- Owner2003 - PRESENTChris Hjorth Creations
- Defined multiple products and product enhancement requirements through client and end-user research and interviews.
- Designed multiple products and user experiences getting all parties in agreement through user stories and wireframes.
- Developed and launched multiple products, singlehandedly, joining clients teams and managing outsourced resources.
- Launched personal microbusinesses as technology and product experiments as a lifelong learning tool.
- Contributed to client projects including customized and faster accountancy software, real-time solar energy dashboard plugins for the web, communication platform that combines messaging and email while separating private life and work life, web-based video editing tool, web-based document review tool, educational biotech game, robot walking algorithm implementations, and multiple smartphone and tablet consumer apps.
- New Ventures Technology Consultant at Innovation Accelerator2017 - 2019United Nations World Food Programme
- Designed and implemented a solution to digitalize malnutrition monitoring for children in remote developing locations with little network and electricity infrastructure.
- Traveled to remote locations including a war zone to gather information from users and stakeholders to ensure product success.
- Trained non-tech-savvy users in the usage of a new product.
- Managed multiple outsourced resources to ensure meeting of tight deadlines and budgets through a combination of Jira, Trello, Sourcetree, and custom workflows.
- Won a GLOMO award for the digitalization of malnutrition in 2019 with the SCOPE CODA product.
- Mentored multiple startups going through the accelerator's boot camps on product strategy and development.
- Researched and advised on cutting edge technology innovations such as blockchain and various artificial intelligence approaches and their feasibility in the scope of the innovation accelerator's operations in developing countries.
- Implemented and facilitated OKRs across the entire innovation accelerator departments teams that include different areas of work as well as locations.
- Co-founder and VP of Engineering and Product2015 - 2017Woomio
- Managed the product from inception towards product-market fit and profitability continuously collaborating with the sales team.
- Pivoted from eCommerce omnichannel focus to influencer marketing in response to the market in the early days of the business.
- Defined the tools and methods in the company's working culture with the goal to keep operations fast and lean as well as to improve internal communications.
- Implemented and facilitated OKRs in order to speed up operations.
- Hired developer and designer talent.
- Launched product features as MVPs on top of core product avoiding cannibalization and keeping existing users engaged.
- Raised funds from multiple high profile Danish investors.
- Designed an Instagram analytics tool that spurred growth attracting users to the Woomio platform.
- Co-founder and CTO2014 - 2016Sharingear
- Researched the market and competition to identify needs and pains and potential product fit.
- Architected, developed, and launched a fully-featured two-sided online marketplace in three months.
- Hired developer talent.
- Designed a developer experience and company culture that allowed junior developers to punch above their weight in a safe environment.
- Acted as product manager.
- Graduated from Startupbootcamp Mobile 2014 in Copenhagen.
- Received endorsement for the product from multiple known bands in the rock music scene.
- Co-founder and Chief Design Officer2011 - 2013Snapp
- Helped clients define requested product features to be implemented in order to serve their best interest balancing context and available resources.
- Managed requested products and features, defining roadmaps, sprints, tests and launches.
- Launched multiple apps and updates on existing products.
- Co-founded multiple startups as a service, as a part of our company offering.
- Produced user stories and wireframes ensuring that all parties were in agreement on features to be developed.
- Worked with clients including Arla, Deloitte, and Kiloo.
- Teaching Assistant at Media Department2010 - 2010Aalborg University
- Taught students C and C++ programming languages.
- Introduced students to OpenCV computer vision programming.
- Adapted the programming course so that students would be equipped to create MVPs more than prototypes.
- Introduced students to OpenFrameworks graphical interface programming.
- Held a lecture on OpenCV and OpenFrameworks.
Chris Hjorth
Copenhagen, Denmark
Member since September 8, 2019
Chris is a problem solver, a generalist with the ability to dig in and specialize when needed. Over the past 15 years, he has worked independently, founded startups, mentored other startups and individuals as well as innovated in the developing world with the United Nations World Food Programme. Chris loves turning ideas into products and taking them to scale effectively, focusing on strategy, planning, and execution through iterations.
Chris is now available for hire
Project Highlights
- Led design and development of a solution that digitalizes children malnutrition management programs in developing countries.
- Pivoted the first iteration of the product to influencer marketing analytics resulting in market fit and profitability.
- Took a two-sided platform from idea to market in three months with little to no resources.
Expertise
- Healthcare
- Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
- Product Strategy
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Startups
- Two-sided Marketplaces
- User Experience (UX)
- eCommerce
Education
- Aalborg University
- Aalborg University
- Università degli studi di Torino
Employment
Project History
- SCOPE CODA - Digital Malnutrition Management in Remote LocationsLed design and development of a solution that digitalizes children malnutrition management programs in developing countries.
SCOPE CODA digitalizes the children malnutrition management programs defined by WHO, UNICEF, and WFP. CODA stands for Conditional On-demand assistance. It is a data collection and assistance management platform that can operate in locations with poor network and electricity infrastructure. The project involved multiple stakeholders that needed access to data reports, from local doctors to regional and country-level government and organizations. It is designed to be used by users with little to no experience in operating technological systems. The solution was implemented as custom smartphone-like devices operated by local nurses, NFC cards that allowed mothers to transport the child's data, battery recharge and data synchronization operations, data dashboards and customizable malnutrition management program flows.
- Woomio - Influencer Marketing AnalyticsPivoted the first iteration of the product to influencer marketing analytics resulting in market fit and profitability.
Woomio is an influencer marketing analytics and insights platform. It improves the relationship between brands and influencers empowering the operations of both parties. I managed the product and led the development team during the first years of the company. I led the startup to product-market fit via tight collaboration with the sales team, research, competition differentiation and multiple MVP launches of potential features of value.
- Sharingear - P2P Gear Rental for the Music IndustryTook a two-sided platform from idea to market in three months with little to no resources.
Sharingear was a peer to peer musical instrument rental platform. With very limited resources I took the idea to market as a fully functional product within 3 months of the Startupbootcamp program. I managed the product, hired talent and managed development, besides architecting the system. I architected the system specifically to allow junior developers to punch above their weight and learn faster. For this, I designed a custom JavaScript framework that removed the need for deeper level knowledge and combined it with a rigorous deployment toolchain that ensured quality.
The fast product launch allowed us to gather interest from bigger players that fuelled the go-to-market strategy in the music industry via influence.
Education
- Master's degree in Media Technology, Design Specialization2009 - 2011Aalborg University - Aalborg, Denmark
- Bachelor's degree in Media Technology2006 - 2009Aalborg University - Aalborg, Denmark
- Bachelor's degree in Information Technology with specialization in Systems and Networks2003 - 2006Università degli studi di Torino - Turin, Italy
- Perito Informatico (Information Technology Specialist) in Information Technology1998 - 2003ITIS C. Olivetti - Ivrea, Italy
