San Francisco Seminars
The San Francisco seminars shaped how I understand technology, innovation, and people. Here I have brought together all the years, modules, and experiences in one place.
San Francisco
Seminar 2004
The first year was about understanding what the Internet was really becoming. Lecturers and company visits provided insights into early e-commerce, user behavior, and the first signs that digitalization would change everything. This was the year that sparked the flame.
San Francisco
Seminar 2005
I gained insight into how Silicon Valley built technology, organizational structures, and a culture designed for growth. The focus was on business models, strategy, and why innovation requires cross-disciplinary collaboration. This was the year when I really began to see how the pieces fit together.
San Francisco
Seminar 2006
This year was about how changing consumer expectations were beginning to transform the entire market. I gained insight into early personalization, online user behavior, and why companies needed to start building digital services around people—not technology.
San Francisco
Seminar 2008
In 2008, I gained a unique insight into how Google, Apple, and the new platform players were beginning to define the next era. The focus was on search, mobile, data-driven decision-making, and culture. This was the year I realized how quickly the future could shift—and how important speed, learning, and experimentation are in digital development.
San Francisco
Seminar 2009
This seminar was strongly data-driven and focused on how users navigate the web, why “the funnel” is too narrow, and how digital channels create new opportunities. This was also the year I presented my Navico case—one of my most significant professional milestones.
San Francisco
Seminar 2010
In 2010, I saw how the most forward-thinking companies in San Francisco were already taking a holistic approach to customer journeys. Visits to Apple, eBay, Gap, and Williams-Sonoma showed how technology, retail, and logistics could be integrated in ways that we in Norway were still far from achieving. This was the year I understood how important it is to see the bigger picture—and how far we can go when culture, data, and customers are at the center.
San Francisco
Seminar 2011
A mature, strategic, and personal seminar. The focus was on venture capital, entrepreneurship, teams, learning culture, and why companies succeed over time. I concluded my San Francisco period with a strong professional and academic boost—and with the feeling that I had come “full circle.”
San Francisco
Seminars summarized
The San Francisco seminars were not courses in technology, but encounters with a mindset. Over time, they became a reference point for understanding why some organizations succeed with digitalization and innovation—and why others do not.
