NHH students happy with their studies
The national Studiebarometeret 2023 survey shows that NHH students are among the most satisfied students in Norway. ‘No doubt that it's an attractive school,’ says Kjersti Nøttum Haaland (23).
‘We need more female entrepreneurs’
Entrepreneur Silje Lindtvedt Fladmoe (27) encourage more women to start their own business. Her advice: ‘Go for it! ‘There will never be a perfect time.’
Silje Lindtvedt Fladmoe was recently interviewed for Forbes on female entrepreneurship. This is an extended version of the interview.
‘I have always wanted to make a meaningful change, and I realized that if you truly want to make an impact, you must be in a place where your opinions matter,’ says Silje Lindtvedt Fladmoe (27).
She is CEO and co-founder of the start-up Testhub Technologies (see facts). Their biggest customer is Norwegian, a low-cost airline from Norway and Scandinavia’s second-largest airline.
Also read:
Testhub Technologies
- Testhub Technologies is a start-up determined to make the world more equal through fair recruitment practice.
- They provide large corporations with a software solution designed to eliminate biases and noise in the initial screening of job applicants.
- Their technology is inspired by Daniel Kahneman and others who have researched the flaws of human decision making.
‘NHH gave me confidence’
Fladmoe is a business economist with two master’s degrees – an MSc in Economics and Business Administration from NHH Norwegian School of Economics and a CEMS master’s degree in international management (CEMS MIM), awarded by the CEMS alliance. She finished her studies in 2022.
How has your business school experience helped you in your life as an entrepreneur?
‘NHH and CEMS provided me insight into the mechanics of running a successful business. It equipped me with fundamental knowledge of making a business model, financial management, and sustainable business practices. These are all important aspects of building a start-up, and the knowledge provided me with the confidence to start on my own.’
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Among Europe’s 50 best
NHH Norwegian School of Economics is ranked as number 45 on the Financial Times’ overall ranking, same as last year.
Changed their customer portfolio
Even though Fladmoe is early in her entrepreneur career, she has already faced several challenges as a leader. The biggest was during the Covid-19 pandemic. With recruitment activities being stopped overnight across industries, they had to rethink how to test out their product and make revenue.
‘We soon realized we had to target corporations that were not heavily affected by the pandemic. We therefore diversified our customer portfolio. The learning from the pandemic has resulted in the team keeping social and political forces in mind when targeting new customers.‘
‘ensure our voice is heard’
How is it to be a female entrepreneur in a world "full of men?" Have you encountered any biases?
‘As we work with how biases affect recruitment decisions, I have been aware that being a young female entrepreneur might be challenging. I think the most surprising thing to me is that in a group full of men, I am rarely asked what I do for a living. There are also many who are surprised when I talk about my role,’ she says, and adds:
‘To overcome this, I think it is important that we take up space and ensure our voice is heard. We need even more female entrepreneurs as role models to inspire future generations.’
‘Have a supportive network’
This is Fladmoe’s advice to women who are considering starting their own business:
‘Don't postpone going for it! There will never be a perfect time to jump into something like starting a business. Being an entrepreneur is a long and demanding task, make sure you surround yourself with a supportive network of fellow entrepreneurs and mentors, and that you have fun along the way.’
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Our student ambassadors share their best advice
They are ready to answer all your questions on student life and how it is to live in Bergen. Get to know them better – and find out what they like the best about NHH.
‘THE JOURNEY IS FAR FROM OVER’
One last question: What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
‘For me it is a reminder that the journey towards equal opportunities is far from over. While there are numerous critical issues to address globally, one that hits close to home for me is the disparity between capital allocation between male and female startups.’
According to a report by Unconventional Ventures, nearly 95 per cent of all venture capital flows to all-male teams, while all-female teams receive less than 1 per cent, and mixed-gender teams secure around 5 per cent.
‘These statistics highlight the reality that it is a long way to go to achieving equal opportunities to build, fund, and scale companies,’ stresses Fladmoe.