Behind every idea, there’s a person. Entrepreneurial Minds is a film series highlighting the people who drive Chalmers’ innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem forward – researchers, students, alumni, and staff who dare to think differently and make a difference.
Here, you’ll meet the voices behind the innovations – from research labs to societal impact.
Henrik Olausson
For logical reasons, entrepreneurship often stem from real-world challenges that need solving. In this interview, Henrik Olausson shares the journey from recognizing a hidden waste of resources to building the company Palats.
As large organizations store furniture and construction materials for future reuse, many items tend to remain unused – only to eventually be discarded all togehther. Through a digital platform aimed towards companies and organisations – Palats aims to make reuse of things just as easy as it is to buy new.
Thanks to the supportive innovation environment at Chalmers, Henrik and the team at Palats are working to make circular ways of working practical in everyday operations – demonstrating how digital infrastructure can become a key enabler for reducing waste by making better use of resources that already exist.
Here, Henrik explains how his entrepreneurial journey can help drive transition toward a more circular economy.
Kinga Grenda
At Chalmers, innovation is driven by both curiosity and purpose. In this interview, Kinga Grenda shares her journey from researcher to entrepreneur, where a passion for chemistry and a commitment to protecting artworks and cultural heritage led to a breakthrough solution against air pollution.
Rooted in Swedish materials research and developed in close dialogue with conservators, her technology captures and visualizes harmful pollutants in the air – a powerful example of how science and entrepreneurship can come together to solve challenges that are urgent today, not tomorrow.
Karen Williams Middleton
With a background in engineering and a lifelong passion for orienteering, Karen Williams Middleton, professor in Entrepreneurship and Strategy at Chalmers, brings a unique perspective to entrepreneurial education – one that combines exploration, persistence, and curiosity.
In both orienteering and entrepreneurship, there is no single path to success. It’s about knowing your tools, understanding your strengths – and finding your own way forward.
Saba Atefyekta
Behind every breakthrough lies courage – to dream big, to take risks, and to turn research into real impact. In this interview, Saba Atefyekta, PhD, Sales Director and Co-Founder of Amferia, shares her journey from researcher at Chalmers to entrepreneur tackling one of the world’s greatest health challenges: antibiotic resistance.
With passion, persistence, and purpose, she shows how science, innovation, and entrepreneurship come together to create solutions that save lives.
Mats Lundqvist
At Chalmers, entrepreneurship is part of who we are – a culture built on passion, curiosity, and the drive to make a difference. In this interview, Mats Lundqvist, Vice President of Utilization, Innovation and Lifelong Learning and Co-Founder of Chalmers School of Entrepreneurship, reflects on how Chalmers has helped shape Gothenburg into a thriving innovation hub, and how we continue to nurture people and ideas that create sustainable impact far beyond campus.
