Johanna Gauffin and Natalie Navia
The interview with Johanna and Natalie takes place on an autumn Friday afternoon in the magnificent Heckscher-Ohlin Room at the bustling campus at Sveavägen 65. A fitting place to talk about creativity and entrepreneurship. Through the open windows, the hum of Stockholm spills in from the street below, mixing with the laughter of students finishing their classes for the week. The atmosphere captures what Cay Collective is all about: energy, movement, and ideas becoming reality.
From classmates to co-founders
The two founders did not start as close friends. But a shared assignment during their Retail Management Bachelor's program revealed that they clicked and worked remarkably well together.
“I had been thinking about this idea for a while,” Johanna recalls. “A place where artists and creators could showcase their work collectively, without the barriers and heavy administrative workload that comes in the art world.”
When Johanna pitched the concept to Natalie in late 2023, the timing was perfect, and both felt their entrepreneurial spark flame up. Before SSE, Natalie had studied fashion design in Borås and had been nurturing a similar idea, a platform for independent designers and small brands.
“So, we just merged our ideas,” she says. “Just the day after, we started reaching out to creators on social media to see if they wanted to join in. People were excited and jumping on board before we even had a website.”
Johanna and Natalie had no other choice now then to turn Cay Collective live. The process was complete with a launch event and a growing network of creators eager to join in and learn more about what the fuss was all about.
Why SSE? A place where ideas grow
Both Johanna and Natalie highlighted during the interview that they chose the Stockholm School of Economics for its strong entrepreneurial culture.
“For me, it was the energy around entrepreneurship,” says Johanna. “So many people here start something of their own. It is almost contagious.”
Natalie agrees. “I’ve always dreamed of running my own business. When I heard about SSE’s alternative selection process, I thought, why not? The combination of creativity and business mindset was exactly what I wanted.”
They describe the Retail Management program as uniquely suited for people with a creative spark. Many of their classmates have also gone on to build their own things, proof that the spirit of innovation runs deep in the program.
Finding community at SSE Business Lab
During their studies, Johanna and Natalie heard about SSE Business Lab, the school’s startup incubator.
They began with Activate, the three-month accelerator program where early-stage founders pitch ideas and receive mentorship. About a year later, they advanced to Incubate, gaining office space and access to a dynamic community of mentors, investors, and other entrepreneurs.
“We actually tried sitting in our own office space for a while,” says Johanna, “but it was so clear that we missed the entrepreneurial energy that Business Lab has. There’s a fast-paced rhythm there, everyone is building something and is so eager to help and build each other up.”
Moments that matter
From the beginning, Cay Collective’s momentum has been fueled by a strong belief in the idea and their own boldness.
“We’ve had so many little ‘aha’ moments now,” says Natalie. Johanna fills in and describes one of the first artists selling on the platform. “I found an artist on TikTok who did his own paintings, and when he launched his art on our website, it sold for over 100,000 SEK in the first day. That was when we realized, wow this really works.”
Another milestone came when they hosted a major event at Trädgården, one of Stockholm’s most iconic outdoor venues, bringing together thousands of people and dozens of creators.
“It was surreal,” says Natalie. “Seeing our warm and friendly community come together in real life was incredibly rewarding."
Challenges and lessons learned
Building a fast-growing platform has not been without hurdles.
“The growth has been amazing, but it also means you constantly need to catch up,” Natalie explains. “At one point, we were manually managing everything, uploading new creators and their work on the website and keeping it updated — and it just wasn’t sustainable. Finding the right tech person to automate that process was a big turning point for us.”
Today, Cay Collective has a small team of employees and interns and continues to scale. The next challenge? Balancing growth with the personal, inclusive feeling that defines their community.
“We always want to stay true to ourselves,” Johanna adds. “We’re expanding quickly, but our goal is to keep that warm, bubbly and supportive tone that artists love us for.”
Democratizing art — and making it fun
At its core, Cay Collective challenges traditional norms in the art industry.
“The art world can feel distant with a high threshold,” says Natalie. “Galleries and big actors in the industry often possess gatekeeping access. We want to change that and make art more accessible and fun.”
Johanna agrees: “There is art for everyone. And we want Cay to be the place where people can discover that.”
In the future, they plan to expand across Scandinavia and beyond, with ambitions to introduce AI-driven tools that help users discover art tailored to their tastes.
Staying creative and true
Both founders describe creativity as a constant in their lives, whether it is painting, sewing, or simply brainstorming on long walks.
“Having a creative flow is what keeps me calm,” Johanna says.
Natalie laughs: “For me, it’s when I’m lying in bed right before sleep, that’s when all the ideas come to life.”
As young female entrepreneurs, they’ve also faced their share of scepticism.
“People sometimes expect you to behave or look a certain way,” Johanna says. “We’ve been told to act more ‘professional,' but that is not us. We have always stayed true to our own tone and rulebook. Cay is supposed to be fun, vibrant, and a bit bubbly. That’s who we are.”
Tune in to Creative Studio – A podcast with Johanna and Natalie
Advice for SSE students
Both founders encourage current SSE students to take advantage of the resources and the environment around them.
“Talk to people,” says Natalie. “There are so many brilliant minds at this school. Your future co-founder might be sitting next to you. And if you have an idea, Business Lab is the perfect place to test it.”
Johanna nods. “Don’t overthink it, just start. You will learn as you go. And if something does not work, you can always pivot or try something else. What matters is that you keep moving forward.”
It is so clear that Cay Collective is more than a company, it reflects what happens when a strong drive and curiosity meet courage.
As Johanna and Natalie look ahead, their mission remains simple: to make art accessible, to empower creators, and to keep the creative spark alive.