Norwegian entrepreneur spent three months sleeping in a CUPBOARD in a 15-person Silicone Valley ‘hacker house’ in order to get his start-up off the ground – and now has annual sales of £1.5M
- Mathias Mikkelsen, 29, moved from Oslo to California when he was 23
- He wanted to set up his company, Memory, and found a place in a ‘hacker house’
- Mathias spent three months sleeping on the floor of a windowless cupboard
- He now runs a company with 45 employees and annual sales of £1.5million
A Norwegian tech entrepreneur has revealed how he slept in a cupboard in a Silicone Valley property because he was so desperate to get his business up-and-running.
Mathias Mikkelsen, founder of tech company Memory, moved to California when he was 23 in the hope of finding success.
In a bid to make connections needed to get his idea off the ground, Mathias, now 29, spent time hopping between Airbnb rentals before settling in a so-called ‘hacker house’ – property shared by wannabe entrepreneurs who all want to start their businesses.
Norwegian Mathias Mikkelsen moved to California when he was 23 in the hope of finding success at the hub of global tech start-ups. He spent three months sleeping in a cupboard, pictured, of a Silicone Valley ‘hacker house’ because all 15 bunks in the property were taken
The idea is that they are able to share their advice, inspiration and contacts, the BBC reported.
However as the house was already full, Mathias was forced to sleep on a blow-up mattress in a windowless cupboard for three months.
Speaking to the BBC, Mathias said he doesn’t regret the decision to stay in the house, despite the cramped conditions.
‘I slept in that cupboard for three months,’ he said. ‘Did I feel stupid or embarrassed? Not at all.
‘Being in the hacker house was invaluable. It pushed me so much as an entrepreneur. It was extremely valuable and without it I don’t think I would be where I am today.’
Mathias spent months in the cramped space before being ‘upgraded’ to one of 15 bunks erected around the house, pictured. He describes the time as ‘crazy’ but ‘super cool’
Mathias spent months in the cramped space before being ‘upgraded’ to one of 15 bunks erected around the house.
At the end of 2014, after his time in the hacker house, Mathias launched the second iteration of his app, Timely, which had failed to take hold when it was first launched in Norway.
The app, an online project and time management tool, makes money by selling subscriptions to businesses. It is now used by more than 5,000 companies across 160 countries.
Mathias, who moved the business to Oslo in 2015, employs 45 people and praises the city’s thriving start-up scene.
He added he looks back at his time in the cupboard as ‘crazy’ and ‘super cool’.
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