An outstanding CTO: Who is Rebecka Wedlund?
We are thrilled to present you with an inside look into tech’s most cryptic role: the role of a Chief Technology Officer. The following interview is conducted as part of our participation in the Gothenburg Tech Week 2021. By interviewing Sweden’s top female CTOs, we are honored to highlight outstanding professionals, who are norm breakers and trailblazers in the field.
Rebecka Wedlund is a femtech entrepreneur and independent tech consultant. She is passionate about female empowerment and helping women turn their tech business ideas into something great. You are most likely to meet her discussing life over a glass of wine or in the boxing gym. Let’s get to know her even better!
“I love expansion journeys and all of the challenges that are associated with the fast growth.”
Please introduce yourself, Rebecka.
I’m an ex-programmer turned business developer turned entrepreneur. I have always wanted to build my own company and today I have two: Momentus, which is a digital health service for women after giving birth, and Groowy Tech, which is a CTO-for-hire consultancy firm. My background is in product and business development, where I had roles starting as a systems developer, then team lead and eventually a CEO. This has given me a unique competence in understanding the languages of both tech and business mindsets.
Tell us about your journey into tech.
I studied biotechnology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology back in 2002. At that time, all students took a class in Java. I had always been curious about programming but had never tried it before. I loved it when I did. So I took another class, and then another. It all ended with me creating my own individual master's programme at KTH focused on computer science.
Tell us about a mistake that you’ve made, personal or professional, that you have learned the most from?
To trust that I would be “taken care of” by some of my employers. My ambitions were very appreciated, up until I got too close to the top. Then I was told to take it easy, that I wasn't ready and frankly that I wasn't good enough. I was quite devastated by that, but it taught me an important lesson. It's super important to trust people and I believe that has been a great key to my success. But, always have a backup plan and make sure you have yourself covered. Believe the best in people, but trust your instincts and respect your gut feeling, and walk away when you are not appreciated as you deserve to be.
What is a dream that you have for yourself and the industry?
I’m looking forward to the day when a female CTO is just as normal as a female doctor - with preserved status! For myself, I want to be in the sweet spot between business and tech, building tech companies. In the future I would love to invest and help build businesses founded and owned by women!