Special note: To the hundreds of you who have asked to invest in my fund: I’m sorry – the paperwork to get this approved isinsane (it’s not legal to take money from normal people – only rich people are allowed – hmmm…).

Today, just a bit below, I will tell you the fastest way to become a millionaire—no guarantee that its fun, but rich you can become.

(I am so happy to have all of you guys following up on all my weird requests) – My blog and my twitter account simply makes me one of the fastest business developers in the world. And I can’t thank you enough. Crazy Crazy CRAZY things are happening and the next 2-3 months will change my life – again).

BASIC premise for this blog:
To start your own company or work for a really early startup – You must love change. One day you are about to close the company – next day you have the big deal signed and a company pays 27mio$ for a license to your software. Welcome to my world.

A. My Blog and Twitter

When Tradeshift was founded by Lanng and his friend/colleagues Gert and Mikkel, they got 40.000h of code from my twitter followers after my tweets (Note to self: I must find that tweet). Via twitter/Facebook  - because Im using it a lot – I have gotten a piano teacher, cool iPhone Apps, investments, nice restaurants that way…

B. I need Help (Again)

Well what’s help and what recommendations? I think I need a recommendation: Everything will be about DATA-DRIVEN recomendations – EVERYTHING. If you fix that – you will be very succesfull.  Remember when I said how to become rich above?

Anecdote: I went to see Chrix Dixon (we where kind of friends – but his IQ is my IQ-75% and his ego and mine are to alike so he stopped answering my emails). Never mind – he is one of the smartest (FOR REAL 360% SMART) guys in venture today and really cool. Well – I went to see him in 2009 about 12 months before he/they launched Hunch – and he explained how everything would be about recommendations – and how they wanted to build something smarter than 20Q.net where you think of something and 20Q will read your mind by asking a few simple questions (very interesting). I got seduced by his idea – and started researching a bit – but it did not turn me on. I could not see it – I did not really see the use for the comsumer (It’s one for the antiprotfolio)….. 2010 they sold to eBay for 80mio$ – bingo. And of course we can say now,  ”it was a super cool product”, “they got the users”, “they educated eBay/PayPal in their own need.”   BIG RESPECT.

C. Recommendations Is All

We need them. And now I ask you to recommend to me – all the recommendation startups and ideas you know ( ALERT: solid shit only . no dreams without technology- or market- proof behind).

Prefered people, teams, ideas:

1. You are an expert
2. You are deep into a weird niche (with lots of transaction i.e. payments, logistics…)
3. You are a team (can stop doing it)
4. You have 2-5years of real business experience in something boring
5. You hate that the huge company you work at – dont just fix that database – and make an API – so that your job would be 100x easier.
6. YOU ARE LAZY – and automate everything
7. You love alerts – and setup “alerts to self” all the time
8. You think Mark Zuckerberg will be the first Jewish Pope (Note to self: This is shit ass politically incorrect).
9. You are in bed with someone who has big data
10. You fundamentally believe in: It’s simple not easy.

I recommend for you

to do a startup in this recommendation space – NOW – or email me and my team recommend@lund.tv.   Remember when I said above that I’d tell you how to get rich? This is the real one. :-)

I dare to recommend this – because I know 3000% more about business software and enterprise software today (but I still feel like a freshman to the industry) – and I spend 20h a day with the hottest enterprise software startups in the world. And now I FU&#”€! NEED ONE ofr 2 projects – again because its ALL ABOUT Recommendations.

4. mail to recommend@lund.tv

So please let my know if you are into recommendations technology wise, business sector wise (grocery, books, sports.. whatever) -

Note To: Bizz Journalists

Everyone is speculating on Facebook going IPO. I have a very clear opinion on that: “Facebook is worth 2x Apple – any day – buy all the shares you can get – and lend money to buy more when they doubled in 3 months”. Facebook is Apple without hardware production – apples hardware will go to Samsung and the asian sons (Note to self: and daughters)… Apps and Payments  and Advertising and all business processes – from buying grocery, servicing your car to chatting with financial tax advisor – ALL WILL BE ON FACEBOOK in 2-3 years. Facebook is the next platform – we dont need anything else – just a browser. Some are Journalists are JALOUX that Mark Zuckerberg makes a gazzzilion – and some are worried about privacy. BUT FUCK THAT – its free – if you dont like it: GO AWAY – become or stay lonely. Facebook is helping us with democracy - and for me (since I have absolutely nothing to hide) FACEBOOK brings social relations back into play on a global scale. Small villages often has little crime – its stupid to rape someone if you know the parrents – and maybe FACEBOOK can lets us become a global village. (And yes there are lots of problems with bullying and racism- but its nothing compared to the upside). And every quater from now I predict that FACEBOOK will buy a recommendation engine (from me, You…) – :) (Note to self: Did I just use a smiley … thats gay … gay is fine with me – stop thinking about that…).

The Best Enterprice Software deals in the world.

I have Funds and Institutional investors from all over the world – trying to get in. And I get 2-3 emails pr day from private people who wants to invest small’er with the companies Im into.

Before dec 28 2011 – I will let everyone get a try – since thats more fair (this should be for everyone – not only rich peoples funds). And after seing how the banks fuck over many people in their investment advice – I have taken this decision to open up.

So if you want to invest in a mix of startups in Enterprise Software in the cloud – if you understand what I talk about. AND if you are fully 100% aware that you can loose your money faster then you can say “bank transfer”.

To those of you -

Im opening to a minimum 10.000€ pr investor – and all in all 500.000€.

I will not let you know what I invest in upfront – but the money will be put into things where Im VERY ACTIVE (I spend all my awake hours) – and I will mix it into all the new things I’m working on (not Tradeshift – its to expensive for non institutional investors).

In my super risktaking life – this is pretty safe – but dont put more then 2-5% of your fortune into this.

Send an email to MyLawyer@lund.tv – and remember that its very high risk. VERY. And you can never hold me responsible :) – its all up to you.

PS. I will not take y mothers money – thats how risky this is.
PPS. I would put my own money – if I was in the money.

Nearly All the people who have been visiting my house over the last decade more then 5 times – seems to be on steroids entrepreneurs . Most of the people I have know for a long time are Danish (and its off course easier to drop by – when you live in Denmark (where my 4 kids live)).

I made a drawing – while bored in a meeting – and my eyes nearly popped out when I starting looking at it – and understanding it. Most of my close friends are doing pretty big stuff – and survive very well – and many are just about to sell for +50mio€. Now thats crazy – specially when I remind myselfs how: 7 out of 10 Startups for sure Die (RIP RIP RIP RIP RIP RIP RIP). But then again – I do nothing but bable about new ideas and changing the world and startups all the time – so pretty obvious conclusion.

But then something else stroke me – they mostly have Scandinavian DNA. And maybe we are actually pretty good at this shit – here in Scandinavia. (Off course – everyone is so hard on each other (in my friends circles) and on the society. BUT BUT BUT – somehow I got proud. A feeling that I not always have about Scandinavia – since we are just loosing so bigtiem to any Asian country in terms of growth – BUT so be it – wellfare can only go to a certain level until it sucks all financial juice out of a country.

Im shit proud of being Scandinavian

- because of the fact that many of these companies play in the Global Superliga – within each of their niches.

ENTREPRENUER NOTES:

Of course it looks super cool from the outside.

For sure – when it works – its heaven.

Yes – some get shit ass rich.

But being an entrepreneur is mentally reverse to the public image. 1-2% are shit lucky and gives that impression. But 98-99% of all entreprenuers and even venture backers – work so insanely hard – behind the scenes – for many many years. Pushing that dream – pushing that grand idea. On top of that -  only 90% of the projects survive.

Its actually fairly lonely – to be working on something that has not ben done before. And despite the very close relations to co founers and teams (those emotions are more like love affairs – really creating a rush – but everyone know that its not gonna last forever. (and in the techworld – you nearly need the gift of being homosexual – to meet a life-partner :).) - you are always alone. You have no clue wether you can pay the next salleries – you have guilt the size of a Pedofile Catholic priest – bacause you are not 100% present to your kids, wife and family – and you have even pushed some supersmart engineers in to this – who had no clue about the stress you feel when there is no money and the wife starts to be flattered by others then you… (Since YOU ARE NOT THERE).

Despite the really crazy mess that it creates – personally, mentally and horizontally - there is nothing like being involved in a StartUp…

I have started to work a lot with a group of 4 people in Berlin. They are not only special – they are a phenomenon – a pure real ones. I cant wait to tell who it is – but not now. This post is just to show off German/Swiss “grundigheit” – and to give You: My Dear  German speaking  readers – this incredible chance.

PDF goes herE -> Stellenausschreibung Personal Assistant

PS. (If someone you know – ends up getting the job because of you – and he/she can confirm – We putting a really nice weekendstay in Berlin on top (including flights – unless you live in Boa Boa).

Mr Lanng – is one of the guys with the fastest and most focused CPU’s in town. He has been so generous – to start as blog today. And It only shows his absolute mastering of communication and transparrency in running a StartUp on speed.

Here is a snippet:

“It scared the shit out of me. Being from a nation where government welfare is the default, a nanny state, I can see how “hygge” can kill any startup. The reality is that Tradeshift is still very much a startup: we might look like a real company, but underneath that very nice and well-marketed exterior is a fragile being in its most dangerous state – “a startup looking like a real company”. read more

And the blog is HERE - http://noisetoclarity.com/

Im pretty happy that I think I have convinced him to work with me – at my new incubator. (more about that after Christmas)

Act Dont Talk

Friday was a huge day in my life. Alexander (my partner) – managed to settle a very very very complex legal fight (article here).

I have never been a fan of lawsuit and stayed out – for as long as in any way possible. But it got nasty – and our counterpart was both hard and smart (unfortunately). The problem was one of those big ones – that you cant wait out… We had no chance to do any business – and the more heat we had – the more of our clients got scared.

I should have listened 18months ago (but I was too self confident & stupid) when a very good and highly respected friend told me to (lets call him Rob Stavis): “Morten – you must freaking settle instantly and get to business – it does not matter if you are right or wrong”. He was so right. To small new players in a giant market should not spend 1min fighting – they must join forces not to get killed by the Hangar-ships send by the existing big “land owners” in the marketplace.

I was to slow – to much thinking about ego, fairness, rules, laws and pride – instead of just doing what took Us 18months.

I have the greatest respect for our competitors – and specially that we have done it gentlemen style – and will for sure have a beer after the fight.

PS. Im a little very proud (mostly proud of Alexander). Unlike the other day at The Europas (I will post about that soon)….

The “What did I Say” pessimists

Avoid lazy negative pessimists in startups.

Im having a blast these days. Its too good to be true – life simply has played the best of all tricks on me. Now that Tradeshift is showing traction – and now that it looks like I will be part of something really disrupting again. A lot of the people who have been: “What did I say – you fucked up” – are starting next wave: “Bravo – Tradeshift is impressive – Will but will it ever make money??? Or is it just a black hole for investors”. My answer: Yes I believe that Tradeshift will be an extremely lucrative business – but it will take a long time and cost a hell of a lot of money. And as always I have to underline once again (dear highly valued readers) – I DONT HAVE A CLUE. This business is THE DEFINITION OF HIGH RISK. The same goes with EVERBREAD – where we have also raised a lot of cash – from people who choose not to buy 60 Ferrari’s - but chose to believe in Assen and Everbreads vision.

But remember that not even if you look at Venture Capital from a lottery perspective is it good business:

7 of 10 fails

in first shot.

Energi

From founders and early employees you need inifinate amounts of ENERGY. When salleries are not paid on time – and when programming seems harder then worst case imagination… ENERGY is what it takes – since every startup company also require 2-4 fundamental strategy changes. Changes so deep that its like starting a company from scratch. (Count on that).

Bankruptcy

is the #1 timekiller  – its a whole startup in it self to get out of Bankruptcy. I have had 4 people fulltime during the whole process – I have been lending money for the process (big money – to pay all creditors). Think about it – who is crazy enough to lend money to a mann who is bankrupt or work for free for me believing in future value . All these people who believed in me and my skills and crazy visions – only supported financially by my ability to do s*#% ass expensive consulting and speaking gigs. I will do a whole blogpost of these people when Im 100% free. Because I have off course  - already been gambling with my salaries and consulting fees – to convert to shares in the startups Im working for. But it also means that Im not fully fully out of the risk of fall back to bankruptcy – only 98% there.

My point here is that it takes many lifetimes to hit a lucky strike – and making one successful startup – here is some back of the envelope math:

x7 StartUps to make a winner
x2 Total REstrategy
leaves x6 potential bankruptcies

Sum: 84 “StartUps” x 4years for each = 346years is what it takes to make one successful Company :)

If you want to find the energy for this 346y gamble – then dont get too involved with people who say: “Look – It failed – What Did I Say”… Act – dont talk – find people with unlimited ENEGERY – and find a lot of them.

Today I Feel Lucky

If you have been following me closely, you would have seen some crazy shit come out of Tradeshift. Instant Payments, SHIT HOT customer wins, Tradeshift App Store and now an IMPRESSIVE investment round. The secured $17 million – valuing them at $137m, making this one of the largest investment in a Euoropean tech startup this year!!

The investment is led by ru-Net and Kite Ventures.

23 month ago I met Mr. Lanng – and we convinced each other to try to build a BIG VISION: Change the way invoices are sent (its kind of stupid that people type them in – print them – dend them – and retype them) – and make it free. (I choose this Chairman post over 2-3 others with much better cash compensation and without getting shares – despite my bankruptcy   – because I think Lanng + Gert + Mikkel are the best DNA that can be produced in the Danish wellfare system. And because they did it all before in the Danish Government – AND FOR FREAKING EU – WILD!!

Today is a VERY VERY big day for this vision. Edward (Kite) and I have been flirting for a long time – and I really respect Edward for his absolute high-powered brainCPU (and self ironic attitude). But to be honest I did not expect us to get in 17.000.000$ this fast – specially when we loose quite a lot of money every month. But – the client list is INSANE – and some clients will VERY GENTLY ask their +100.000 suppliers to use tradeshift – if they want to get paid.

Our big task will be:

A) To make the simplest and best – FREE PLATFORM

B) To make the on-boarding process of +250.000 b2b users = shitAss simple and automated (We cant handle 10% of those calling us).

C) To fulfill the needs of all these +250.000 new users – in terms of business process and value-creation. Free is worth nothing – its all about the perceived value for our clients.

Important note. Lanng and Jeppe has been fantastic in this fundraising process. And yes – I take credit. But in reality its the TEAM BEHIND – teach and sales – that has made a true fucking miracle. THANK YOU TEAM. Thank you.

Opportunity of a lifetime

We will deliver – Im 100% confident. But I also kindly suggest You (dear highly valued reader) – to have a look at Tradeshifts API – and collect a group of smart friends to get started cranking apps. This is a goldmine for smart people – who understands that Tradeshift is The Social Mother Graph of B2B in very short time. And you can leverage – the acces – just like Zynga leveraged FACEBOOK. Get moving out there… Im dead serious when I say that this is the biggest opportunity I have ever seen.

Link to Tradeshift API http://developer.tradeshift.com/rest-api/

Good Feeling Berlin

I have no idea what it is. But Berlin somehow has something I have never felt in any of the +120 Cities I have visited. I so much wonder what it is…

Put you idea/comment here…

This is a long message to officially apologize to my friend Eran Davidson at HPV – with a lot of background. I had a bad day – I forgot the power of my word – and I was angry (self generated rage is a huge driver for me).

A TUESDAY in Berlin, sept:
I had a good meeting with Rouvan and Eran Davidson (from Hasso Plattner Ventures) – about a new project Im doing – and since Im so much in love with it. I GOT FURIOUS (mostly at myself) WHEN THEY DID NOT WANT TO INVEST INSTANTLY. Most entrepreneurs who have been pitching projects to VCs turn the rage against investors – to keep motivated and survive the insane pressure – instead of giving up. I did so very much (same as many years ago when I was visiting 7-8 of the 40 investors who we pitched Skype – and ALL SAID NO!). I so much wanted Rouvan to invest (I wanted him and his brilliant brain on my side) – I wanted them just to take the deal – so that the new company would get going – and I should not do the normal 15-20 pitches to VCs/Fund/Investors I normally have to do to make a deal* happen. And the reason I went to Rouvan and Eran – was simple: They are some of the best in Europe – at what they do – AND they are some of the (only) guys who will survive financially. Most funds are just dying because they cant raise their next fund.  Note: With Hasso Plattner as investor – they stand incredibly good, despite the global financial crisis.

*DEAL= raising money to a company I like  -and where I believe in PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PRODUCT, TECHNOLOGY and TIMING.

Close your eyes for a second – and think about where you are in life. If you are just a bit like me – you have achieved a lot (maybe even gotten kids) and you are proud like hell (despite whatever fuckups and failures you have made….). But you will still think of yourself as a nobody – without any real idea of whats going on. I simply dont have that ability to take myself too serious. I doubt all the time – and Im driven by my doubt, curiosity and ambitions – plus my highly agressive inner voice that JUST WANTs TO WIN.

PROBLEM ONE

I never (or very very seldomly) think about the fact that – shit loads of people (You – my Highly Valued Reader) reads my blog – and that I speak in front of 50.000 people a year. It would make my nuts to think about it – and block my ability to dare to say, write nor preach anything. CONCLUSION: My inner self dont think I have any power – and Im sure that everyone knows that all I is: Hearth-driven - ideologic and with the purpose of creating change and happiness. PROBLEM ONE: I dont enjoy being any kind of negative!

PROBLEM TWO

I fight 100% for the things Im assigned to. I dont give up – (many people think that I just fly around – do my speaches – and the have nice dinners) – but I do sales meetings 3-6 times a day. On Phone, Skype, Location, Office – and during dinners and lunchs’s. Im pretty visionary – but nothing special – I mostly get / or go with medium ideas. In reality: Im a sales guy – and its my only asset. I love to sell ideas – and thereby create companies and movements. PROBLEM TWO: I dont enjoy when sales is difficult – and get agressive.

WHAT DO I ACTUALLY DO

I sell EVERBREAD, Tradeshift and 1-2 Deals* pr quater (just to stay in “deal” shape) – to partners, OTA’s, Airlines… – but most of my time (like many earlystage CEO’s) Im selling our companies and the visions to investors. And it takes 95% of my awake time – handling the relations – making information packages and nursing the VC’s who have interest – and handling the existing investors (BIG JOB). Because Im very positive and because I had a great childhood: I always communicate happily about where I am and what I think and what I do – but sometimes the world is not acting like I want – and underneath I get a bit grumphy (some would say older).

3 DAYs LATER in Berlin:
I was at the CEO Dinner – held by Hasso Plattner Ventrues and Team Europe – very nice dinner – very cool format: CEO gets to meet and promote themselfes to VCs – VCs gets access to talent and the people in power to buy the VC’s companies. SPOT ON, alligned interest. During dinner – I make a couple of jokes about Kite Venture (who is backing 2 of 3 deals I have done lately) and say that its a lottery fund – and that they are shit lucky (my way of saying smart, still self-ironic and humble) to have Russian passports and thereby have access to DST kind of BIG DO$… We have fun. Edward from Kite and Lukash Gadowsky are very smart – and very self-ironic people. They spend – like most very succesfull people – most time makes jokes about themselves and their failures and problems. We have fun. After dinner (and 3-4 cigarettes) – we end up at the table and Yaron Valler from Hasso Platner Ventures shows up. I make the same jokes – and say that HPV is shit lucky to have Hasso – and I make a joke about Eran and Rouvan. AND THEN Mr Yaron Valler (who dont know me and did not sit a the tabler earlier) – suddenly freaks out and starts a verbal fight (something I not really do – and Im very very bad at – since I never had siblings (whom seems to teach eatchother every chapter in that handbook)). I recall my rage from not getting a deal with Eran and Rouvan (and just to tease the dude – I say that I would hire Rouvan any day – and I reacall a earlier phonecall with Mr Yaron Valler (says something nasty about how I could have done the deal in 5 min) – and things get out of hand…

PROBLEM ONE and TWO gets FULL ON OXYGEN – makes me conclude – that either I punch the dude in his face – or (as I choose) I tell him to leave the table.

I totally forgot about it. We had a mutual bad day – and fuck it. But my very very good personal friend Eran Davidson – yesterday told me his version of the story. TO MY BIG SURPRISE – He was sad and felt that I had been saying bad things about him and the fund.

Dear Eran (HPV & Mr Valler)

Im am 100% sorry if this has ever been the case – or if you feel that I have been trying to harm you. My only intention was grill Mr Valler – test his ability to be self-ironic and not take himself too serious. BUT I FAILED – I MIXED IT WITH MY SELF AGGRESSION - I MADE A MISTAKE – STEPPED OVER THE LINE – and Im very very sorry for the inconvenience this might have caused.

PS: I will still hire Rouvan for my next fund :) – and Eran will be invited on the Board of my Holding one day (If Lisa won’t do it :).

PPS. this will not be my last “Im sorry” post.