Founders lunch with Learning to sleep - The journey to IPO

What do you do when you are in Skåne and planning to get listed on the stock market? You take the train to Stockholm. That’s at least what Micael Gustafsson, co-founder of Learning to Sleep, did. Micael told us about it during founders lunch - these are his 3 biggest learnings doing an IPO!

1. It’s all about the money‍

Arriving in Stockholm, one thing was clear - it’s all about the money. After four meetings with four different firms, Micael understood that Stureplan was full of friendly people but in a different kind of scene than what he was used to.

‍“You are probably used to meet investors who believe in YOU . But there, they engage in you due to the money. Keep that in mind”, says Micael.

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2. Loosing grip of your business

‍With a crazy amount of work and with short deadlines, Micael was working 24/7 on setting the administration for the IPO. On his vacation he recieved an e-mail saying he had about 150 action points, policies to write and a lot more to take care of within 2 weeks. Due to the overload of work with the IPO, he didn’t have the same insight of the company as he was used to. He tells us about the stress and how he actually lost 15 kilo in weight in the IPO process!

“When doing an IPO and asking for large sums of investments you’ll have to accept that you’re loosing control of your company.” says Micael.

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3. A lot to lose but also a whole lot to win

‍The big question remains; would you do it again?
“Ehh… Right now I’m saying no. But ask me again and I will probably say yes”  he says.

Even though there have been ups and downs, Micael looks back at the journey with positivity. There are a lot to loose (like 15 kilo’s in weight), but also a whole lot to win. If you are thinking about doing an IPO, Micael advises that unless you raise more than 20 million SEK, it’s not worth it.

Learning to Sleep at Minc

‍Learning to Sleep joined Minc’s Incubator program in 2014 along with their vision to treat people with chronic sleep issues. After moving away for a couple of years, we are thrilled to have them back in the Minc building! Today, they offer a simple and efficient way for people to get professional help with their sleeping problems, regardless of where they are in the world.

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About Minc

At Minc, we believe in creating something bigger than yourself. We offer everything an entrepreneur needs to go from concept to market in-house. Our international network of advisors and award-winning programs will help your startup scale faster and smarter. Welcome to the startup house of Malmö.

‍

About Minc

At Minc, we believe in creating something bigger than yourself. We offer everything an entrepreneur needs to go from concept to market in-house. Our international network of advisors and award-winning programs will help your startup scale faster and smarter. Welcome to the startup house of Malmö.

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