Paying it forward

From two people and an idea to a company in scale: this year, Really returned to share the lessons from their journey with the founders joining ScaleupNext before they head to MIT in Boston.

Last autumn, Dagfinn Edvardsen and Erik Blaauw from Really AS took part in our growth programme ScaleupNow. This year, they are paying it forward.

From two people and an idea to scale

Really started with two people and an idea that the real estate industry deserves a better way to manage procurement and service purchasing.

During the session, Dagfinn shared the story of their journey from being an idea to becoming a company in scale and the lessons they have learned along the way. A part of that journey was participating in our scaling programme ScaleupNow.

At the end of April, we are bringing founders from 12 startups to Boston to give them access to the same kind of learning as Really got, through our startup programme ScaleupNext.

What Really learned along the way

Dagfinn gave the founders valuable insight into both the choices they made in the early startup phase and the decisions that have helped them scale.

One of his clearest messages was that the problem must be validated by real customers – end users who are actually willing to pay for the product.

He also shared how their original idea of what Really would become changed over time, and the learning process that shaped the company into what it is today.

Three lessons from Really’s growth journey

Dagfinn highlighted three things that have been especially important for their journey:

• Keep the team small for as long as possible – small teams are agile teams
• Make adjustments along the way – do not wait until everything is perfect
• Draw on the expertise in your network – recognise and use the competence of others

What they gained from ScaleupNow

He also shared what Really gained from taking part in ScaleupNow.

What proved especially useful for them was:

• a shared language and common concepts
• putting their own competence into a clear structure
• more effective communication with decision-makers

This led to several concrete improvements in how they work:

• clearer ICPs, personas and value propositions
• a stronger willingness to test and adjust pricing models
• a clearer structure and playbook for separate customer segments

Want to learn more?

We are continuously recruiting participants for both our startup programme and our growth programme.

If you would like to learn more about how your company can take part in this programme, supported by Sparebanken Norge through Agenda Vestlandet, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.