“With Grit & Love For The Cause, You Can Find A Way When You Can’t Even See The Road.”; Interview With Kirsi Ekberg, Founder at Vilike
This is part of the EdTech Female Founder (#EFF) interview series brought to you by SuperCharger Ventures.
What inspired you to start your EdTech Founder journey?
I was interested to find out how tech can evolve education with data-driven research and wanted to make a healthy impact on children’s, parents & teachers lives.
Describe your company in one sentence.
At Vilike we are gamifying education with AI and new technology with the purpose of beneffiting people’s happiness and health.
What should an aspiring EdTech founder know before initiating their startup journey?
Be ready to marry your mission and never give up. Cause really, if you want to make something new happen, there is no plan B.
What has been the most difficult moment as a founder and how did you overcome it?
F***ing up 10000 lines of data collected with first product. My ecosystem has been lifting me and Vilike, not letting us give up.
What can the EdTech industry do to improve the gender gap?
Very good question… maybe we should stop talking about gender and focus on entrepreneurship as a whole because it really doesn’t make a difference whether you’re a she or a he once pursuing the entrepreneurial dream for impact.
Can you tell us about a role model of yours?
CEO of Supercell Ilkka Paananen. I admire the way he and the company remains true to the their flourishing culture and cause. Their games shine through the happiness of the people making them!
Can you tell us an example of when you had to pivot?
When I met my co-founders Jenni and Sarthak, we started working on computer vision and games instead of sensors and web based application.
What will you consider as success in 5 years from now?
Fulfilling the Vilike vision of becoming the Disney of Gamified Education.
Looking back, what advice would you have liked to have received before starting your company?
Find a co-founder ❤
Anything else You’d like to share?
I’ve been doing edtech in sport, science, & education since 2015 when the word “edtech” didn’t even exist. Following intuition can lead us forward, show us the reason and give us answers, yet with grit and love( and even hate) for the cause, you can find a way when you can’t even see the road. Believe in your vision and dreams.
To know more about Kirsi Ekberg and Vilike, visit their company site:
Or you can follow their social media accounts:
Instagram @vilike_world & @vilike_fi
