Christian Lanng is the 32-year-old CEO and co-founder of Tradeshift, a company that provides easy and free business network and payment solutions. Tradeshift was founded on the simple idea of reducing the inefficiencies of paper-based business processes like typing and retyping documents. In just 12 months, Tradeshift has grown significantly and is now used in 61 countries. Lanng advises entrepreneurs to build technology for the global market, do the hard work themselves as the greatest way to learn, and ignore advice that tells them their idea is wrong.

1. Everything you
have been told
so far is wrong
(Including what I’m
going to say now…)

2. About me
 32 Years old
 Used to work for the government
and wear a suit all day
 I can’t stop messing with things
 I’m the CEO and co-founder of
Tradeshift
 Which made me have my previous
birthday in a Colombian jungle with
an ex-president of Puorto Rico

3. It all started
with a simple
idea…

4. Idea

5. (3500bc)

6. (1933)

7. (Today)

8. 10 pct. of all trees
cut down worldwide
64B € in EU alone spend
on typing and retyping
50 pct. of all business mail
Stupid…

9. But surely this
have already
been done
before, what is
the competition?

10. Banks
Large global ICT
companies
Postal Service
In more than
30 years…

11. And they all got it
wrong

12. Ok, so what did
Tradeshift do
different?

13. Easy & free

14. See when you are paid

15. Avoid mistakes

16. Communicate easily

17. And create your own
business network

18. 12 months ago
we had the
idea

19. 6 months ago we got a
front page in Wired

20. And today Tradeshift is
used in 61 countries

21. So what did we
learn?

22. The cost of technology is now so
low that you can start the next
Google everywhere
The mobile network in
Sri Lanka is faster than
the one I have here
Build technology for the
world market, you are
competing there anyways

23. The financial crisis is
great for a start-up

24. Don’t outsource!
Doing the hard
work your self is
the greatest
chance to learn

25. Don’t trust consultants
Don’t hire the MBA
Don’t trust people that tell you
what you are doing is wrong
Look for the people who
have passion for your idea

26. Avoid the easy
ideas, hard is good

27. And ignore the start-up “scene”,
they don’t have any money to
buy your product…

28. And finally, forget
what I said and do
it your way, if it
works you are
doing it right!

29. Shift
Happens!
Christian Lanng,
Co-founder
chl@tradeshift.com
(we are hiring!)