Scaling a company is often glamorized. Exits are celebrated. But what really happens in between?
In this exclusive Startup Grind Fireside Chat, we sit down with Anna Søndergaard, Co-Founding Partner & CEO at The Footprint Firm and co-founder of Becksöndergaard Copenhagen, a global fashion brand she helped scale and successfully exit.
With deep experience in business development, sales, distribution, pricing strategy, and professionalizing startups, Anna brings an honest and unfiltered perspective on what it actually takes to build a company that grows and what it means to let it go.
This conversation goes beyond the hype to explore the real decisions, trade-offs, and lessons behind scaling and exiting a global brand.
In this session, we’ll explore:
What it really takes to scale a brand internationally
The hidden challenges behind rapid growth
How to prepare a company for acquisition or exit
Lessons from working with private equity
The strategic and emotional realities of exiting a company
What founders often misunderstand about scaling and selling
Whether you’re a founder, operator, or investor, this session offers a candid and practical look into building and exiting companies that create real value.
🎤 The session will be moderated by Naimul Abd – Regional Director Nordics at Startup Grind, CEO at Connect East, SweBAN, Founder Institute Nordics, Nutty Ventures, and Brim – Brands for Impact.
Agenda
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Company
Footprint Firm (https://thefootprintfirm.com/)
The Footprint Firm is an advisory and investment company. We connect companies, science, academia, government institutions, startups and capital. We work for climate positive innovations and sustainable solutions.
Speaker
Anna Søndergaard - The Footprint Firm (Co-Founding Partner & CEO)
Anna is an experienced entrepreneur and co-founder of Danish fashion brand Becksöndergaard Copenhagen, which was later sold to a private equity fund. Her main areas of expertise include business development, sales, distribution, product and pricing strategy as well as professionalization and scaling of start-ups.
Besides this, Anna has been actively involved as a board member, advisor an…
Hosted By
Naimul Abd, Regional Director Nordics Startup Grind
Naimul Abd is a leading Nordic Ecosystem Builder and coaches more than 500 entrepreneurs per year. A finalist in Nordic Startup Awards 2023, he is Regional Director Nordics for global startup ecosystems including Founder Institute, Startup Grind, and Founders Live. He has headed several EU funded acceleration programs, transformed advisory services, events, and partnerships at a government funded social impact organization, and moderated leading startup events like Stockholm Entrepreneurs Day, Nordic Startup Festival, and Nordic Pitch Battle. Naimul is also a serial entrepreneur and an angel investor with a portfolio of impact startups. He has previously worked in the corporate sector as a strategic marketing & insights consultant for more than 20 multinational brands including Nestlé, Coca Cola, Honda, Tetra Pak. He has also tripled the topline of a fashion retailer as their marketing head and held leadership positions at advertising and research agencies. Naimul holds M.Sc. in Marketing and M.Sc. in Entrepreneurship from Sweden and, in his free time, he makes music and loves to write. His favorite quote? “The best way to predict the future is to create it,” by Peter Drucker.
Peggie K. Ovesen, Partnerships Lead
I’m passionate about the startup journey and driven to build solutions that are good for both people and the planet. With a background in tech and business, I’ve led product development in deeptech startups across fashion, fitness, and entertainment.
My experience spans from marketing and sales at the multinational brand Nestlé to launching MVPs for early-stage startups — giving me a well-rounded perspective on building purposeful, scalable solutions.
I believe in the power of collaboration and in creating products where innovation and impact grow through shared purpose.
Outside of work, I’m a wine enthusiast , enjoys playing tennis, meditation, hiking, and weightlifting. I am always embracing new challenges that fuel personal and professional growth. Message to all- “alone we go fast, but together we go far.”
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Global Partner
Carta (http://www.carta.com/launch?utm_campaign=20240423-nam-general-smb-startup_grind_partnership&utm_medium=social&utm_source=startup_grind)
Carta helps people manage equity, build businesses, and invest in the companies of tomorrow. Carta Launch is the only free cap table product, helping new founders get started. The company is trusted by more than 40,000 companies, over 7,000 funds and SPVs, and over two million equity holders to manage cap tables, compensation, valuations, liquidity, and more. For more information, visit carta.com.
Startup Grind is a global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs. We host monthly events in more than 600 cities and 125+ countries featuring successful local founders, innovators, educators and investors who share personal stories and lessons learned on the road to building great companies. Our monthly fireside chat interviews, startup mixers and annual conferences provide ample opportunities to connect with amazing startups and the people behind them, tap into a strong support network, form meaningful connections and gain inspiration for the startup journey ahead. For more information visit StartupGrind.com or follow us on twitter @StartupGrind.
Complete your event RSVP here: https://www.startupgrind.com/events/details/startup-grind-stockholm-presents-beyond-the-hype-scaling-and-exiting-a-global-brand-w-anna-sondergaard/.
