Anne Lise Waal COO of Attensi
Anne Lise is one of Europe’s leading women in tech. She joined Attensi as CTO and COO early in its inception in 2013 after working with Trond Aas, Co-Founder and CEO of Attensi, for seven years previously at Funcom.
Funcom is a Norwegian video game developer that is known for its popular online multiplayer games including Age of Conan and Anarchy Online, where Anne Lise worked as senior producer, heading up a team of over 200 games developers.
With a computer engineering background, Anne Lise grew up with a “gadget freak” dad who encouraged her to play with games and gadgets at a very young age.
What were you doing before Attensi?
I began my career as a consultant in Enterprise Architecture and IT Governance with a Masters in Computer Engineering. I was supposed to do a Phd but dropped out in favour of going into business and quickly moved over to the gaming industry when I saw a job opening with leading Norwegian game developer, Funcom. I spent seven years there as senior producer overlooking the development of AAA MMO games.
I thought I would never be able to go into gaming because I was not working as a programmer. That was until I saw an opening in project management which I am good at, so I saw it as my chance to get into gaming industry. I started at Funcom in 2006 and worked closely with Trond through my years there. We both left there in 2012 for different reasons– I went on maternity leave while Trond started Attensi I then joined Attensi in 2013 when there was just five people on the team.
Getting involved in Tech is still a hot topic for women, what was the motivation for you?
I am a born and raised gamer - it has always just been in my life. I got my first gaming console at four years old, then my first computer (a C64) at seven and I was hooked from that point. I got it all from my tech geek of a dad, so it was always my dream to work in creative tech business.
I thought that to go into the gaming industry you had to be a brilliant programmer and my passion was not in programming, even though my education was. Instead, I transitioned into the business interface of tech, which began my journey in gaming.
How have you found your journey so far and what has been your greatest accomplishment?
It has been an extremely exciting journey so far! Building a company takes blood, sweat and tears, but it is so worth it when you succeed.
My earliest accomplishment was to get that first break into the industry at Funcom. It was the first and only job interview I have ever done, so I was so proud of getting into the industry and working with talented people.
My greatest accomplishment has been to being able to build a kick-ass team from scratch developing the SaaS technology and simulation-based training products that enable us to rapidly grow in to a marked leader and recently raise money for global expansion. It is difficult to find motivated people who share the business’ key values that make up the company culture.
You need to have the product and the business vision, but also the people who are willing to make it work. In the early days of a start-up the money is short, and hours are long, so you are fuelled by team spirit.
Our success was built on finding those key people, who are still with us today. Attensi thrives because we are driven to be the pioneers of educational technology whilst still having fun at work. That was our core vision at the beginning, and it is still there with 150 people.
What has been the most challenging thing so far?
The biggest challenge has been keeping up stamina. When you are building a new business times can be rough and tough. You might not see the long-term picture while you are working on the day to day, but when you remember look at long term vision it keeps your energy high.
In those first three to five years, it is challenging because you need to grow revenue and business fast, so it is about working to go beyond your limits when you think you don’t have any more to give.
I like to think about it like a marathon. When you know the finish line is waiting for you, you can hardly imagine how you’re going to get there – the secret is stamina and motivation.
You have created a business that is adaptable and progressive. What has that process been like for you?
Our global presence makes us incredibly adaptable to different business and people needs. We are headquartered in Oslo, with offices in London and we have exciting plans to expand into the US.
We have invested heavily into growth, which is another challenge. When you open the business to a new market, the mechanics and sales channels are different, so it is like starting from scratch because you must figure out how the market functions. For Attensi, the UK expansion was a huge success, and it has given us lots of learnings that we can transfer to our US expansion.
Our global expansion has been made possible by our proven track record of our ‘land and expand’ ethos. When we win a small project such with a large company or enterprise, then we can expand into bigger ones in new territories by successfully proving our value so that they bring it into their international operations.
Who is your target audience?
At Attensi we look to work with companies which have a focus on creating training that truly works for its staff. Companies which want to motivate and engages team members in learning that has a proven impact on KPIs. In our experience it is always innovative companies that believe in providing their workforce with the best technology toolbox on the market.
In a few years, the millennial generation will be the majority of the European workforce. They are digital natives who are expecting content and technology to be available anytime, anywhere and on any device.
With workforces getting younger and shorter attention spans they need tech at their fingertips all the time so we are able to deliver high end immersive experiences on any device for them, to make sure we are meeting the expectations of the workforce.
What advice would you give to fellow entrepreneurs stuck on mapping out a strong business model?
Fail fast! In the early days I recommend being opportunistic and following the money, and then mapping out the business model based on market trends and empirical data. Then as you proceed, iterate, adjust and experiment until you find the winning formula.
I do a lot of mentoring as part of a start-up community and student accelerator programmes in Norway. The main advice I give them is to do a business model as an experiment. Often, they will start with a theoretical Business Model Canvas, and they think this is a plug and play recipe for the business model. But so often, three months down the road they will see that it does not work – so the biggest failure is to see it as a one-time exercise. It is vital to constantly experiment, fail fast, then recover and move on. That is the core thing I encourage early entrepreneurs to internalise.
What plans do you have for business over the next two years?
Over the coming year we are looking at further international expansion. We want to take a market-leading position in Europe and US. I also plan for us to scale our business with great people, while keeping our culture and values at the core of what we do.
We are also always scaling the technology platform and simulation-based learning products. Attensi takes untraditional gaming technology into new market sectors that have never used it before and it has been highly successful, but our biggest enemy is the status quo. We like to challenge the ways things have been done in the past and be true innovators. I would love for us to be completely radical on the product side, perhaps even expanding from B2B into the B2C segment.
Overview of how your business works:
At Attensi we provide gamified simulation training, which is the most effective way to upskill staff in a way that helps business achieve their KPIs. The immersive 3D training is based on insights in psychology, learning, and gaming, to engage people and tap into the ways that they learn best.
Our tech is available on mobile, desktop, or VR, so it can be built to suit individual company needs. Our customers include BCG, Mercedes Benz, Accenture and Hiscox.
The apps we create teach people by recreating their working environments with immersive 3D graphics, realistic scenarios, and interactive dialogues with voice-acted avatars to test their knowledge. This all happens in a safe, learning-by-doing environment.
We have delivered our training technology in more than 140 countries, in 30 languages, and employ over 150 staff.
