Interview with Johanna Andrén

Can you tell us a little about what you're doing today and what you're most focused on right now?

As co-founder of imeto, my focus is to keep us ahead of the curve. We aim to be the best at what we do, and in an industry where what was true yesterday is not true today, that means constantly learning and unlearning. We want to be a driving force in keeping European companies competitive through this transformation, and that takes two things: the right partners and the right people.

As CCO, my job is to make sure the right companies choose us as their partner, whether it's about technical implementation, changing how they operate or reshaping their business model. We want to work with the bravest companies in the Nordics.

On the people side, the competition for AI talent is fierce in the Nordics right now, and as we scale, continuing to attract the very best people is a top priority. Ambitious clients want the best people, and the best people want the hardest problems. We bring the two together.

Thinking back to when you started at SSE, what were your dreams, and what did you imagine your future would look like?

When I started at SSE, I thought my path would lead to diplomacy. I dreamt of working for organisations like the UN. But I soon realised I was probably a bit too restless, maybe even a bit too rebellious, for some of our larger institutions.

Then, while studying economics, I discovered advanced statistics and machine learning, and saw the possibilities that big data opened up. That became my bridge to technology. Looking back, the thread from those early dreams is still there: today I help bring new technology to European companies in line with European values of privacy and integrity.

Beyond the career, I have a lot to thank SSE for, above all many of my closest friends. And a special shout out to the Student Association, where I spent most of my time down in the cellar. Thank you for everything you do for student life and for the connections that last long after graduation.

As an entrepreneur, what have been the biggest lessons from building imeto, and what advice would you share with other young entrepreneurs?

Believe in what you do, dream big and set the bar high. We started imeto because we believed we could become the best in Europe at what we do.

But your real strength will be your ability to change. The landscape shifts quickly now, and what was true yesterday may not be true tomorrow. Be ready to pivot, and hold strong opinions, weakly.

Choose carefully who you build with, and build together with people who share your level of ambition and your core values. I'm a team player and I need someone by my side. I've been fortunate to find that in the person I started imeto with, and I wouldn't have done it with anyone else.

Be generous with ownership, and think about your incentive and shareholder structure early. Everyone who works at imeto has been given the opportunity to take a stake in the company. If you want your team to care about what you're building, share ownership with the people who run it day to day.

Above all, believe in yourself. You need to be slightly delusional, with real faith in your ability and your power to execute, because most things will not go your way. What makes the difference is the grit to keep going.

What I'm looking forward to is seeing more female founders. If you have an idea you believe in, dare to try it, and I'm happy to support in any way I can.

Data and AI are rapidly changing how organizations work. Where do you see the greatest opportunities, and what do you think will make the biggest difference in helping businesses use these technologies successfully?

The biggest opportunity is how this technology will reshape the way we operate and drive businesses forward. Many organisations ask "where can we use AI?" and end up automating small tasks. The real value comes when you look at whole processes or roles and redesign them to be AI native, instead of fitting AI into ways of working designed for bigger teams and manual processes.

Three things make the difference: raising the competence floor so people both dare to and are able to see what's possible; clear leadership on what to do with the time that's freed up, because without it time is saved but nothing really changes; and a governed way to deploy agents and let them work with company systems and data. When business users start building their own agents, magic happens. But without governance and observability, it quickly becomes chaos.