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6 min read

Henrik Otendal 🇸🇪


''Learn to do good things, and take the devil by the hand''



Henrik is the Founder of RESELO - Biobased Sustainable Rubber Made From A Waste Stream, Thereby Disrupting Both The Rubber And The Forest Industry. He has taken the challenge to answer our 20 Truth Questions, For us to gain some insight, And learn the Truth about the person behind the venture.



I'm Searching For:

We are currently fundraising to build our first factory and are looking for investors who want to join us on our mission.



My TRUTH Story:

1. INTRODUCE YOURSELF IN THE THIRD PERSON TO A CROWD OF 10,000+ PEOPLE?

Born and raised in Sweden, Henrik had from an early age an ambition to "fix" things; From broken radios, cars or anything else that was broken. When he was 15 years old, he volunteered as a junior sports leader and continued training the youth for more than 35 years.


Early on in Henrik's professional career, He became a coach and mentor for young entrepreneurs to be part of the solution we need for a sustainable society. That continued in parallel with his normal professional career in global industries like automotive, shipbuilding, composites and medtech.


At KTH innovation, he crossed paths with the inventor of the Reselo Rubber, Thomas Baumgarten, and the chemical engineer Josefin Larsson; And they joined forces to revolutionize the polutive rubber industry.


Since then, Henrik has been driving change in the rubber industry as the CEO of Reselo.


2. WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF A TRUTH FOUNDER?

A Truth Founder is an entrepreneur who with heart and soul commits to changing the world into a better place for the broader society.


3. WHAT EVENT OR EVENTS HAPPENED TO YOU THAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A FOUNDER?

I have always wanted to fix things and have always believed that it will be the entrepreneurs who make the transition society to a better place. I have always been around innovative environments such as incubators and universities, but never found the right idea.


When meeting Thomas and Josefin, we soon understood that we had the same ambitions and goals to be part of the solution.


4. WHAT IS YOUR MORNING ROUTINE & RITUAL? I get up early and eat breakfast, drink coffe and read the news.


I make a small plan for the day, what to achieve and then get going!


5. WHAT MANTRA,QUOTE,LINE OR PHRASE DO YOU SAY OFTEN TO INSPIRE AND MOTIVATE YOURSELF? Learn to do good things and take the devil by the hand. Meaning, don't get upset when you are facing challenging times. Life is full of challenges, just take them on, one by one!


6. WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE SHOULD CARE ABOUT YOUR VENTURE? It's quite a complex and new rubber ecosystem that we are aiming to set up, joining forestowners, papermills and sawmills from the rubber industry.


But when we succeed, it will be a really disruptive change for both the forest industry and the rubber industry.


We want to be a role model showing that it can be done and to inspire others to do the same thing in other areas.


7. WHY DO YOU THINK YOU ARE THE ONE TO MAKE YOUR VENTURE A SUCCESS?

I am very persistent and have the patience to take on all the challenges and struggles to make it happen together with brilliant cofounders and our team.


8. WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE FOR YOUR VENTURE? ( START WITH: IMAGINE A WORLD... WHAT IF... WE WILL BE... )

Imagine a world where we have shoes made from our Reselo Rubber, we are using nature's resources in a responsible way, while recycling and consume less than our planet can provide.


9. ANSWER THESE AS MANY TIMES AS YOU LIKE - I BELIEVE... I DON'T BELIEVE... I believe in doing good things.


I believe in education.


I believe that we all have a responsibility to be good role models.


10. WHAT'S ONE DECISION YOU MADE AS A FOUNDER THAT COMPLETELY CHANGED THE COURSE OF YOUR JOURNEY? We made the decision to focus on one specific segment where we found a great product and market fit for our material instead of being "all over the place" in many different segments.


11. WHAT DO YOU REGARD AS YOUR GREATEST SUCCESS PERSONALLY & AS A FOUNDER? My personal success is that I have raised 3 wonderful and brilliant daughters.


As a Founder, I made the difficult decision to quit a secure and well paid job to enter a challenging entrepreneurial journey to be part of the solution for a better world. Something I am very proud of.


12. WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHY? I am thorough when it is required and am very persistent. I'm also very calm which can help my team to work in a structured way.


13. WHAT'S ONE THING YOU CAN IMPROVE ABOUT YOURSELF, AND WHY DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE NOT DONE IT BY NOW?

That I'm not very keen on "selling" or standing on stages and perform/present. I am more of a doer. And I am very impatient.


14. WHAT'S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED OR GIVEN, OR BOTH?

Accept that life is a roller coaster with sometimes good times and sometimes challenging times, it is what it is and don't try to fight against it, make yourself a clear vision where you want to go and take one step ahead of the other.


15. ON A SCALE FROM 1 TO 10 - 10 BEING THE BEST. HOW WELL DO YOU THINK YOU AND YOUR TRUTH STORY IS CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD BY YOUR COMMUNITY? ( WHY NOT 10? ) 8 - because it's easy to say, but when you are down in the ditch, it can be tricky to find the harmony of life and just go on.


But I think most people can relate to it.


16. WHO DO YOU MOST ADMIRE AND WHY? I don't have any specific person that I admire, but I admire people who try to be good and do good things in the small moments.


I also admire people, despite thier circumstances, making it through life and having the power to give back to those around them.


17. DESCRIBE YOUR VENTURE - ELEVATOR PITCH STYLE?

We make biobased sustainable rubber made from a waste stream, Thereby disrupting both the rubber and the forest industry to allow people to live sustainably.


18. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT MISSION STATEMENT OR MESSAGE + MARKET FIT FOR YOUR VENTURE?

We will transform the footwear and fashion industry, and make it more sustainable by providing sustainable rubber to consumer goods as shoes, outdoor and training equipment.


19. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO TO UNWIND AFTER A LONG WORK DAY?

I go out and sit at my nature pool and listen to the water pouring and the birds singing; I like to look at them when they are taking a bath in the water. I also like do some house renovations on my old cottage.


20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU TREATED YOURSELF TO AND WHAT DID YOU CELEBRATE?

I went skiing last winter and celebrated that I managed to handle a couple of tough years.

BONUS QUESTION: WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT ARE SUPPORTING YOU ON YOUR AMBITIOUS JOURNEY? 

We are tremendously grateful for all the support we get from our friends, family, and investors in our bio tech community; And because of their support, we have the grit and the guts to carry on with our mission to make it possible to achieve sustainable living for all.



Become Our Next Truth Founder Today: - FREE To Submit & Be Published

 

Audience and Reach:

 

  • Reach: 17,000+ Subscribers & growing.

  • Co-Found Events: 250 - 300 People.

  • Audience: Entrepreneurs, Creators, Early Adopters.

  • Job Titles: Founder, CEO, and Business Owner.

  • Average e-mail open rate: 55%

 

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