Skalar

12/04/2024

Skalar is proud to announce that Kim André Johnsen will be joining our organization as our new CEO, and we extend him a warm welcome!

Kim André Johnsen brings with him an impressive background and experience from a range of reputable companies and organizations. He is actively involved in various board positions, including Defigo, Sunlit Sea, Drifti, and BA5 Invest, and has developed significant expertise in strategic management and business development.
With a solid career path that includes roles in leading technology companies such as Visma, Oracle, and Gartner, as well as serving as the CEO of the investment firm Nunchi Corp, Kim brings a deep understanding of the industry's needs and trends.

We are confident that Kim André Johnsen will contribute to strengthening and further developing our organization, and we look forward to benefiting from his expertise and leadership in the years to come.

Get to know Kim better:

What motivated you to take on the role as CEO at Skalar?
I have been impressed by the work Skalar has done since I first came across Drifti. It is not often you get to meet a company where you have a culture and individuals that are so engaged, competent and dedicated to create products and solutions for the future, and at the same time possess capability and curiosity to challenge the status quo. So when the opportunity came along to become a part of this great company, and hopefully be a contributor in taking Skalar to new heights it was an easy choice.

What do you see as Skalar´s main strengths, and how do you plan to leverage them for success?
Skalar has since they started back in 2007 focused on building a collaborative and inclusive culture with high quality delivery as core. This is probably the main reason why most of the clients are still with the company today, and to the fact that Skalar has been and still is very attractive for some of the best heads in the game. This is something that needs to be utilized more so we can continue to deliver more innovative and high quality services to a broader audience, so more clients and customers can enjoy and appreciate Skalar´s offerings.

When was the last time you saw a solution that made you think: It’s smart?
Well, since I am to be a father soon I have searched pretty much everywhere to find baby friendly things. It is a jungle out there, but when my girlfriend introduced me to a bed that cradles the baby automatically with a timer and sound that is reminiscent to the mothers belly (apparently it makes the baby feel more comfortable, hence sleep better), I was like, yupp we definitely need one of those!

Is it a technology you are particularly passionate about?
I am passionate about people, sports, business and yes tech! If you look at the impact that technology has had in every industry, society and economics for the past 20 years it is quite overwhelming. I don't believe in my wildest dream that my parents or grandparents would have guessed all the things we are able to accomplish and do today because of technology. Food delivered with drones, arranging space trips, use of AI to customize our daily needs, and social media platforms that unify people globally in a second. The development and adoption of technology is happening at such a speed that you actually need even more technology just trying to keep up. So to answer your question, I am passionate about technology in general and how it interacts with the world.

Who in your life deserves a big thank you?
I have been privileged with the honor to have met many amazing people in my life, so my Thank You list is not any easy task. Anyhow, in order to avoid my answer being long and tedious I will pick one that is close to my heart (in addition to my amazing girlfriend and babymama). That person is my grandmother. She passed away when I was 14, but she made a huge impact on how I see and live my life. Her values and motto to always respect others, be the best version of yourself for the people around you, welcome challenges as an opportunity to grow and never take the small things in life for granted are all things I have done my best to carry with me to this day.

21/12/2023

Another year has passed!

This year Skalar has turned sixteen, we are soon done with the teenage years. So we are getting ready to move out and find our new voice in the world. If you know any nice universities for up & coming companies, please slide in our DMs😉
(Insert formative teenage song: )

As any good teenager we have had a year of challenges and new experiences. It has been tough, we have had setbacks, and some victories. In the end we come out of it a closer knit team, ready to face the challenges in anno 2024. Thank you for all the good connections and collabs this year, we look forward to the continuation🙌

Some milestones from 2023:

♻️ Hoop CO2 market strategy and website

🕹 Building a bridge game and launching it

🌎 ESG Trackr from idea to product, built, launched and funded

💎 Norsk Byggkeramikkforening collab began, starting with a new website

️⛵️ Booking system built and launched for Oksnøen Leir

🛠 Drifti has been granted a research stipend from forskningsrådet, they have had a rebrand and implemented a lot of new functionality

🔐 TRAQ has initiated several projects with some of Norways biggest brands and look forward to help more of them in the new year

🤝 Continued collaboration with GRAMO & RVO, focusing on automation and infrastructure improvements for 2024

🚗 Developing a car enthusiast app for experimenting with coding languages and hypotheses

🌟 Hosting Vekst&Vinyl and Build To Last events, uniting startup and product communities for learning and networking

🌈 Engaging in diverse activities: exploring over 40 music genres, playing fun games, mastering painting, conquering escape rooms swiftly, welcoming 4 babies to the Skalar family, bid farewell to colleagues and welcoming new ones, and delving into Rust, AI applications, frontend-UX/UI connections, and crisis management

02/05/2023

We are happy to share that Joy Leelawat is starting as UX-Lead today!🤩 We are looking forward to have her as part of our Skalar-family👋🏻 Get to know Joy a little better 👇🏻

😎When was the last time you saw a solution that made you think: It's smart?E-bike kits. The bicycle has already enhanced the human capacity to travel. It still uses human muscles to power the vehicle, and it is enjoyable to ride. E-bike kits are the tools that add on to a normal bike. So people don’t need to change their bicycle styles or how to ride them. People can use their old beloved bikes, and it’s cheaper than buying a new one.

👀Is there a technology you are particularly passionate about?
1. Game engine - It’s like a framework for people to build a super awesome world. I can use it to tell the story, to teach complex content using the interactive and simulation world.
2. Generative art framework– Processing or p5js. People can create unexpected art forms beyond hand-drawn sketches.

💚What is a good day at work for you? The day that I can have a long focus time at work, however, having a team to discuss with or get help from them.

02/01/2023

Today we are super pleased to welcome Michael Koderisch to Skalar, he joins as a developer👋 We are looking forward to have him as part of our Skalar-family! Get to know him a little better👇

☀️ What is a good day at work for you? For me a good day at work preferably starts with sunshine, working with lovely people and is accompanied by great music.A mixture of concentrated work on my own, working within a team, solving challenges and a few nice chats in the kitchen.A good day ends with the feeling of having accomplished a great deal and having made a difference. Oh, and did I mention I like a challenge?

👀 Is there a technology you are particularly passionate about? I’m passionate about any kind of energy-saving technology. Be it heating automation that uses electricity when it is most available, smart charging for electric cars, traffic management to ease congestion and using plugged in electric cars as a storage grid for electricity when demand is low. It’s exciting to see when smart technology has a really positive impact on the environment.

🤔 What are the characteristics of a good digital product? A good digital product makes everyday tasks easier. It does this intelligently, without being interruptive. Easy and enjoyable to use, responsive, easy to understand and highly customisable - if required - it works in the background when required and will become part of your daily process and life.

23/12/2022

The year has been great for Skalar, but now 2022 is beginning to go ho-ho. Let's see what 2023 has to show.

So we say goodbye to a world-changing year, where new technology has played the leading role. AI has taken center stage and biotech is still moving mountains.

In Skalar we have also grown, both in revenue and employees, which is good - more money to spend on our Startups. We have invested 6,7 million NOK in our ideas the past year.

Some milestones from 2022:

🚀 We finally released the new version of Folkeivest’s core system.

🚀 We have gathered our community to several events, both intimate and grand, social and factual. We have learned together and been able to share our knowledge with the world.

🚀 2022 has been a very exciting year for our Bridge game. Together with World Bridge Tour we achieved two of the product's development milestones and we are soon launching the MVP.

🚀 We have built a ping pong app called Ping Pal which will launch soon! Get ready to try it.

🚀 We have launched an MVP for R8me; a company that will bring STG ratings to all SMBs.

Have a happy mid winter festival, may your mugs be warm and roasts be roasted!

06/12/2022

Anette who is working her magic at Drifti is designer of the week! Congratulations, well deserved👏

Hun fant ut at hun skulle bli designer da hun var fem år gammel, prøver å revolusjonere hverdagen til håndverkere og synes vi skal bli bedre på å fremsnakke gode brukeropplevelser ❤️ Bli kjent med Anette i Drifti!

29/11/2022

From idea to market leader! Our journey with Inviso has come to an end and we are eager to embark on a new one. Are you?

23/11/2022

We know a little something about reaching for new heights. When we want a break from it at the office, some of us like to boulder our way to the top🧗‍♀️

16/11/2022

Ready to take the next step with your product idea?🌱

In Skalar, we specialise in building financially sustainable products. By focusing on your users needs and market potential, we build the product that takes you towards your business goals and vision.

08/11/2022

We are so proud of what Drifti has accomplished and humble to have been the place it all started. Excited for the times ahead🚀

01/11/2022

We love an opportunity to scale something. So moving from the very familiar shuffleboard to throwing stones on slippery ice felt like the right thing to do💪 We did pretty good, right?

11/10/2022

We are super happy to announce that Therese Grønlund has joined Skalar 🤩 Therese is joining as an Art Director to work with marketing and communication, across the Skalar products and startups! Get to know her a little better 👇🏻

✍🏻 What is creativity to you?
To me, creativity is what makes us living, playful and conscious beings. Therefore I find it interesting that recent developments in AI (e.g. DALL-E) is challenging our notion of what creativity really is. Luckily for humanity there is more to creativity than prompted art, and problem solving is an essential part of it.

👀 Is there a technology you are particularly passionate about?
I love Philips Hue. Mostly because I am passionate about colors, and being able to change my lights to any desired color is so much fun. But I also love how smart lighting can make everyday life smooth, like wake me up in the morning, adjust to the daylight and automatically turn off when I leave home. Fun fact - I once lived in what used to be the head office of Philips Lighting in the Netherlands.

😎 When was the last time you saw a solution that made you think: It's smart?
I recently traveled to Stockholm, where you have the option to scan your bank card on public transportation at the same place that you scan a digital or physical ticket. Super easy and efficient if you are in a hurry, feeling spontaneous or confused by the ticket systems in a foreign country.