In 2001, after working as an architect for many years, Jonas co-founded his first company, O-pen, after inventing a novel optical touch screen technology. After receiving €6 million of investment, and bringing in an international CEO, Jonas was ousted from his own company in 2005 and left the company officially in 2007. Now, O-pen is called FlatFrog and has partnerships with major companies such as Google and Samsung.

In 2008, Jonas moved onto his next company, Me-Mover, where he invented a new type of transportation device which was like a cross between a scooter and a bicycle. After successfully launching the product, in a sudden turn of events, the company went bankrupt.

Now, Jonas is the team lead of the SkyLab at the Denmark Technical University (DTU) where he coaches student start-up founders. 

In this episode you will learn:

• How to retain control over your company whilst receiving investment
• What company bankruptcy actually looks like
• How to create hype around your product launch

Chapters:

(00:00) – Introduction

(01:23) – The Touch Screen Idea Born From a Computer Mouse

(08:34) – Fired From My Own Company

(11:23) – How Founders Lose Control (Investor Lessons)

(17:56) – The Second Startup: The Me Mover

(23:53) – Kickstarter Success & The Unexpected Pivot

(45:03) – How a Tiny Fee Bankrupted My Company

(50:32) – Buying Back The Company’s Assets

(53:18) – Coaching the Next Generation of Founders

(1:00:40) – What Truly Makes a Founder Successful