Line Sorsdahl Aasen is a Career Club DK Advisory Board Member and does marketing, PR and investor relations at a Danish venture capital firm. She’s originally from Norway, but she has also lived in the US before moving to Denmark. One of her favorite things is to see ideas come to life and she has a big passion for the startup ecosystem.
Where do you come from and what motivated you to come to Denmark?
I was born and raised in Bergen in Norway. There, I lived for the first 19 years of my life and a big part of my days were spent on the tennis court. Those long hours on the court turned out to be well spent as I was rewarded an athletic scholarship to play college tennis in New York City, in the US. After spending four years in the city that never sleeps, (I can ensure you that’s true) it was time for a new adventure.
It was really a mix of many things that bought me here to Denmark. I knew that I wanted to be a bit closer to my family and friends, but I also knew that I still wanted to explore living in more countries. All in all, it was a combination of love, university and great opportunities that brought me to Denmark. So, for now, I call Copenhagen my home, but we’ll see where I am in a few years. I love it here for now, but I’m always open for new adventures 🙂
What inspired you to become a professional in Marketing and Venture Capital?
I’m very much driven by passion and that goes for my journey into marketing and Venture Capital as well. Before joining a VC, I was in startups, incubators, startup competitions and events, so I have been around the startup ecosystem and right now I’m exploring the investor side. I really enjoy being part of a team that wants to develop a platform to support founders build successful companies. I’ve also been lucky to join a new and young VC, which means that I’ve very much been part of creating its brand from the ground up. It’s been an amazing journey so far.
The part that drives me to the startup ecosystem is the perfect chaos vibe it has. I love how fast paced it is and how you at one point is doing something to grow and in the next moment you try to survive! I get to do a lot of different tasks and project and I think this also transfers to the marketing part of why I love what I do. As a marketing professional, I do everything from planning events to writing newsletters, and everything between. I also like community building and ESG, so I might follow those paths at some point, but for sure in the startup ecosystem!
Tell us about your experience in building a career and a network in Denmark?
In my experience, it’s all about getting your foot inside the whole working world here. That goes for thriving in the job market, building a network, and making work friends. Once you have a foot inside, the ball is rolling if you allow yourself to be open to opportunities. I think that’s key. There are lots of networking events so it’s all about finding the right ones for you.
Also, I believe you need to be eager and take the opportunities that are sent your way. You never know who you will meet at a networking event, and those are both fun and important to building a career here in Denmark. I think networking events are just the best, but they can also be exhausting so it’s all about finding the ones that fit your career goals and personality,
and then you might end up just loving it too 🙂 My last tip would be to utilize LinkedIn. Connect with others in your field and industry, create group conversations to share knowledge, follow industry experts and create your personal brand by posting about what you are passioned about.
How do you find the working culture in Denmark compares to your own?
I mean, I think this is a super difficult question for me to answer as I haven’t worked much in Norway; however, I know that many new, young companies in Norway look to the Danish work culture to create a fun and motivating work environment 🙂
Your best career advice from woman to woman?
Passion and smart work. First, it’s all about finding something you’re passionate about because then work doesn’t always feel like work. Perhaps you will find your passion in an industry or in a field, or maybe it’s a hobby that you could turn into your fulltime job? When your have found your passion, I think you should go for it and see how far you can go.
That leads me to the second part, work smarter not harder. I just love that saying because I think it makes you stop up for a second and evaluate what you’re doing. Many times, we can use our network, ask colleagues for support or set up a good process to get the job done, in a smarter way than if we only put our effort into working long and hard hours to completing a task or reaching a goal.
What does Career Club mean to you and how have we helped you?
I wanted to be part of Career Club to expand my network, but also make friends with likeminded women. It’s a great community where I can develop both professionally and socially, and I love that mix. When we host events, it’s always a great atmosphere where I know I will meet new and familiar faces, which is great. I would very much like that we will develop and get even better at matchmaking and using the community to highlight achievements among our members and have a network that helps internationally minded women in Denmark finding their passion and build their social and professional life. In the end, it’s a great group of powerful ladies 🙂
Interviewee
Line Sorsdahl Aasen
Advisory Board Member at Career Club DK
Member, Marketing, PR and Investor Relations
Connect with Line on LinkedIn!
