When Sofi Franzén founded the event agency Eventyr more than 30 years ago, she was 23 years old and had far more drive than experience. Since then, she has helped build companies, develop an entire industry, and made the journey from entrepreneur in a small Swedish company to co-owner of the Nordic region’s leading event agency group. Today, she uses her experience to support other entrepreneurs.
Over the course of her career, Sofi Franzén has received several recognitions, including CEO of the Year and Founder of the Year. Now, as a business coach in UIC Accelerate, she wants to use her experience to help the next generation of entrepreneurs.
“When I started, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. There was a lot I had to learn the hard way. I think we could have grown both faster and smarter if I had had an experienced entrepreneur by my side who could help me see the bigger picture and prioritize the right things. That’s one of the reasons why I enjoy this so much,” says Sofi Franzén.
When Sofi Franzén and her business partner founded Eventyr, the event industry was still in its infancy. Over the course of three decades, both the company and the industry have fundamentally changed. Eventyr eventually became part of the Nordic group Liwlig, which today operates in Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark and has a turnover of approximately SEK 1.6 billion.
“It has been incredibly exciting to be part of developing an entire industry. In the beginning, events were largely about organizing an activity or throwing a party. Today, we work at the heart of companies’ most important issues – with brand, culture, change, and strategy. When used in the right way, meetings and experiences can be a very powerful tool for moving both people and organizations forward.“
From entrepreneur to business coach
Through UIC Accelerate, Sofi is now supporting the startup Jocky, founded by Malcolm Barnekow and Christian Bergquist. The company is developing a digital platform that makes it easier for hotels and other businesses to book and manage live entertainment.
The idea grew out of a problem the founders had experienced themselves. As a DJ, Malcolm saw how unnecessarily complicated the process of bookings, administration, and invoicing was – and realized there had to be a much simpler way.
It is a type of entrepreneurship that Sofi recognizes.
“Malcolm and Christian have an enormous amount of drive. They are very results-oriented, they test their way forward, and they are not afraid to change direction when something doesn’t work. That is exactly the kind of energy you want to see in a young company. My job is not to tell them exactly what to do, but to ask questions that help them make better decisions faster.”
She sees the ability to prioritize as one of the biggest challenges for entrepreneurs in fast-growing companies.
“When I was a young entrepreneur, I wanted to be involved in everything. I found it difficult to delegate and probably believed for quite a long time that I needed to keep track of every detail. But entrepreneurship isn’t just about moving fast. It’s about understanding what actually moves the company forward and daring to focus almost all your energy on that.”
From solving a concrete problem to Nordic expansion
Sofi sees great potential in Jocky’s business idea. The platform can both match demand for live entertainment with the right artists and simplify the administration of assignments, reporting, and invoicing.
During autumn 2026, Jocky is expanding its operations across the Nordic market. At the same time, the artist platform is being further developed, including through a financial integration designed to help artists get paid faster and automate invoice management even for assignments booked outside Jocky.
“I like business ideas that almost make you think, ‘why doesn’t this already exist?’ Jocky solves a very concrete problem, and the market is much bigger than the Nordics. But right now, it’s about proving the model, building a really good product, and establishing a strong position here at home. After that, there is definitely potential to think much bigger.”
After more than 30 years as an entrepreneur, Sofi still finds the process of building something to be the most stimulating part.
“There is something special about people who see something that isn’t working and decide to make it better. I recognize that impatience and the belief that everything can be solved. Being able to combine their energy with the experience and mistakes I have accumulated over 30 years actually feels like a very good combination.”