Frøya Ventures Proudly Contributes to Visa’s Jury at She’s Next: Three Norwegian Female Entrepreneurs Receive Visa Grants

Women are eager to start businesses but face obstacles. Only 20.8% of new limited companies in Norway are founded by women. A survey conducted by Visa last fall revealed that 2 out of 3 women in Norway dream of becoming entrepreneurs, but nearly 40% say that financing is the biggest challenge to realizing their entrepreneurial dreams.

The She’s Next program is designed to bridge this gap and provide female entrepreneurs with the resources they need. She’s Next, Empowered by Visa is a global initiative dedicated to advancing women-owned small businesses. Launched by Visa, this program provides women entrepreneurs with the resources, funding, and mentorship needed to thrive in today’s competitive market. By leveraging Visa’s extensive network and expertise, She’s Next aims to create a more inclusive and equitable business landscape for women around the world.

“We are incredibly proud to support Firemesh, Threadloop, and Empire AI – three fantastic Norwegian startups led by incredibly talented women. At Visa, we believe in the power of female entrepreneurship to drive innovation and economic growth, and with the She’s Next program, we provide them with what they need to succeed”

says Bente Josefsen, Visa Country Manager for Norway and jury leader for the program.

Visa arranged a professional jury of experienced industry leaders, innovators and business experts to bring deep knowledge and strategic insight to the evaluation process. The jury consisted of: Bente Josefen (Country Manager Visa), Sigrid Høisveen Ulekleiv (Start-Up and Growth Specialist at DNB), Camilla Dybendal (Founder & Managing Partner in Frøya Ventures & Director at Capgemini Invent), Mette Roald (Head of Commercials at Vipps Mobilepay), Gry Moen (EVP Sparebanken Sør Kristiansand), Marte Kopperstad (Head of Wealth Management at Nordea), Elin Schjetne,(Founder and CEO at HILI) and Line Eikeland (Local Partnership Lead at Visa).

“At Frøya Ventures, we are committed to empowering female entrepreneurs and fostering innovation. Being part of Visa’s professional jury is an incredible opportunity. By highlighting visionary founders and their solutions, we help shape a more inclusive and forward-thinking business landscape”

says Camilla Dybendal, Founder of Frøya Ventures, and part of the jury in the program.

Three winners were awarded the She’s Next by Visa 2024 grants at a ceremony in Oslo on January 23, each receiving a grant of €10,000 and one year of business coaching.

Meet the Norwegian winners here:

Firemesh Who takes care of your sprinkler system? Firemesh, founded by Tahani Siddik Berge, aims to automate traditional fire suppression systems. Through integrated sensors, Firemesh continuously monitors the system and immediately alerts in case of deviations. This provides precise data collection that reduces unnecessary maintenance costs and eliminates errors. Most importantly, safety is significantly improved. Users of Firemesh can easily access all necessary information via QR code, anytime and anywhere.

Threadloop Guro Lindahl Flåten is passionate about sewing. As one of the founders of Threadloop, she helps users get a comprehensive overview of the fabrics and patterns they own, so they can easily plan and document their sewing projects. Through the Threadloop app, you can create a digital library of your fabric stash, track remaining yardage, and plan projects. The app also offers a community-driven database with over 20,000 sewing patterns, helping users discover new patterns and find the perfect fabric and pattern combinations. A better way to organize your sewing.

Empire AI Empire AI develops software that streamlines the planning and operation of office spaces. Marlene Dahle has over ten years of experience in office building development and is one of the founders of Empire AI. Studies show that many offices have up to 90% empty chairs and about 60% empty rooms, even though employees often feel they lack suitable meeting rooms. That’s why Empire AI was created – to optimize office planning using data-driven tools to create optimal office spaces that better utilize square footage. Your office should be more than just a place to work – it should be inspiring, user-friendly, and strengthen the organization.

Since 2020, Visa has awarded more than $3.83 million to female entrepreneurs through the She’s Next grant program globally. Learn more about the initiative here: Visa She’s Next

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