Natasha Friis Saxberg, Danish Émigré, Author, Web TV Anchor and Tech Expert  

How did I meet entrepreneur Natasha Friis Saxberg? Via an enthusiastic email from a mutual collegue that boldly pronounced: ”Natasha, meet Kelly Hoey, my dear friend and mentor. You want her on your show!” Natasha is an author of two books and the anchor of Tech and the City, a Danish web TV program taped at the NASDAQ in New York City.

Intellectually curious about trends and behavioral patterns, it is frankly not surprising that Natasha has created a techfocused program to educate her homeland (Denmark) on the U.S. startup scene, and also authored two books (already): Twitter! Mass Communication With 140 Characters (2009), and Homo Digitalis: People And Organizations From Science To Digital Practice” (2013).

Natasha is also the founder of Gignal, a social media billboard presenting digital buzz about brands across social networks of influencers, and in her spare time, she mentors startups. A multi-dimensional, multi-tasking entrepreneur…no wonder we were instructed to meet!

What is your expertise?
Business development and communication in a digital sphere.

Define “entrepreneur.”
A person who isn’t afraid of failure, risks and errors, but has a strong drive to change the world or solve a problem. They are less concerned with norms and fitting in, and more concerned about disruption. 

Who are your heroes?
Anyone who has the courage to follow their heart.

What is your current challenge?
Finding my “Why.”

Your greatest achievement?
My children.

What is your motto?
If you can dream it, you can do it.

Why are you an entrepreneur?
Because the shortest way to create change is to be the gamechanger.

What problem are you solving?
Helping people receive more value as humans through technology.

What problem would you like solved?
Replacing quantitative measurement of social success — as we see on social networks — with qualitative measures. For example, replace the number  of “friends,” “likes” and “mentions” with who engages the most when you ask a question, who are you closest too, and how can those close relations be amplified.

I’m interested in heterogeneous and cognitive algorithms that can present several sources of value and individual quality. We should be using the oceans of data and information we now have to offer people more perspective from the world, rather than the echo-chamber social networks and popular media which keep being delivered up to us. Diversity and perspective algorithms are what interest me.

Item you wish you had invented?
Jeans.

Biggest regret?
None.

What mobile device do you presently use?
iPhone6 (the plus does not fit my evening purses!).

Essential app(s).
Google Maps, Moves, and Twitter.

Which productivity tools (app/software/office supplies) do you use most often?
Gmail.

Best discovery?
That a view of the sky can be as healing as the ocean (and easier to obtain!).

Which talent would you like to have?
Musical talent — and patience.

Best pat on the back you’ve ever received?
When I found out I could write books – and loved doing so.

Advice you wish you’d had (or had followed)?
My happiness is as least as important as others.

Your pitch in 140 characters?
“Passionate about creating change with technology based on humanity.” My strength is business development, seeing trends and communicating them.

Your bio in six words?
“Entrepreneur, author, speaker and WebTV Host.”

Are you on Twitter?
Yes — @saxberg.

The Twitter follower you can’t live without?
The random voices of people who use Twitter to seek freedom and justice: fighting dictators, regimes and authorities.

What’s your hashtag?
#passion.

The J.O.B. you’d actually like.
The one I have!

Biggest misconception about being an entrepreneur is?
Wealth?

Inc. or Rolling Stone or…..? Which magazine cover?
Wired.

What are you reading?
The Glass Cage: Automation and Us, by Nicholas Carr.

What is your must read?
Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection, by John Cacioppo, the father of social/cognitive neuroscience, and an important source in my book Homo Digitalis.

If I wanted to do what you’re doing…what’s your advice?
Follow your passion!

What conference would you like to keynote?
For me the value of conferences is networking – but I would love to do TED.

What’s your guilty pleasure?
Chocolate!

Short cut, long route, road less traveled? What’s your roadmap?
Follow my heart and my passion — and still be able to pay the bills.

Podium you’d like to stand on?
TED.

The memories of a chef are tastes and smells, what would you say are the memories of an entrepreneur?
Collective passion and reaching goals as a team – proving wrong all the people who said it was impossible.

What makes you LOL?
When I do something really stupid in public!

Who or what inspires you?
Standing in front of an iceberg or looking at stars – it makes me remember how small we are, and that I should do whatever it takes to make my life amazing.

What’s the most important startup / entrepreneurship lesson you’ve learned?
A great idea cannot succeed — only great teams.

What would be the title of your biography?
Dreaming Crazy, and Doing The Impossible.

Favorite gadget?
My smartphone camera.

Your Ferris Bueller moment: if you could goof-off/skip out for a day, what would you do?
Watching classic movies in the cinema all day.

One place in time you’d like to visit?
Iran [Natasha’s family fled Iran when she was very young; her father was Iranian, and mother Danish].

Part of the trick to staying focused is?
Deadlines.

You take a three-hour ocean tour and get stranded …what three items do you have with you?
A sharp big knife, bow & arrow, and fishing net.

One last thing: what’s the question I should be asking you?
Shall we dance?