Highsoft Solutions awarded Entrepeneur of the Year

This article is translated from the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation’s website. Authors are Stine Kyrkjebø Johansen and Gro Ravnestad. Read the original article and watch the video from the event at NRK Sogn og Fjordane.

Thursday Torstein Hønsi with Highsoft Solutions AS were awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 of Sogn og Fjordane, at the Temposeminar in Florø.

The Savings Bank Foundation of Sogn og Fjordane and the local Savings bank in Sogn og Fjordane, together with the local division of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) awarded the prize winner. The prize winners also received NOK 100,000.

Candidates for the contest have been selected by a jury who picked five finalists. Then the public was invited to vote for their favourite. Altogether 10,500 votes from the people were registered.

The jury consists of jury chairman and managing director of the local Savings bank of Sogn og Fjordane, Arvid Andenæs, Moods of Norway-founder Simen Staalnacke and Halvor Flatland who is head of Innovation Norway.

The five finalists were:

• Lege.no, from Mjømna (online chat-solution with a doctor)
• Droneservice, from Stryn (delivers a helicopter robot with cameras, intended for use in error detection in areas that are hard to reach)
• Proresult, from Førde (online working-hour registering service)
• Melin Medical AS, from Sandane (deliver customized bank terminal for the health sector)
• Highsoft Solutions, from Vik i Sogn

– VERY HAPPY AND PROUD

– I am very glad and proud to receive this award, said the happy entrepreneur Torstein Hønsi after being announced the winner.

– This inspires us to continue developing our products, and we have definite plans on how we intend to invest the granted assets, he sais.

CEO Grethe Hjetland held a real Hollywood-style thank you speech and says:

-It never gets boring working at Highsoft Solutions.

ABOUT THE WINNER

– We deliver advanced graphical tools that intend to simplify visualization of data, directly in your web browser, CEO Grethe Hjetland says.

And the companies that are represented on the winners customer list are not small by any means.

– More than 50 of the 100 largest companies in the world are on our customer list, says chairman and main shareholder, Torstein Hønsi.

– The idea is primarily Torstein’s and it has been an amazing adventure. It is rewarding to look at our customer list and see nearly 23,000 customers, Hjetland says.

JURY CONVICTION

The entrepreneur of the year 2012 have had an adventurous journey from what one can call a non-commercial idea to becoming a global success, with customers all over the world. This year’s entrepreneur has quickly established himself in a global industry with strong competition, where you really have to be on top to participate in the game. This year’s entrepreneur and his company have shown an excellent ability to develop a business model that works in a new industry and an international business culture. This is an innovative breakthrough. This year’s entrepreneur creates workplaces in the new industries in which our youths are educated, both in their own hometown and other municipalities in the county and can attract youth from outside the county. He has a scalable concept with significant potential. This year’s entrepreneur has shown great business acumen by working closely to his customers and adapted the product based on customer needs where the customer also gets ownership of what is being developed. He now delivers to affluent customers worldwide. The entrepreneur of the year is Highsoft Solutions from Vik.