Usain Bolt

It was the result of a terrible skiing accident, Susanne Najafi began their path as a serial entrepreneur.

While racing on the slopes of a Swedish ski resort in 2009, she fell and broke her neck.

"I was trying to get, but I'm like, 'Oh, I can't move my Arms . "And I realized it was a bit more serious.

"The Doctor said that I was cut off a Millimeter of the nerve cells," she recalls. "They were like, 'That was really, really lucky. '"

in Spite of facing months of recovery from a neck wear the brace, the then 28-year-old in outlook was positive. "I was like, 'Wow, I still have a recording. "For me, this was a Turning Point . I realized that life's Too Short not to follow your way to do what you are passionate about. "

the Swede decided to go to a promising marketing career with consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble.

"I quit my job, and I began to write, a lot of places," she says. "I'm like, 'Okay, I'm going to start an e-commerce business, because I know a lot about consumer products and data. '"

Within four years, you could run a Swedish beauty products company had a turnover of 130 m Swedish crowns ($13. 4m; £10. 3m), and today, it is understood the co-owner of the successful investment firm back up.

Born in Sweden, Susanne early years he spent in Rinkeby, a mostly immigrant neighborhood of Stockholm . Her parents moved from Iran, the country of the revolution of 1979.

she remembers a race with her father as a child. "He would Bolt to run like Usain, even if he was 35 and I was five," she says. "When I came to the finish line, he would say, 'You're going to, all for free, you can win really, if you win for real. '"

If a little tough, she credits his influence for their success in life. "It was a very sporty side of me. "

your first taste of entrepreneurship came during an internship with the Swedish cosmetics brand Oriflame, during the course of studies at the Stockholm School of Economics. to explore

Eager to have their Iranian roots, at the age of 23, she spent almost a year in Tehran, the establishment of a subsidiary.

Armed with only a "to-do-list", Susanne says she realized that starting a company was "not heavier or larger than".

After four years at Procter & Gamble, And Then The Accident , her earliest ventures with a perfume company and a haircare brand, but soon she had her Finger in many pies.

the sale of your apartment to collect money, other companies included in the consolidation, a contact lens company, and a 3D printed jewelry company.

It was while playing poker, that Susanne met their first major investor. You won the games at the tournaments for the investors and tech start-ups that have contributed to your profile.

A venture capital company, gave her 15 million crowns, while the other investment came from Another .

However, not all of their early ventures, such as pharmacy shops. "The timing was wrong," says Susanne. "Everything that should not happen, happens.

"in these years I have started seven companies. Many of them failed. Some of them went very well. "

until the year 2012, its main business unit was the beauty group, went on an "aggressive expansion". It beauty chain Parelle, bought a web-store and a year later they merged with the online platform of beauty for Eleven started.

With a combined turnover of 130 m crowns, things then moved quickly. A new warehouse was opened, and within a few years, The Number of employees jumped to 30.

in the year 2015 Susanne for your share to be sold, with the aim of, instead of always an investor in A Number of companies. A year later, it launched its investment company, Backing spirit, together with business partner Sara Wimmercranz, one of the founders of the Swedish online Shoe retailers walk.

When the couple met a decade ago, also playing poker, you learned, you were among The Few women, the security of investments in the country.

This prompted a closer look at the statistics of who is promoted and who is not. "That's when the whole idea for the securing of the spirit was born," says Susanne. He invests in start-ups that are often overlooked, such as those led by women, immigrants or people outside of Stockholm .

to be running As The First female-founded venture-capital firm in the Nordic Countries , it was a pioneer. "In Sweden it is more commonly referred to as Johan or Hendrik as a woman in venture capital," says Susanne.

A report from last year highlighted the extent of gender bias is a problem not only in Sweden but also in the wider Nordic region. He found that out of €2 billion ($2. 2bn; £1. 7bn), venture capital invested in the Nordic Countries in the year 2018, Those statistics are mirrored around The World .

Susanne adds that, while three-quarters of Swedish companies are located outside of Stockholm , you get "less than 8% of the investment". Meanwhile, founders with a migrant background, see "a break".

"but Instead of this as a problem, we're like, 'This is a great business opportunity,'" says Susanne.

Save the spirit is saved so far, eight companies. Money transfer company Transfer galaxy, with headquarters in Vivalla, a mainly immigrants in Western Sweden. The Team raised More Than 100 investors, without success. Now he sends 100m crowns on their platform every month.

Another company that has supported Susanne and her team, is a DNA-diagnostics, business, Dynamic Code. "They[the founders] was told she was too old to be a tech company," she says. "She was 50. "

Check Warner is The Founder of the diversity of VC, a UK-based pressure group that aims to promote more diversity in the investment industry. She says that it is "very encouraging" to Secure The Work to find heads and other investment funds "are available, and opportunities for founders, otherwise the battle on to money from traditional venture capital firms".

Susanne says that support Minds plans to expand outside of Scandinavia to other parts of Europe.

After More Than a decade as an entrepreneur, she says: "I'm really a consequence of proud of my successes and failures because they have led me to where I Am . "

Source of news: bbc.com