BACKGROUND

Nicklas Bergman has always had a head of innovation and technology, as is evident in his education background. He studied product design at Beckmans Designhögskola college, before going on to gain a Master’s in management from the University of Colorado Boulder, a Master’s in strategy and marketing from the School of Business, Economics, and Law at the University of Gothenburg, and an MBA in business development from the Stockholm School of Economics.

He is now a straight-talking Swedish entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and thinker, understanding the technological trends shaping business, culture, and society. He has over 30 years working as an entrepreneur, 20 years as a technology investor, and 10 years working in the foresight space, making him one of the most pragmatic futurists in technology.

Nicklas in his own words:

“I’m a strong believer that technology is one of the main drivers of change in business and society today. Often people bring up digitization, but when it comes to the question of ”disruption” (an extremely worn-out expression btw), digital is only the warm-up! True transformation will come from a combination of digital innovations, advances in nanotechnology and new materials, a deeper understanding of the human brain and the ability to understand every aspect of our genome and tailor our DNA.

The framework for understanding these effects are similar independently of what technologies are being discussed. One needs to analyze technologies, assess the business or societal effects, and then adapt to a new reality.

As a speaker, I always enter the stage with the goal to inspire, entertain, and educate with the promise to give you a new perspective on technology as well as examples of tools you will need for surviving the techstorm.

Also, as an advisor on technology, strategy and business transformation I’ve had workshops with the management teams of (among other) Air France, Novo Nordisk, Danone/Nutrica, Vestas, the top 10 division leaders at Siemens, partners at major Nordic law firms as well as an informal network of board members and chairpersons of some of the largest companies listed at the Nordic stock exchanges.”

BUSINESS

Nicklas’ story as an investor stems from decades of entrepreneurial grit and seed-stage investing in emerging markets and technologies. He hasn’t always been successful though, experience his fair share of epic failures along the way.

In 2000 he co-founded Nanofactory Instruments which provides systems that enables companies to carry out research and development with nanometer precision; co-founded Funäsdalsberget, a ski resort development, in 2006; and investment company Nirab Parts in 1991. He also founded Quid Tu Vides, and seed-stage venture capital company Intergalactic Industries.

On top of his founding and CEO career, he has also been a prominent advisor and consultant for companies including Bohlin & Strömberg, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, SwedNanoTech, TechCast Global, and the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency.

Other companies Nicklas has worked for include Smoltek, Sting Capital AB, Pod Investment AB, Swedish C55 Association, and Ledarskapsdagen i Göteborg AB.

As well as his own investment portfolio, Nicklas is a member of the investment committee of the EIC Fund – the €10 billion deep-tech venture capital started by the European Commission.

AUTHOR

Nicklas is also a writer, particularly interested in practical perspectives of the merger of business, society, and technology.

In 2015, he published Surviving the Techstorm: Strategies in Times of Technical Uncertainty, followed by Navigating the Techstorm: The Business Impact of Technology Beyond the Hype (2018), which was subsequently listed in Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the top business books to read that year.

He has also contributed to a number of publications, including 250 Insights: To Help Your Professional and Personal Life (2018) a collection of valuable insights from leading global contributors; and Nordic Ways: The Nordic Model in a Global Perspective (2016).

SPEAKER

Nicklas Bergman is a very popular keynote speaker, and has spoken at over 300 events in over 40 countries.

KEYNOTE TOPICS

The Intelligence Revolution – AI Beyond the Hype: Nicklas looks beyond the hype around AI, and in combination with his advice on how to understand the trends in AI, audience member will be ideally positioned to stay ahead of the competition. As a long-term collector of tech bubbles, and as someone who invests in dozens of AI-related start-ups every year, he is the perfect guide to help audiences debunk AI and show the real impact it can have.

Navigating the Techstorm – Insights Beyond the Hype: As a long-term technology entrepreneur and investor, Nicklas is unique positioned to guide audience members through the challenge of understanding the rapidly changing technological world. Whether you’re looking for a tactical perspective, strategic perspective, or a more visionary outlook, Nicklas will help connect the dots between scientific breakthroughs, new technologies, start-up trends, business impact, and cultural and societal effects.

Geopolitics, Megatrends, and Inevitable Surprises: Thanks to his global mindset, and continuous interactions with innovators, investors, scholars, artists, activists, policymakers, and entrepreneurs, Nicklas is able to draw thought-provoking conclusions about the state of the world. This keynote provides audiences with a deeper understanding of the state of the world, emphasising global power shifts, and the pros and cons of innovation and technology independence.

Opportunities in Times of Great Uncertainty: With over 30 years of entrepreneurial experience, Nicklas has learned that you must aim to build a resilient and flexible mindset. By understanding different kinds of strategies for coping, a leader can often make sense of, and develop alternatives in ambiguous situations. Nicklas provides anecdotes on uncertainty, and how uncertainty can also mean opportunity.

The Entrepreneurial Journey – Luck, Timing, and Talent: Whether it’s co-founding a company in 1999 an scaling it to a 300 MEUR Business within 15 years, or investing in an offshore engineering company, success always comes down to luck, timing, and talent. Nicklas shares stories and useful insights from his years as an investor and entrepreneur.

Nicklas has been a keynote speaker at events including:

– Summit on technology and societal effects, hosted by the Swedish Prime Minister

– Global Innovation Summit for the top 250 managers of French energy giant Engie SA

– Summit on emerging markets and industry 4.0 for the World Bank and IFC in Marrakech

– South By Southwest conference on technology, music, and film in the US

– The World Future Society’s annual conference in the US

– Summit on the future of technology investing at the Institutional Investor Summit in Bahrain

– Oracale Open World Asia in Singapore

– The World Economic Forum annual innovation meeting in Tianjin

– Masterclasses with the management team of Vestas in Bengaluru

Clients: Airbus, BNP Paribas, Deloitte, Engie, EQT, Ericsson, European Commission, Gartner, GE, Henkel, IBM, IFC, Mastercard, Microsoft, Nokia, Novartis, Oracle, PWC, Ricoh, Swiss Re, SXSW, Toyota, UPS, Vestas, Volvo, World Economic Forum

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book Nicklas Bergman for your next live event or corporate video.

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