Technology entrepreneur, investor, speaker, thinker, and rabbit hole explorer!
300+ keynotes in 40+ countries ...
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An Uncomfortable Reality Check?
In these times of unprecedented turbulence and increasing uncertainty, it’s easy to feel lost and overwhelmed. We see economic turmoil, volatile interest and inflation numbers, elected leaders going bananas, a weak economic outlook in China, all sorts of conflict, a bursting startup bubble, and a generative AI wave that some say will turn us into unemployed, obsolete robot servants. What will this mean? How can you understand and prepare? Where do you find the next opportunity in this perfect storm?
"Few people understand the impact of new technology like Nicklas Bergman. Nicklas inspires us to understand the potential impact of technology on business and society – and to take responsibility for making sure that technology improves the state of the world."
Jim Hagemann Snabe, Chairman of
Siemens and A.P. Møller Maersk
Your Guide to the Future
After more than 30 years as an entrepreneur and technology investor, Nicklas Bergman has become a master of asking the right questions. He does this in keynotes for large audiences, C-suite masterclasses, or more informal advisory roles to senior leaders, investment executives, and public servants.
You don’t invite Nicklas to your event or bring him on as an advisor to provide simplifications and standardized answers. Instead, you invite him to spark a discussion, share uncomfortable truths, find new opportunities, and provide fresh perspectives on topics you thought you knew something about.Â
Always curious, sometimes provocative, but at all times, with the proper intent of dissecting complex realities to understand implications, see opportunities, and find actionable insights.
As a lifelong science nerd and sci-fi bookworm with deep roots in the European startup and investor ecosystem, Nicklas is the ultimate guide to our tech-infused future. As a business angel and investment advisor to the EUR 5 billion EIC Fund, he’s seen companies go up in flames, businesses rise from the ashes, and tiny players conquer the world, sometimes with impressive returns and sometimes less so.
Nicklas’ approach to today’s fast-moving and highly uncertain world of technology, society and business revolves around a set of three questions:
What?
What?
What emerging trends can we see? What weak signals can we detect? What's next in Generative AI? Should I invest in renewable energy? Do I have to rebuild my production lines now that we're leaving a globalized world behind? Are there any inevitable surprises that we’re taking for granted? Can we identify an ETA for these trends?
So What?
So What?
As a CEO, do you have to understand the fundamentals of quantum computing or AI? If you’re in politics, do you need in-depth knowledge of personalized medicine or the next big thing in spatial computing? Probably not, but you need to understand the implications for your company or constituents, both short-term and long-term.Â
Now What?
Now What?
The current wave of emerging technologies significantly impacts how we build businesses, organize work, and manage a workforce. Also, we’re seeing rapid changes in how people approach new tools in their daily work. Finally, and probably most importantly, we must adapt to rapidly changing business models and value chains.
The AI Craze
Generative AI is two things at the same time. On the one hand, it’s, at best, a decent intern or junior associate. It’s hallucinating, bad at math, biased, energy-consuming, and definitely not scaleable to become sentient. On the other hand, it increases productivity when used correctly, is a great way to jumpstart your creativity, and will be especially useful when trained on proprietary, specific data sets.
This challenge of trying to see two perspectives simultaneously is well-known but continues to be a great challenge, especially to our collective mind. When looking with your investor glasses at the field of Generative AI somewhat from the outside, it's fascinating that we’re seeing business models and value chains being experimented with in real-time and with real, substantial amounts of money. Bring out the popcorn! 🍿
Technological uncertainty is a defining feature of the modern world. Nicklas Bergman draws together an impressive range of insights about where we are coming from and where we are going. He is an astute speaker, asking the big questions about what we must do to shape and benefit from the next wave of technologies.
Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner
for Research, Science, and Innovation
The Approach
The speed of innovation, paired with increased levels of complexity and uncertainty, plays tricks on all of us. Previously unseen engineering marvels, new forms of business creativity, and total investor hubris fill the news and our social feeds. It’s easy to think that “this time it’s different”, right?Â
Well, it’s not. You just have to look back and learn from history to understand that any and all previous eras of excessive behavior show great resemblance with (among others) the Generative AI bubble of today. In hindsight, it will compete with the Dutch tulip mania, the British railroad craze, and the Dotcom boom.Â
To stay ahead, you must analyze what’s on the technological frontier, assess the implications for your industry and clients, and adapt to this new reality.
Clients
As a keynote speaker, Nicklas has delivered over 300 keynotes in more than 40 countries around the world. Audiences range from one (!) to several thousand, and clients can be found in all industries as well as in major public institutions.
Latest Updates ...
2025.04.03 - Techstorm Geopolitics Forecast
There’s so much happening at the moment, and the level of uncertainty is reaching new heights. We experience an incredible information overload, and alliances are thrown in the bin, only to ...
2025.04.02 - Innovation Fika Podcast
What happens when tech meets geopolitics? From global power shifts and AI arms races to what’s hot (and not) in tech, we’ll explore how to navigate an increasingly complex and uncertain world.
2025.04.01 - Stop Calling Them Tech Companies
When I started angel investing in the late 1990s, a tech investment included a significant technology risk, with the potential upside being groundbreaking innovation. Being an investor ...
2025.02.27 - Gradually, Then Suddenly: A Flower Shop Window’s Lesson
Yesterday, at a local flower shop, I spotted a handwritten window sign asking for old newspapers. 🗞️ I did a double-take. They need them to wrap bouquets and are running out. Who even has newspapers these days?
2025.01.03 - 0N_TECHSTORM AI FORECAST - PART 2
OMG, what a crazy year it’s been in AI. About 12 months ago, when I was fed up with all the AI hype, I sent out a somewhat ironic (cynical?) Techstorm Forecast on AI, including a Top 10 list ...
2025.01.01 - 0N_TECHSTORM WINTER FORECAST - PART 1
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great time last night! Btw, it’s OK to revoke your New Year’s resolutions now; I promise not to tell anyone. 2024 was indeed a turbulent year, but ...
2024.08.29 - Nvidia shares fall even as revenue more than doubles
I can’t imagine a more AI-bubble confirming headline than this ...
2024.08.13 - 0N_TECHSTORMÂ SUMMER FORECAST
No new entrants on the Top 10 list, but there’s been more movement than usual. Generative AI is still securing the #1 spot; no surprise there ...
2024.08.10 - China's manufacturers are going broke
It’s difficult to run a totalitarian country while at the same time nurturing global geopolitical ambitions through industrial initiatives in key sectors ...
2024.05.27 - Increased longevity will bring profound social change
Human longevity is an amazing opportunity for people as well as a great challenge for society. This is a perfect example of an ”inevitable surprise” ...
2024.05.07 - 0N_TECHSTORM Geopolitics Edition
The Global Battle for Power, Resources, and Prosperity Intensifies ...
2024.04.15 - Do you know your customer? - Part 2
Like most of you, I get lots of sales emails these days. The frustrating thing is that many of them make it through my spam filters ...
2024.04.08 - Do you know your customer? - Part 1
For a long time, I’ve been perplexed and irritated by companies’ desire to know “everything” about me. Even if it’s a once-in-a-lifetime purchase ...
2024.03.15 - The Figure 01 Robot, a Quantum Leap or Dead End?
The OpenAI-backed humanoid robot Figure 01 made the news the other day, and since then, I've had about a dozen people ...
2024.02.14 - AI hype has echoes of the telecoms boom and bust
Looking back on my college years, some of my most useful courses were History of Ideas and Economic History. No better ...
2024.01.01 - 0N_TECHSTORM Winter Forecast
Now that 2023 has come to an end, we look forward to 2024, or are we really? The horizon is still filled with dark clouds, but in some instances, we ...
2023.12.05 - 0N_TECHSTORM AI Edition
Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. This forecast is solely dedicated to all things AI. Read this with a grain of salt, and see you early next year ...
2023.04.17 - EU’s new AI law could decimate generative AI on the continent, warn founders
Founders in the space are worried about blanket rules being applied across very different areas of AI ...
2019.02.25 - Tech Startups, Is It A (Bubble) Wrap?
I have been a seed and early-stage deep technology investor for the past 20 years. This means that I am part of the problem, so writing a column on a ...
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