part I
A team was born
After a long, dark Danish winter it was spring. The effects of the 2008 recession were still palpable. Unemployment among young people was at an all-time high. We had just recently graduated from university and none of us had any stable work. Stefan was freelancing, Yana was doing volunteer work for the startup community and Kasper had just come out of his last unsuccessful startup. It was a perfect time to start something new.
So who were we? Three kids from the 90s. Unlikely to meet characters that life cross their paths in Denmark.
Kasper was a relentless powerhouse. A borderline ADHD who would sweep you like a tidal wave with his energy and enthusiasm. A uni dropout who by the age of 23 already had 5 tech startups behind his back and was ready for the next one.
Kasper (center) at the Berlin Beta Pitch 2013
Yana was a well-minded control freak ready with a nose for opportunities. Her notion of relaxation was checking off tasks. She grew up like this. As a kid, her mom would hand her a task list in the morning that Yana would complete by the end of the day. This strong work ethic, combined with stubbornness and acute people skills made her a force to be reckoned with.
Yana ticking off "just one last task before I go"
Stefan was a creative soul fascinated by and drawn to beauty. This admiration got him into photography and later into the design. Branding, motion videos, websites, apps, lamps, and short films — there was nothing he couldn't do if he set his mind to it. When he got his first MacBook at the age of 17 he got sucked into the world of productivity. He became a firm believer that technology can make life better.
Stefan at his beloved worksatation.
Stefan was a creative soul fascinated by and drawn to beauty. This admiration got him into photography and later into the design. Branding, motion videos, websites, apps, lamps, and short films — there was nothing he couldn't do if he set his mind to it. When he got his first MacBook at the age of 17 he got sucked into the world of productivity. He became a firm believer that technology can make life better.
There was no grand plan. At first, all we had was the desire to work together and the overflowing confidence that we were meant to do something great. After all, we were in our 20s. Initially, we started working on a dating app. But since none of us was really into "dating" there was little flow. Soon our curiosity led us to our true passion. Over a discussion between Kasper and Stefan, the idea for a new, better task list started to emerge. This excited us. We were all super passionate about productivity and efficiency.
Then the wait begun…
Swipes wasn't just a nicer-looking task list — it was a fundamentally different way of approaching your daily planning. Most personal task lists of the day though not intentionally had a guilt-inducing part to them. If by the end of the day you hadn't completed all your tasks the next day you would be met with an even longer list. It left people feeling anxious and guilty. It was a punishing behavior that led people to download a new task list; use it for a few months before downloading the next app.
We believed that people should feel like winners. Life happens. Plans change and Swipes was accommodating to that. It offered people true flexibility and freedom over their daily plans. So no matter the day they would always clear their list by rescheduling tasks for the future with a single swipe. It was beautiful and empowering.
The app was growing, but our finances were dwindling. Until then, we have been self-funding through savings and gigs. But the lack of capital and long hours were starting the take toll on us. The commercial subscription we tested didn't reap good enough results. We needed to find a way to get cash fast. We decided to double down on growth and look for financing instead.
