Six months ago I started working as a trainee at Dell, the World’s Largest Privately-Controlled Technology Company. Even though it is a global and huge corporation I perceive Dell as a genuine and authentic employer, supplier and innovator, and in the following post I will describe why.
Given my interest in technology, my willingness to support customers in a digital world and my passion for innovation, Dell was for me an obvious workplace to apply for. I wanted to work with innovation and at the same time learn more about the tech- industry and market trends. After a couple months of insight in the company it has appeared to me that my idea of Dell being innovative and a developing workplace, is correct. Not only has Dell committed 4.5 billion dollars to research and development of the company itself, but we support customers in innovating as well. We offer our customers the solutions they need in order to build their digital future and to free up time and resources for innovation.
As a trainee at Dell I have the privilege to travel and experience a couple of our sites across Europe. During a stay in Amsterdam I got to meet graduates from 17 nationalities and some of the local staff in the Netherlands. This was when I first was introduced to the initiative Dell for entrepreneurs .
Dell for entrepreneurs (also referred to as DFE) was created 5 years ago in the US as a way for Dell to support entrepreneurs to gain the resources, expertise and solutions they need to succeed. The purpose is to network and get inspired by each other. DFE has, since it was first initiated, grown worldwide. It is now present in the US, Canada, Germany, Singapore, Netherlands, Spain etc. However, at the end of 2017, when I started my trainee position at Dell, DFE had not yet entered the Swedish market. Therefore I was determined to bringing Dell for entrepreneurs to Stockholm, Sweden. Together with a fellow colleague, we did some research on the Swedish market in order to find the best way of adapting DFE locally in Sweden. We attended startup-events in Stockholm and met with people that are engaged in the entrepreneurial ecosystem of our capital. Furthermore we interviewed representatives of DFE from other countries in order to understand their way of approaching the project. Eventually we anchored the project with the Swedish management team and together with an excellent team we are now starting the Dell for entrepreneurs journey in Sweden! This is an awesome opportunity, not only for myself, who gets to work with what I am passionate about; innovation, developing talents and connecting with others, but it is also a great way for the startups in Sweden and Dell to network and get inspired by each other. The Dell environment has truly encouraged me to take own initiatives and to pursue what I am passionate about. At this present stage we are identifying ways to adapt DFE to the Swedish ecosystem in order to best support the local startups.
Finally, some thoughts around innovation and entrepreneurship. I believe diversity is crucial in order to succeed with innovation and entrepreneurship. Bringing people together from different backgrounds, industries and with different experiences is opening up for new learnings and insights. Furthermore, I believe that openness is important to innovation and successful cooperation. If you are open to other people’s thoughts and perspectives, you can connect different parties and understand different ideas. I believe the best innovations are created when we come together to work for a common goal. Winning together is one of the core values of Dell, and I see no better way than connecting with the startup world and its ecosystem in order to win together!