About - Move fast and build things

Hey there! I'm Mads and I've always been fascinated by technology - I got my first computer at six and taught myself to code as a teenager. My passion led me from an engineering role at Nokia during college to leadership positions at some of the world's most exciting tech companies, including Uber, Calm, and LinkedIn. I also spent some time in business school and at McKinsey.

Originally from Copenhagen, Denmark, my journey has taken me to over 100 countries and enabled me to live for extended periods in four (US, Denmark, Hong Kong, and Japan). My wife, two children, and I have been happy residents of San Carlos in the Bay Area for the past decade.

I'm a big believer in the power of curiosity and lifelong learning. I’ve enlisted my children to watch every episode of "How It's Made” with me, and we’ve toured more than fifty factories worldwide, from the heart of the Amazonian jungle near Manaus to the outskirts of Tokyo. Something breaking is a highlight in the Johnsen household, especially if repair requires learning how to use new tools. My wife and I became certified scuba divers shortly after we met, and I got my private pilot license fifteen years ago. Nowadays, I spend most of my time improving my pickle game and learning to kite surf.

Move fast and Build things

I write primarily for my own clarity, but I hope that sharing my thoughts and experiences can also be helpful to others. Great leaders have a strong command of the details and a talent for identifying the critical areas where their attention and efforts can make the biggest difference. “Give me a place to stand and a lever long enough, and I will move the earth,” Archimedes famously asserted. My writing focuses mostly on where to stand and how to get a lever long enough to move fast and build things.

Investmenting & Advising

I advise CEOs and board members on how to drive growth through product development and increase velocity through operational excellence.

I make a small amount of pre-seed/seed investments yearly and am an advisor for a handful of startups on growth & product. My investments are almost exclusively with people I’ve worked closely with in the past or through the byFounders community.

Interviews/Conferences/Podcasts

In the spirit of staying focused, I only do 1 or 2 speaking gigs a year. I prefer in-person events and usually decline virtual speaking offers or podcast interviews. A few of my past appearances: