In App Close and Personal we get to know people somehow related to AppSpotr through an arbitrary number of reasonable and less reasonable questions. With our upcoming stock listing just around the corner, this time we talk to one of our investors, stock-market analyst Per Bernhult.
What exactly is it you do for a living?
– If I only knew myself, huh? No, seriously. I come from a background as a Chief Financial Analyst and Fund Manager. After working in the business since the 90s, I left some years ago to be able to focus on my own investments. As an angel investor I always try to give the best of my knowledge, experience, ideas and feedback to the companies I’ve invested in. To make a safe living I also act as a consultant and offer analyses on demand for companies I haven’t invested in myself. I also have a long-term goal of finishing books that I’ve already started writing (books for children and youth, grown-up ficton, poetry and also some songs). Writing on multiple titles is very time consuming if you aim at something new and different, and doesn’t pay off until the titles have been published – if ever. More rarely, I write columns too.
So, are you like ridiculously rich?
– I wish, since it would make it possible to do more for good causes. But no. I made my first investments as a 9-year-old. 33 years later, I’ve accumulated a really good investment capital, enough to make big investments when extraordinary opportunities arise. I have to say, though, that my investment in AppSpotr is by far my biggest ever in a not yet publicly traded company. Monetary wealth really isn’t a specific goal for me, other than in the sense that it makes it possible to do more good things for others. To me, investing is more of a basal need. I can’t help it, but it’s crucial for me to always learn more about everything interesting and to use that newfound knowledge along with previous experience to realize things to come before the masses. I simply must stay ahead. It’s exciting and enriches my life tremendously to always have insight in what’s going on in the world and in all kinds of different areas.
What made you invest in AppSpotr?
– A number of crucial reasons. But there were a few that stood out. Frankly, to begin with I’ve been really impressed with what AppSpotr has accomplished in such a short time. It amazes me how the company has been able to keep up the pace. Moreover, I think the strategy and business plan so far, not to mention going forward, is genius yet simple and achievable.To see AppSpotr grow extremely fast and leave competitor after competitor behind is just the icing on the cake. And of course, the scalability of the service in itself and its immense market potential. It’s something I’ve always dreamed of finding in combination with the other things I mentioned. With the position AppSpotr has accomplished this year, its growth rate and its business plan going forward, I have hopes that my investment will pay off well. I’m very well aware of and used to actively managing the high risks associated with investing in younger tech companies building a new business. Of course I´m looking for a return in accordance with this. Otherwise I wouldn’t have invested.
If we didn’t exist, what would you rather have invested in instead: toothpaste and caviar flavored ice cream or a genetics programme aimed at breeding actual Pokémon?
– Ha, ha, ha… Well, I’m not too fond of messing with Mother Nature, or of artificial ingredients in food. Can I just say toothpaste? It might seem like a really, really boring business area, but I actually think it has room for new and revolutionizing inventions that could very well emerge from new and small companies. Oops, now I’ll drown in a not-so-thought-through business ideas on toothpaste glowing in the dark and smelling garlic.
What previous investment makes you the most proud in retrospect?
– Among others, I’d say my investments in Enator in the early 90s, when I got in just as they started a great turnaround. And G5 Entertainment a couple of years ago, when I acknowledged the emerging extreme growth of casual gaming and was quick to spot the transformation of G5’s business. In recent years I’m very happy with the return on, for example Insplorion and Raybased.
And what’s your worst one?
– Probably Fermenta back in the early 80s. But at the same time it was a great investment for me as a young boy. Back in those days adequate information was a hell lot harder to obtain, and stock prices had to be found in the newspapers. The rise and fall of Fermenta taught me many things. Firstly, to be humble about your investments. In school I proudly announced during a lesson that my stocks in Fermenta had risen from a value of around 1,000 SEK to more than 2,000 SEK in a short time. Only to shortly thereafter see the value vanish in thin air. Secondly, it sparked an insatiable lust to seek more and more information on every thinkable aspect and to analyze its impact.
Where do you hope to see AppSpotr in three years?
– Hopefully everywhere! That means, through apps built with AppSpotr in every other smart phone, tablet and so on. AppSpotr may not yet be so well known to the masses, but with the position it has built, its current growth rate and now with its business plan going forward, I have high hopes for the company.
What’s the biggest challenge we’ll have to face on our way there?
– To never stop developing, keeping your eyes and ears open, caring about even the smallest details and staying in close touch with your customers. And also, never to stop believing in new opportunities or slowing down in execution if you reach big financial success. In other words, it’s very important never to be satisfied, lean back and just manage earlier achievements. AppSpotr immediately struck me as a company that has these important insights in mind all the time.
