Silicon Vikings with Dr. Eilif Trondsen
In briefAI summary — tap to read
Dr. Eilif Trondsen, Research Director at Strategic Business Insights, discusses Silicon Vikings, a 20-year-old professional networking organization connecting Nordic and Baltic entrepreneurs and innovators with Silicon Valley resources, capital, and expertise. The organization facilitates long-term relationships and knowledge transfer rather than superficial tourism, helping ambitious startups scale globally by accessing Valley experience in sales, marketing, and company growth.
Key takeaways
- Silicon Vikings serves as a bridge connecting Nordic and Baltic entrepreneurs, academics, and government officials to Silicon Valley's innovation ecosystem, capital, and scaling expertise.
- The organization emphasizes building long-term relationships and genuine business connections rather than brief networking visits, with a focus on entrepreneurs in education technology and other sectors.
- Nordic and Baltic founders face significant challenges in scaling companies globally despite strong engineering talent, making access to Silicon Valley's sales, marketing, and growth experience essential for competitiveness.
- Dr. Trondsen's 40 years in Silicon Valley and the executive team's collective 120+ years of Valley experience provide crucial networks and mentorship for emerging founders from the Nordic and Baltic regions.
- Nordic culture values work ethic, innovation, and extended vacations, with recent dramatic shifts in entrepreneurial ambition motivating talented innovators to seek global expansion through Silicon Valley connections.
About Dr. Eilif Trondsen, Research director at Strategic Business Insights (SBI)Dr. Eilif Trondsen is Research Director at Strategic Business Insights in Menlo Park, where he has worked for over 40 years in Silicon Valley. An economist by training, he leads the entrepreneurship and learning special interest group for Silicon Vikings and works at the intersection of technology, innovation, and education.
AI-generated from the meeting recording — AI can make mistakes, so check the recording for anything important.
This is the meeting for the week of December 4, 2017 through December 10, 2017
This Meeting at a Glance:Program: Silicon VikingsProgram Description: In this presentation, Dr. Trondsen will describe Silicon Vikings, a professional networking organization to connect innovative people and companies in the Nordic and Baltic countries to Silicon Valley. The organization has worked with companies of all sizes, academic researchers, government policy workers, and others for twenty years, starting as "something of a Swedish networking organization" before broadening to encompass other countries in that part of Europe.Speaker: Dr. Eilif Trondsen, Research director at Strategic Business Insights (SBI)
Is this your first time to visit us? If so, welcome to our weekly online meeting! To complete our meeting, please continue reading from here to the bottom of this page. Each Monday our week’s meeting is posted early in the morning, U.S. Pacific Time. These meetings are designed so that you can read and watch what we post anytime during the week. The entire meeting takes about 60 minutes to complete, with the video conference recording of the program being the bulk of the time.Note that you can easily read this meeting with your favorite device, so feel free to take our meeting on the go with you; read it while on public transit, waiting in line for coffee, or even at the park! Please also make sure to complete the attendance form at the bottom and leave a comment. Enjoy!
Welcome to the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley!
Here's a message from Past President Rushton:
Welcome, everyone, to the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley!
This first full week of December brings us ever-so-close to the end of another calendar year. It seems only moments ago that we were talking about a new century, and here we are now, over a sixth of the way into it.
As you look back on 2017, though, what stands out to you? Did you find a way to help someone else? Did you give a kind word at a time someone needed it? Have you made a donation of any amount to a worthy cause? Have you found a way to improve what you do? Is there a story that you have heard or experienced that you will use to inspire others?
We are a club that treasures stories. Each week, we share the stories of those who make us think in new ways; provide insights on new possibilities in an ever-changing world; and encourage us to spend our time, resources, and efforts to help those in need.
I think you'll enjoy this week's speaker, Dr. Eilif Trondsen, who has worked hard, succeeded in various fields, and given his time to help others connect and innovate. And if you're in Silicon Valley
this Friday
night (8th), I hope you'll join us for the club's potluck, where you'll get to meet Dr. Trondsen and also Joe Choi, our presenter from a couple of weeks ago who described his TheraBaby project for those suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's.
As always, read, watch, enjoy, and be inspired!
Sincerely,
Rushton Hurley,
Past President & Programs Chair
Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley
Weekly Inspiration: Extraordinary Kids fly in Zero Gravity
Every week we start our meetings with a short video highlighting innovation, inspiration, entrepreneurship, or social change. This week we are featuring a video from the European Space Agency and Novespace.
What does it mean to float? You can probably imagine a number of literal or figurative possibilities for the question, but in this video, you'll get to see something few get to experience: zero gravity.
Gravity keeps you on the ground. But what keeps what's inside of you from flying?
World of Rotary
The over 1.2 million members of Rotary Clubs around the world form the largest humanitarian service organization, Rotary International. We're part of this global family. This segment is a tribute to stories and to good deeds Rotary clubs around the world are conducting.
The 2018 Rotarian Magazine Photo Contest is currently open!
Every year The Rotarian Magazine has been holding a photo contest. Our own member, Keith Marsh, was the photo contest winner last year. Here is Keith's winning photo from last year:The 2018 Rotarian Magazine Photo Contest is now open! Send to The Rotarian Magazine your best shot for a chance to be featured in our magazine.Read more about the photo contest by clicking here.
For Members Only: Updates
This segment of the meeting is dedicated to our club members. This section includes announcements and new initiatives. Guests, you are welcome to read this section or just skip it.
Don't forget to buy your gift for the Secret Santa Gift Exchange!
Members who joined in this year's annual Secret Santa gift exchange, this is just a gentle reminder to make sure to purchase your gifts and postmark or deliver the gift by December 8th! That's coming up soon! And if you are participating and you have not yet updated your wishlist on Elfster.com, please do so so that your Secret Santa knows what to get you!
Programs Committee Still Needs Speaker Referrals:
The Programs Committee needs your help! If you know someone who you believe would be an interesting speaker for one of our programs, please make the referral or email introduction to the committee! Ready to introduce someone to the club's programs committee? Email Committee Chair Rushton at programs@siliconvalleyrotary.com
Members: NAMEBADGES ARE COMING -- Seriously! We're ordering the first batch this week! Please Update your info please!
The Membership Committee is working on ordering new magnetic name badges for each member! We are missing the info for many members!!!
These name badges will have your name on it and your profession. Perfect for wearing when you attend any Rotary events or meetings. In order to do this, we need your most updated information. Members,
please click here to submit your info.
Past Member Announcements:
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Active members now have yourname@siliconvalleyrotary.com email forwarders! Your forwarder should be your full first name plus the first initial of your last name. Emails going to your @siliconvalleyrotary.com email will be forwarded automatically to the email you have on file with our club. If you want your email forwarder changed to a different variation of your name, please email Webmaster Mitty at mittyc@siliconvalleyrotary.com.
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Members Only Facebook Group: If you haven't joined our members-only Facebook Group, consider joining! Request an invitation from mitty@siliconvalleyrotary.com
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Service Blotter Submissions: Click here to fill out The Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley Service Survey
Our events & projects
We hold our meetings online, but we hold regular service projects and social events in the Silicon Valley every month! This section is updated every week with our upcoming events. We welcome guests to all of our events and service projects listed here.
Also be sure to join our Meetup Group for automatic calendar updates and to RSVP for our events! These are open to all guests as well!
https://www.meetup.com/siliconvalleyrotary/
Upcoming events
All times are Pacific Time! (San Francisco time)
Friday, December 8 at 6:30 PM at the Hurley Mansion in Santa Clara, California
Members, our annual holiday dinner social will be happening Friday, December 8 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. Past President Rushton has generously offered his home, the Hurley Mansion, as our dinner venue. Enjoy a relaxing evening (no icebreakers, no meeting agenda, no speakers) with just your fellow club members and their guests. All members are welcome to bring their family members, loved ones, and/or guests to this event. The Membership Committee understands that many of you might be coming straight from work - no problem! We're asking members to RSVP and include what you are bringing in terms of food or beverages. If you can't bring anything, just let us know and we'll make sure to buy extra food. (We would encourage you to consider just making an appropriate donation to the club if you can't bring anything!) If you can bring something, you are definitely invited to do so!
If you are a guest reading this and will be in the Santa Clara area Friday, December 8th, and are interested in joining us for our holiday social, please send Mitty an email at mitty@siliconvalleyrotary.com with a little bit about yourself. Mitty will get in touch with you, and we'll work out the details! Limited spaces available for the event.
Event Chair: Mitty Chang, Megan Breyer, Maxi Bustos
Other Upcoming Club Events:
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Saturday, January 13, 2018 - Save the date for a club outdoor expedition (Details TBD)
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Saturday, February 28, 2018 - Save the date for a club skydiving event (Details TBD)
More events coming soon! All events are open to guests, unless otherwise mentioned. Feel free to join us! If you ever have questions, please email inquiries@siliconvalleyrotary.com
What would you like to do?
Hey Members! What would you like to do? We're working on putting together some exciting socials and impactful service projects for our upcoming quarter's event calendar. Let us know what you want to do by posting in our members only Facebook Group (if you don't have access, please request it with Webmaster Mitty). Remember, you're only taking advantage of the full impact of Rotary when you're stepping up to get involved.
Happy Dollars: do good by sharing something good
Each week we ask our members to share stories with the club and toss in a few dollars to support our efforts. The primary goal of this section is to provide a fun way of getting to know each fellow members and guests, while giving back to a good cause.
Happy dollars is an opportunity to share something positive that has happened in your life whether it is personal or business. Think of it as your opportunity to brag a little, but also put a little bit into a karma jar. The money donated through happy dollars is put to charitable use, and the message that you leave for happy dollars will be posted in our online meeting the following week for the entire week for folks to see! (Pending that it's appropriate!)
Last week's happy dollar contributions went towards our club projects. Here are some of the happy dollar messages from last week:
Thank you to member Rory Olsen for his generous $15 donation to The Rotary Foundation's Polio Plus Fund. Rory had this to say:"My cold is improving slowly. Please apply my gift to Polio Plus."
Thank you to member Brian Liddicoat for his generous $15 donation. Brian had this to say:"Looking forward to a great winter!"
Thank you to member Monique Ziesenhenne for her generous $20 donation. Monique had this to say:"Club fund. Happy I still have some Thanksgiving leftovers!"
Thank you all for your donations last week!
Happy dollars is also a great opportunity to share with the group about something good that has happened to you, while giving back to a great cause. Next week's happy dollars will go back to powering our club's projects locally and globally.
So what are you happy about? Share with us below to help with doing good around the world.
Program: Silicon Vikings with Dr. Eilif Trondsen
Every week we bring to you a new program on innovation, education, technology, and humanitarian service. This week our program features Dr. Eilif Trondsen of Strategic Business Insights (SBI).
Dr. EilifTrondsen is the Research Director at Strategic Business Insights (SBI) in Menlo Park, California. The focus area of Dr. Trondsen’s research and consulting at SBI (a spin-off of SRI International, formerly Stanford Research Institute) is the use of technology for innovation, education, learning and performance improvement. He has 37 years' experience at SBI and at SRI International, leading or contributing to a variety of projects for U.S. and foreign clients in the private and public sectors. At SRI and SBI, Dr. Trondsen has held the position of Research Director of the Business Intelligence Program (now the Scan program), the director of the Learning on Demand (LoD) program (exploring the role of technology in learning and training), and has also led SBI’s research initiative around 3D immersive technologies. In his tenure at SRI and SBI, he has given numerous presentations on various eCommerce, eLearning, Silicon Valley innovation topics and developments, and virtual-worlds topics at conferences and to SRI clients around the world. Dr. Trondsen has also the author and co-author of numerous publications on eCommerce, eLearning and Silicon Valley innovation trends and issues.
Dr. Trondsen’s pro bono work is focused on helping connect the Nordic region to Silicon Valley, and he is Chair of the Special Interest Group on Entrepreneurship and Learning of Silicon Vikings (http://siliconvikings.com). Recently, Dr. Trondsen became the project leader for Nordic EdTech Network, a Silicon-Vikings- led initiative, funded by Nordic Innovation (HQ in Oslo, Norway), to identify, profile, and evaluate Nordic edtech companies and map the industry and its dynamics. The project will also build a Nordic edtech community through face-to- face and online/virtual platforms and events, working collaboratively with a range of Nordic edtech ecosystem catalyst organizations (see http://net.futurelearninglab.org/).
In this presentation, Dr. Trondsen will describe Silicon Vikings, a professional networking organization to connect innovative people and companies in the Nordic and Baltic countries to Silicon Valley. The organization has worked with companies of all sizes, academic researchers, government policy workers, and others for twenty years, starting as "something of a Swedish networking organization" before broadening to encompass other countries in that part of Europe.
For an organizational description, calendar, blog, and the special interest groups, see the Silicon Vikings site at: http://siliconvikings.com/
What did you think? Let's hear from you!
Share with us your thoughts in the comments at the bottom of this meeting page! If you have questions for Eilif, feel free to ask in the comments!
Upcoming program schedule
All of our guest speakers and programs are recorded live online over Zoom video conference. We welcome members and guests to join us in one of these upcoming recordings. Recordings are approximately 30 minutes long and are subject to change without notice.
Upcoming Weekly Programs:
Week of
Host
Guest Speaker
Topic
Week of 12/11/2017
TBA
TBA
TBA
Week of 12/18/2017
TBA
TBA
TBA
Week of 12/25/2017
TBA
TBA
TBA
Upcoming Recordings:
If you would like to join us for any of the live recordings, you are welcome to join us. Our online video conference room link for these recordings is always https://zoom.us/j/5104080000. Please note the timezone for all recordings are listed for San Francisco, California, USA time (Pacific Time).
