity to be involved within the thriving tech ecosystem in Skåne region and start my work with key organizations such as Skåne Startups and Malmö Municipality’s Innovation and Development Department. Through an internship via Lund University, I also had the opportunity to be involved and work with the UNOPS S3i Innovation Center which was the UNOPS Sustainable Investments in Infrastructure and Innovation (S3i) initiative.

Thathsara Palliyaguru (3rd from the right) in WiE event 2022

What was your role at Skåne Startups?

I had a very exciting role at Skåne Startups as the lead of Women in Entrepreneurship (WiE) program. With the support of Skåne Startups, during my time in this role, I had the opportunity to host and moderate 15 Women in Entrepreneurship Networking events with various stakeholders, connecting various branches of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Skåne.

Thathsara Palliyaguru was hosting Student Startup matching event 2022

In 2021, this work led to organizing global events such as World Pride for Malmö pride, where I was the main correspondent and the moderator for the Entrepreneurship for LGBTQIA+ people event. It was a high-impact event that led me to keep contributing to Skåne Startups' work via really amazing events such as Startup Live, where I was the moderator for the climate panel and Student Startup Matching event at Malmö University, to name a few!

Thathsara Palliyaguru (3rd from the right) hosted Malmö Pride x WiE edition 2021

What did you enjoy the most at Skåne Startups?

The team spirit and creating a can-do environment to overcome any and all challenges along the way! This is very important for me because I am definitely an “all-in” kind of a person. The fact that people care about what they do inspires me exponentially. This inspiration was very prominent in the community and at Skåne Startups.

It was important to me that we made sure to create safe spaces during our events and also within the team where we came together to talk about almost any topic. From Fundraising to Mental Health. From Deeptech to Yogic breathing. Any and all were welcome and it all mattered. Also, the fact that we were a super diverse team coming from all over the world made us very resilient as a team and we could withhold any challenge that came our way.

Thathsara Palliyaguru (1st from the right) moderated the panel at Startup Live! 2022)

Can you tell us about your current work?

Currently, I work with business intelligence and business strategy. I am incredibly lucky to be part of an amazing team in Gothenburg at AB Volvo Group’s Strategy team. Our team is super kind and brilliant, and the work I do is heavily embedded in sustainability and innovation.

I am inspired by the work ethic, equality, importance of diversity, incredible engineering and amazing technology that gets created here. Every day I learn something new and I literally have to pinch myself every once in a while to know that this is what I get to do! I love science, technology, new innovations and figuring out new solutions, especially in a team setting.

What is your advice for other talents?

I think it's super important to be kind and listen actively. Keep connecting with people and keep helping but also help yourself! (Can’t pour from an empty cup eh? : D)

If you are building, build a diverse team and that would be the biggest strength. When all fails, it is the team that will carry through. I listened to Simon Sinek say that it is easy to find people who can navigate calm waters, but people who will stick through a rough storm, that's who you really want. So build a relationship with those who you work with, honest vulnerabilities can achieve lengths that stoic masquerades cannot even dream of!

Something I’m unreasonably passionate about

People who give a damn! Essentially people who care, and technology. Put these two together, and I think we will see miracles happen.

In the framework of seminars and conferences focused on exalting plurality and celebrating differences, we developed LGBTQIA+ people in Entrepreneurship. It was an international event in which the perspectives of great experts in diversity were integrated with an audience interested in expanding inclusivity through innovation and entrepreneurship.

For this reason, we brought together various key players including gender scientists, LGBTQIA+ founders, and researchers in a discussion that led us to reflect on the individual and collective role in closing the gender gap.

Vanessa Schmidt, a panelist pointed out challenges to raise awareness about gender equality in common workplaces. Vanessa is gender and cultural scientist with work experience in the non-profit sector, cultural organization, and academia. Vanessa is passionate about separatist cultural work and social movements. She brought awareness to creating safe spaces for discussions and the importance of non-assumption.

As part of Jämställd Utveckling Skåne (Gender Equality Development), Vanessa is a key helper in building an inclusive region supported by educational programs, talks, and training sessions. She also gave important recommendations to implement inclusive language as part of the inclusion strategy in corporations.

Anna Blixt also joined the event as a panelist and shared her experience as a lecturer in gender equality. Discussions led on regarding the biased labor markets and going beyond one’s acquaintances in talent acquisition. Anna guided a sharp conversation due to her extensive knowledge and education in gender studies, political science, and economics.

We also talked about the value of proactively educating oneself relying on means as accessible as Google to understand different genders and creating fair and inclusive environments for all. A tip: go beyond the cultural norm of having business conversations in the Sauna or the golf club!

Karl Yves Vallin who is a co-founder of Lufu is also a project manager for RFSL Malmö and a facilitator of the Refugees, Borders & Immigration summit at the Human Rights Forum of World Pride. Karl works to promote the rights of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and refugees globally.

Karl discussed the often sideline topic of LGBTQIA+ refugees and forcibly displaced people. As an activist in human rights and a founder of a thriving company, Karl’s insights were crucial at our impactful event. Especially the fact that refugees who belong to the LGBTQIA+ community are often discriminated against by their own nation’s community as well as society as a whole. Therefore it is more than ever important to consider these marginalized communities in entrepreneurship.

As our fourth panelist, we had the honor of listening to Ingo Cando, a queer arts and culture entrepreneur who founded Wotever World. Ingo has experience of over 25 years spanning from London to Malmö in creating business ventures that are connected to establishing a more equal society. Ingo discussed matters of community building and the journey of Wotever World.

Ingo reminded us to be curious but kind and accept all people regardless of their sexuality. After all, if we are to make Skåne the most thriving startup ecosystem, we must go beyond cultural and societal norms and create equal opportunity for all.

At the end of the panel, the public had the opportunity to interact with the panelists and continue the analysis from the perspectives and experiences of the participants. In the networking session, eager founders, experienced entrepreneurs, and global talents got together to build a more inclusive community in southern Sweden.

This event served as a meeting point for various actors fighting for human rights. The networking space inspired to promote international communities open to diversity. It also motivated the construction of entrepreneurial projects based on inclusion among the participants.

With the audience participation, we engaged in insightful reflections regarding the importance of expanding inclusion to all environments, such as personal and professional contexts. Likewise, we developed critical conversations about the necessity of interactions where respect and dignity prevail over all.

Thus, the encounter strengthened the entrepreneurial ecosystem from equality and served to encourage discussions of gender diversity, prioritizing labor inclusion in entrepreneurial settings.

The conversations derived from entrepreneurial networks to what an ecosystem can contribute to empowering its female talent. Judith mentioned the importance of sustainability in driving startups and her role as an intrapreneur. Andrea discussed about her role in driving startups in Lund and her contribution.

Helena spoke about her role in Torch Advisory’s miscellaneous projects and interim leadership roles with sustainability and digital platform focus with multi-sided business models. Helena also drives sustainable solutions for air quality as well as replacing jet fuel with sustainable alternatives.

Shenny and Lina are at the beginning of their entrepreneurial journeys and contributed on the importance of increasing their network. Nellie will be raising funding to expand her online interior design service company, Hemset. Hemset provides fast, easy and affordable solutions for cafe’s or any place that needs design help.

Yvette, who is the Co-founder of AHA!, a company that works to enhance human potential through applied neuroscience contributed the future of edtech.

Community Partner

Helene Tigerström at Mindpark Helsingborg

Participants

Shenny Arquillano is the Assistant General Manager for Norweigian Cruiseline. She is originally from the Philippines and has experience in Hospitality and Services industry for almost 20 years. She is also an entrepreneur in the Helsinborg region and building a network and support system for her new venture.

Judith Baeta is a positive-thinker, intrinsically motivated and data-driven young professional. She is passionate about harnessing innovation to create more sustainable, inclusive and resilient societies. She is particularly interested in channeling innovation to enable sustainability transitions and to empower communities in the Global South. Judith is specialized in innovation and global sustainable development.

Lina Cai is a talented marketing manager who is experienced in strategic planning and building brand awareness. She has experience in enhancing customer experience and engagement in order to boost sales. Lina is a mother of three and currently working on developing an entrepreneurial venture related to toddler's items.

Yvette Larsson She is an IB PYP international educator and an EdStartUp innovator with a focus on education for 21st-century learners, using recent research in the field of neuroscience, making learning fun, and on a deep level. She is an expert in project-based learning, conceptual thinking, skills-focus and agency anchored in a classroom without walls.

Nellie Rolf is the CEO at Hemset who has a passion for people and a healthy lifestyle. Her broad technical education and business knowledge has helped her in developing Hemset. She has a strong background in strategic communications as well.

Helena Nordström is the founder and Managing Partner of Torch Advisory. Helena has created a path as an entrepreneur in mission-driven tech. Her speciality is multi-sided business models with the purpose of nurturing ecological and social efforts in ways such as digital engagement platforms, renewable energy solutions and air purification technology that battles Covid-19.

Andrea Iseli is in Venture Development in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Ideon Innovations. She is a result-driven, dynamic and ambitious multicultural professional. Andrea is passionate about entrepreneurship, personal growth, inclusivity, and sustainability.

From the City Expo H22, Kristen brought insights on how entrepreneurial women can collaborate with them and Helsingborg stad to bring innovation and sustainability to their entrepreneurial journey. Irene showcased her sustainability oriented product gocircularity which is already in the market with innovative solutions for skincare.

Sally and Yana spoke about their mission in bringing and retaining international talent in Helsingborg. Martine and Patricia discussed their mission in health centered work spaces and about their fitness studios located In Helsingborg that cater to women empowerment.

Mia explained her role in sustainability solutions and Matou added insights on the role of MINC in Malmö and how different regions can collaborate to create a thriving atmosphere for female ventures. Emma from Hetch added what aspects need to be focused when raising capital for new ventures and the importance of networking. All in all the ladies shared incredible knowledge and insights on how to make Skåne the most innovative hub for female talent and entrepreneurship.

Community partner: Hetch AB

Attendees

Irene Atance is the CEO and Founder of GoCirkulär AB. She has expertise in the achievement of KPI's or commercial strategies as well as identifying the best strategic solutions. Her studies in global nutrition and health, and the MA in leadership for sustainability with the focus of strategic management helped her establish her sustainability driven company.

Mia Blatancic Community Development Specialist at WeSolve. Mia is passionate in seeking sustainable solutions that she derived from the challenges she has experienced whilst trying to create a positive impact. By working for international businesses as well as non-profits, she has realized that in order to scale sustainability efforts, a systematic approach and organizational knowledge is crucial.

Patricia Bohlen  is the founder of Helsingborgs Kroppsterapi & Osteopatklinik. Her competence is a holistic approach in her practice. To see a "problem" from different angles. With combined expertise from yoga, ayurveda and osteopathy Patricia offers individualized treatment packages that treat body & mind, inner & outer health. Her goal is to promote long-lasting healthcare.

Kristin Englholm works with International Relations, H22, Helsingborg Smart City and contributes in the grand mission of making Helsingborg one of Europe’s most innovative cities. With H22 she has worked with projects related to innovation, sustainability and infrastructure.

Yana Mitskevich is an excellent communicator and founder of  Eventomania and WoWayClub. Yana works in international talent attraction and retention in Helsingborg. She has created a platform where international expats can participate in many events in the city to enrich their social lives.

Sally Russell. Since 2018, Sally has worked full-time for Helsingborg International Connections, the social enterprise she co-founded in 2013. HIC works in partnership with Helsingborgs stad to provide a warm welcome for international residents through English-speaking events, drop-in sessions, information and networking opportunities.

Matouleibi S is a Community Associate at MINC  She is specialized in development studies and has a background of banking and finance as well as developing financial literacy programs for marginalized communities in India. Currently, she is passionate about business development in Southern Sweden.

Martine Wenstad is the Founder of STÄRK.se and FEELSTRONG.se. She is also a coach, personal trainer, and a motivator. Her company FEELSTRONG especially helps women in their fitness journey and her company, STÄRK is all about health, wellness and fitness! Martine also has a management degree from BI Norweigian Business School.

As a special segment, in the opening chat we enjoyed the participation of Karin Lintrup, Head of Sustainability from MINC who discussed topics on future of sustainability and what it means for MINC. As a key innovative institution of the region, MINC’s role in creating a sustainable future is admirable. Moreover, Karin’s inspirational voice was the start of a vibrant conversation about recognition of female potential in business environments. Likewise, we discussed the role of humility in the perception of our achievements and how we project ourselves towards others.

We enjoyed the company of impressive founders discussing their journey in sustainability such as ladies from Lufu Jacqueline and Hanna who has brought sustainable meat alternative to the Swedish food market based on the Lupin bean.

Cecilia helps companies build sustainable strategies through her company G-digit and Amanda who is catalyst for change making works in business development through her company Skördetid.Uppasana is currently conducting research on sustainable agricultural methods at Lund University and a specialist in systems thinking.

Andrea who is venture developer at Ideon innovations believes sustainable transitions start at personal level and will achieve global audiences through the impactful startups that Skåne region famously produces. The discussions ahead light on impressive personalities. Despite facing difficulties along the way, such as abrupt job endings, risky career shifting decisions, they are now leading sustainability driven businesses and high impact projects.

These outstanding ladies are great role models in the entrepreneurial community. Know more about their fantastic stories:

Community supporter

Dzenis Skopljak, Community Manager, Mia Levenius Facility Manager, and Karin Lintrup Head of Sustainability from MINC, Ylva Lidin, Executive Director of Venture Lab, and Matouleibi collaborator at MINC.

Participants

Hannah Barker is a Co-Founder at LuFu.se. Lufu is a venture that provides sustainable locally grown lupin products. Lufu helps consumers to make healthy and sustainable choices by providing locally produced alternatives to meat and soy products. Hanna is a MSc Student in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Lund University.

Andrea Iseli is in Venture Development in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Ideon Innovations. She is a result-driven, dynamic and ambitious multicultural professional. Andrea is passionate about entrepreneurship, personal growth, inclusivity, and sustainability.

Cecilia Engfelt is the Vice President of G-digIT AB, a company that helps with developing sustainable strategies, environmental policy, and green ICT transformations. Cecilia helps companies to minimize digital carbon footprint and take part in the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and long-term profitability.

Jacqueline Rohde Mohr is a Co-Founder at both Jules & Mohr as well as Lufu.se. Along with leading sustainable food choices at Lufu, Jacqueline also helps her customers at Jules & Mohr to optimize concepts within the Food & Beverage industry, with the goal of creating memorable experiences for the end-consumers. Jacqueline is a MSc Student in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Lund University.

Amanda Schoenfeld is a talented Business Developer and a catalyst for positive change. She is passionate about sustainability, with a strong entrepreneurial mindset. She has a master's in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and is currently involved in marketing and business development for both Skördetid and Bona Fide.

Upasana Sen is a sustainability specialist skilled in systems thinking, multi-stakeholder engagement, strong statistical and computational research and analytical skills. Upasana has an interdisciplinary background in sustainability science with an emphasis on climate, environment, sustainable agriculture and food systems.

We had impactful discussions about the art of negotiations, cutting a funding deal, bio-tech startups, different approaches to seed investments such as crowdfunding, among many other.

There was an abundance of discussions regarding cross cultural negotiations, international investments and specific focused discussions on female biotech startups. Ning’s expertise on negotiations contributed to knowledge creation for all those who attended. Danyang who is an expert on gender equality explained how equality comes to play during such transactions. Both Celine and Barbara who have expert knowledge in biotechnology facilitated discussions on startups based on biotech ventures. Finally, all the ladies had the opportunity to take tour of Goto 10 which is located in the same premises as our community partner!

Community supporter

Sabina Miradora, Verksamhetsansvarig at Mindpark Malmö

Participants

Barbara Terebieniec, a skilled molecular biologist with a broad background in biochemistry, microbiology, cell biology and genetics through a 10-year career. She is interested in novel life science technologies that can benefit human health including clinical research and trials, biotech, medtech, IVD, development of drugs and regulatory affairs.

Celine Krone, co-Founder of MINTH Biotherapeutics AB. She is part of the Health 2B accelerator program at SmiLe Incubator. She works in the research group of Åsa Håkansson, writing ethics applications, planning and initiating a human probiotic intervention to study the effects on the common cold and the gut microbiome.

Ning Wang, an angel investor, senior partner and Head of Executive Search at Retention Group which specializes in recruiting Managing Directors and APAC Directors for Swedish companies in China and Asia. She is also an experienced negotiator and a tutor on Negotiation at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

Danyang Wu, she is a business-minded analytics specialist with technical competence, and experience from large-scale retail ecommerce. Currently she works as a senior digital analyst at Sennheiser, a company that produces the world's finest headphones, microphones, wireless systems and broadcast headsets.

The students, Lola who studies international development was keen on Ideas that actually takes off in the startup world. Alejandra, who scouts new startups for her internship at Sony Accelerator Program discussed how she is researching on crowdfunding and the impact for startups to receive venture capital if it is successful on crowdfunding platform. Heiram, who is also a Lund University student specializes in strategic communications and brought insights on sales data, market trends, forecasts, and strategic communication plans to the discussions.

The ladies who attended had the opportunity to hear a startup pitch from the CEO of Bottel, Lukas. Lukas and the female entrepreneurs discussed the company’s background and their go to market strategy. Furthermore, during the tour of our community partner, The Ground, these fantastic future entrepreneurs had discussions with Joel Larsson, General Partner of Pale Blue Dot; a climate tech VC that recently raised USD100 Million. Joel advised the attendees to go forth and work on their ideas, but also it’s the core values that create all the difference.

Overall, it was another vehemently impactful Women in Entrepreneurship breakfast event for all those who attended. Positive energy overflowed with the power of future entrepreneurship. If we don’t change the world, who will?

Community supporter

Thimar Innab, The CEO of The Ground.

Participants

Romina Marchetti :  is a journalist & social communicator. She is specialized in digital marketing and in entrepreneurship and innovation at Lund University. She is talented in strategy planning for websites and social media, branding and benchmarking, online advertising, SEO and SEM, e-mail marketing, data analytics and performance reporting!

Lola Matmusaeva : Specializes in International Development and Management at Lund University. She has lived in 8 countries for the past 10 years through studies and work! She is passionate about sustainable and data-driven development. She has special interests in social entrepreneurship!

Alejandra Ramos : is a Peruvian-Dutch marketing professional whose projects and teams are lead with a “do-er” mindset. She believes that success in business development and relies on fostering relationships while making performance-based decisions. Alejandra is a senior partnerships manager at Sony Startups Acceleration program!

Viktoria Skara : Is the marketing manager at Minut. She specializes in international marketing and brand management as well as language and culture studies. Viktoria has international experience in Pepsi, Apple, Mintel, and Trainee!

Heiram Yeom : Is an energetic team player who can support sales by providing sales data, market trends, forecasts, and strategic communication plan. She has four years of business development and marketing experience under both global and startup companies!

We had the pleasure of hearing from two female founders, Arwa from Arwa FoodTech AB and Miriam from Funky Flavor. They spoke about how revolutionary food like the fruit from Sudan which is known as Baobab, can increase healthy food selections accessible in the Swedish food market. Miriam’s startup Funky Flavor gives the customer the opportunity to ferment their own food with the DIY kit the company will ship to you. Miriam says once you learn the benefits of fermented food, especially when it comes to gut health, there is no turning back. Also fermenting your own means there are no preservatives and you exactly know what you will consume. Miriam also mentioned a huge client base who didn’t like a certain vegetable before and ended up loving the fermented version of it.

Aurora and Zeynep spoke on topics of digital media and ed-tech. Aurora has a background in communications, media and marketing.  She believes that we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used as they were created. Aurora founded Regenerative Minds, to scale the regenerative mind shift to solve our greatest challenges with regenerative solutions for a sustainable, therefore aspiring a thriving world for all living things. Regenerative Minds is a collaborative network of experts working for win-win-win solutions and to bring more to the system than we take. They use creative processes with a regenerative perspective to find solutions for thriving systems. Zeynep discussed being a change leader with a global track record that has dedicated her career to improving societies and communities through cross-sectorial development programs and capacity building through stakeholder involvement. Her impressive journey was inspiring for all those who participated.

The discussions led on about scaling up businesses, how to guide your way through raising funding for your start up as a women entrepreneur and creating co-working spaces that fosters sustainability and female empowerment. The ladies kicked backed and shared stories and laughter and carried learnings from each other. It was truly inspiring to listen to each and every one of them. Below is a list and a description of the attendees!

Community supporter

Thimar Innab, The CEO of The Ground

Participants

Zeynep Erdal,  is a development planner, strategic system designer, and change leader with a global track record that has dedicated her career to improving societies and communities through cross-sectorial development programs and capacity building through stakeholder involvement. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the global platform Wovid Diaries!

Miriam Kiehn, is the founder of Funky Flavor , where her team brings new exciting experiences into a healthy lifestyle, by offering ready-to-eat fermented products and DIY-kits to ferment at home. She is a serial entrepreneur as she is currently working on another startup called Trash to Gold. Miriam has a vast background in quantitative research as well!  

Arwa Mustafa, is the founder NutraGreen, which has the mission of connecting life science industries: pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food, and cosmetic to encourage and facilitate the use of natural ingredients and promote green processing technologies. She is an extraction chemist and holds a PhD in Food Science!

Aurora Koon  who is the founder of Regenerative Minds!  
She believes that we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used as they were created. She believes that we each have to be the change we all want to see in the world! Thus, Aurora found Regenerative Minds, to scale the regenerative mind shift to solve our greatest challenges with regenerative solutions for a sustainable, therefore aspiring a thriving world for all living things.

Regenerative Minds is a collaborative network of experts working for win-win-win solutions and to bring more to the system than we take. They use creative process with a regenerative perspective to find solutions for thriving systems. Aurora also has a fantastic background in the creative industry, with almost two decades in the creative field of communication, branding, media, content, marketing and design!