As Softhouse celebrates 30 years, there is one place that holds a special place in the company’s heart: Malmö. It was here, one late afternoon in September 1996, that the journey first began. From those very first lines of code, Malmö has grown into Softhouse’s headquarters — a place where the company’s history truly lives within the walls.

Today, the Malmö office is led by Stina Åkesson. Originally, her plan was to become a journalist. But she quickly realized it was not quite the right fit. Instead, she studied computer engineering despite never having written a single line of code before. She describes her path into tech as “completely unexpected.”

As a leader, Stina prefers connecting the bigger puzzle pieces rather than getting lost in details, and she is not afraid to step forward when things get complicated.

“I get energized when things are a little messy. When someone says, ‘there has to be a better way to do this,’ that’s when the lights turn on in my head,” Stina explains.

A successful demo and an unexpected text message

Stina’s first journey with Softhouse actually began back in the 2000s. Shortly after completing her thesis project, she was asked by founder Tord Olsson to build an entire trade show booth and demo for a brand-new product in Germany, in just three months. The app, Twin Factor, was far ahead of its time, and the trade fair became a huge success.

After a few years, her career took her into the real estate industry. But four years ago, an unexpectedly short text message from Tord changed things once again.

He wrote that they needed someone to help with investments. Stina’s response was characteristically uncomplicated: “Sure, I can do that.” After spending time at the investment company Softhouse Accelerate, she returned a year and a half ago as CEO of the Southwest region. When asked what drew her back, the answer is simple: the people.

“The fun part is always the people you work with. Life is too short to work with people you don’t like. There are so many genuinely great people here who want to make things happen, and there’s a warm, positive energy,” she says.

Warm, open-minded, and incredibly driven colleagues

Stina describes the atmosphere at the office as warm and filled with what she jokingly calls “ridiculously passionate colleagues.” The common denominator is that the team genuinely strives to understand customers’ everyday reality and solve real problems. The office is home to a wide range of brilliant minds — from seasoned embedded systems veterans and the team behind Skånetrafiken’s appreciated travel app, to a rapidly growing AI team. What unites them is their thoughtful mindset, their ability to truly listen, and a shared passion for creating real value.

According to Stina, much of Softhouse’s strength lies in staying grounded and genuinely making the effort to understand customers’ everyday challenges. Going out into the real world, talking to the people who will actually use the software, and solving problems where they happen is deeply embedded in the company culture.

The rest of the team agrees.

When asking Account Manager Peter Theodoridis and Consulting Manager Jens Hansson to describe their colleagues, they land on words such as engaged, smart, supportive, and humble.

Consulting Manager Hannah Cole Tugendraich highlights the human connections in everyday life.

“My very best memories are those moments where you sit down one-on-one with a colleague and truly listen and talk. Being part of building that trust and seeing people grow — that is the very heart of the Softhouse culture to me,” Hannah explains.

And when it is time to celebrate shared successes, the team does it properly, like the unforgettable and high-energy conference trip to Berlin in 2023, a memory Jens still remembers fondly.

The next major shift

Having 30 years of experience in such a fast-moving industry gives the Malmö team a certain perspective. One of those reflecting on that journey is the group CFO, Erik Sylwan Ahrholt. He entered the workforce in the late 1990s, and his career has largely unfolded in parallel with Softhouse’s own journey.

“It becomes a reflection on the enormous technological development we’ve witnessed over these 30 years — essentially defined by the age of the internet,” Erik says. “The time when the internet took off, became established, and integrated itself completely into our lives. And now we’re entering the next transformative shift, where we’ll all gain at least one additional half-brain.”

Another familiar face in the Malmö office is Stefan Johansson, CEO of Softhouse Accelerate. For him, the driving force lies in working closely with entrepreneurs and supporting the portfolio companies. But when he looks toward the future, it is the very same paradigm shift Erik describes that fascinates him most.

“I was active during the internet revolution, but what’s happening now with AI is by far the biggest shift I’ve ever seen,” Stefan says. “It’s incredible how quickly things have moved and how much time we suddenly save.”

When Stina reflects on the past 30 years, she sees a clear thread running through every technological shift: courage and care.

“Our strength lies in our ability to thoughtfully evolve over time,” she says. Then she laughs and adds: “Although it also makes you realize… wow, we’ve gotten old.” A little self-distance, she says, is always important.

And whether it is about leading through an AI revolution, managing complex tech projects, or simply solving an ordinary puzzle, Softhouse is at its very best when people get to put the pieces together — together.