For nearly two decades, Niels Bosma has been a distinct figure in the Nordic tech scene—founding multiple startups, building successful digital tools, and always embracing the next big challenge. With Ivy Interactive, Niels is once again reshaping how startups and enterprises build their internal tools in the era of AI. We sat down with Niels to talk about what drives him, lessons learned along the way, and what makes Ivy’s approach truly different.
Your entrepreneurial journey has spanned nearly two decades. What got you started, and how did early experiences shape your perspective?
I’ve been coding since I was 13 and did a lot of consulting and web systems early on. The entrepreneurship bug bit me at university in Linköping, where I met the co-founders of my first startup—an early mobile app store concept. Getting plugged into that incubator scene, surrounded by ambitious people, really sparked my interest. Motorola was a small part of my path. I built a UI framework for them during my thesis, then joined to continue that work. It was technically rewarding and gave me lots of freedom, but I found big-company pace frustrating. That confirmed I’m better suited for building fast-moving companies.
You co-founded several startups, including Mobigear, Offerta, Tessin and others. What’s stuck with you from those experiences?
The biggest thing that has stuck with me is how much you learn with each new venture. What makes the startup experience so valuable is that every company brings new lessons and challenges. One major takeaway is the crucial importance of company culture: who you hire and how you build your team can really make or break a startup. I learned this firsthand early on, and since then, I've placed much greater emphasis on culture and processes.
Another unique opportunity with startups is flexibility. As a founder, you can shape your own role—whether that's focusing on marketing, technology, or growth hacking. For example, at Tessin, I took on dual roles in both marketing and tech, which allowed me to grow and acquire new skills I’d never get elsewhere. That curiosity and willingness to dive deep into new areas is something I always look for when considering any new venture.
Most of all, after building multiple companies, you become much more efficient. You learn to skip unnecessary steps, avoid pitfalls, and focus on what matters. At the same time, I’ve realized that what keeps me motivated is tackling new challenges—stepping into areas I haven’t mastered yet, instead of just repeating what I’ve already done. That drive for constant growth and learning is what’s shaped my entire entrepreneurial journey.
Tell us about the founding of Ivy Interactive together with Renco Smeding. How did your partnership come about, and what is your focus?
My co-founder Renco Smeding and I go way back—we initially worked together at Offerta, where he was the business intelligence wizard, and I ran tech. He later built up a big analytics team at another company, but we always wanted to team up again. So, when Ivy came along, he came on as a true co-founder. Ivy is about enabling developers to rapidly create custom internal tools with AI. I’ve been searching my whole career for a way to make high-quality internal tools fast and cheap. Most no-code/low-code solutions don’t scale, lock you in, and you never really own the code. Ivy’s different: you build with real, maintainable code you control and can extend how you want.
Who is your target user, and how does Ivy differ from other platforms?
Our ICP is developers at startups or larger companies who keep building internal tools. Every company has a ton of these needs—and the market is huge. Unlike low-code tools, Ivy outputs C# .NET code that’s you own and with our framework, you only build one app, not separate back and front end. The Ivy Framework is open source, with all the building blocks for internal tools, and our AI agent generates maintainable code based on your database. Our challenge is to show developers this is a fundamentally better, faster, and cheaper way to build these tools.
What’s your relationship with Luminar Ventures and what do you look for in an investor partnership?
I first met Luminar’s Magnus Bergman years ago, pitching a couple of my earlier ventures at conferences like Slush. The third time around the stars aligned, I presented Ivy to Jacob Key and things just clicked. We quickly decided to work together.. With investors, I value support with fundraising, introductions, and strategic advice, but mostly, I want to focus on building the product. For now, it’s all about recruitment and product. As we mature, I expect more strategic input.
You position Ivy as a solution to “AI anxiety” in the enterprise. Can you explain that concept?
A lot of companies know they “should be” adopting AI but don’t know how. With Ivy, companies can quickly build and integrate smart internal tools, making AI implementation accessible, not intimidating. Our roadmap includes features like chat-based analytics directly on your company data. We want customers to get AI-powered back office capabilities out of the box—helping them turn uncertainty into concrete productivity.
How big is the opportunity for Ivy Interactive the next few years?
The internal tools and AI code-gen markets are huge, and set to triple in the next few years. Half of all enterprise software is internal tools. With Ivy, what used to take a development team weeks now takes days—dramatically lowering costs and making building bespoke tools accessible to more companies. Our aim is to become the go-to solution for internal tool development, making it so cost-effective and tailored that more businesses build their own software instead of buying generic SaaS.
How do you see the Nordic startup landscape today compared to 20 years ago?
It’s another world—there are so many new founders, meetups, and a real energy in the scene compared to when I started. The ecosystem has exploded, bringing new opportunities and fresh perspectives.
What is your vision for Ivy Interactive in the next 3-5 years?
We want to be international from day one, build a thriving developer community and become the backbone for internal tool development worldwide. Ultimately, we see ourselves growing from a tool for small teams to a platform that companies use for their entire internal software stack. My ambition is for Ivy to outlast “tech trends” and become a foundational enterprise platform, like a new SAP or ERP provider—but much more nimble and accessible.
Finally, what drives you as a founder at this stage of your career?
Building something that lasts and delivers real value. My last companies were local and still going strong; with Ivy, I’m excited about a global ambition, adapting fast, and building something that empowers both companies and developers for the long haul.