Today, we have a real treat for you! Specially for our Vikings – Frank Bekkers – the founder of Mobile Vikings. During his visit to Wrocław, he told us about the history of Vikings, his love for Wrocław, ways to run a successful business, and plans for the future. And we've written it all down for you!
Recently, Frank Bekkers – the founder of the Mobile Vikings brand – visited our headquarters in Wrocław. Bekkers describes himself as a true business enthusiast and a serial entrepreneur. He is an experienced businessman with a youthful approach. Mobile Vikings is his 13th company – it's safe to say, a lucky thirteen. And he doesn't intend to stop there. As he says himself, his greatest passion is building and growing businesses. He is driven by risk. He also likes to give other people the opportunity to act on the foundations he has created. That's why he often sells his companies. He wants to combine the passion and energy residing in different people and different projects in their early stages of development.
We love Frank, and not just because he contributes a significant budget to us. Mainly because his unconventional thinking, enthusiasm, and energy could be enough to fill a whole bucket of our local coaches and motivational wizards. That's why we decided to talk to him and write a few things down.
Frank… why Poland, why Wrocław?
You can't help but fall in love with this city. Wrocław is full of young energy. But that's not all. For me, it's important that when I came here, I noticed the immense determination and ambition dormant in Polish people. That's no longer the case in Belgium – people there are satisfied, they don't plan for the future, they don't want to change the world, they don't have the ambition to build global enterprises. You can feel this determination here – you can feel the need for recognition and a vast amount of talent. However, these are not unfounded dreams. In Poland, the middle class is already well-educated, understands the language and the structures of the global economy. It's only a matter of time before this potential finds an outlet and Polish global brands start to emerge. For me, as an investor from the West, this is an incredible potential and opportunity.
And Wrocław? It's the quintessence of what I've just talked about. Here you can see the most young, intelligent, capable, and idea-filled people. You can feel the vibrant life, movement, and dynamism on the streets. I fell in love with this city after my first visit, and even though I was supposed to start my business in Warsaw, I am very happy that Magda (COO of Mobile Vikings) managed to convince me to locate Mobile Vikings in Wrocław.
Frank talks about the history of Vikings
I didn't want Mobile Vikings to be created as just another mobile operator offering its services, but as a community-brand that reaches out to its users. Users for whom "internet is a right." And it is for them that Mobile Vikings fights for cheaper internet. This is a completely different way of thinking about telecommunications than that of big players and smaller providers. To build a community, you need to be very flexible, something that large corporations will never be able to do – they are and will be too slow to react. That's why we created the Mobile Vikings brand, whose main value is the people building this brand. It is thanks to them that we managed to create a mobile operator without physical stores and salespeople. A mobile operator where there are no customers, but Vikings, no stores because you can handle everything through social media. Additionally, in the meantime, I was developing the CityLife.be project, an application through which community members could use the city more cheaply – which, combined with MV, led to the creation of MV Deals, or "special offers" for our users. We ran this project successfully in Belgium because we managed to build a very strong community – with over 240,000 users! There is still a lot of work ahead of us in Poland. What's worth emphasizing is that we don't think of the company as just e-commerce. Thinking about the Internet should be broader, multi-layered.
Last year, I sold Mobile Vikings Belgium to the Medialaan concern. However, I managed to retain the proprietary rights to the Mobile Vikings brand in Poland. That's why I will now shift more attention to the Polish market, which – ironically – turns out to be very difficult for mobile operators. However, we are planning several important and bold moves this year, and I believe you will hear a lot more about Vikings this year.
… about smart cities, the Internet of Things, and startups
Today, my focus is mainly on the Internet of Things and smart cities. We conducted a research project "Internet of Things" in Antwerp, where, together with Mobile Vikings users, we managed to map the digital image of the city. Thanks to the data collected by users, we can improve public transport and allocate resources. This is one of my passions and things that will define the technology sector in the coming years.
I would also like to invest more heavily in Wrocław startups. I dream of creating a place like Corda Campus in Hasselt. An open place, connecting those with ideas at different stages with those who know how to monetize them. A place where the right vibes prevail. For now, there is no such space in Wrocław, and it is essential for creating the right "positive buzz." We managed to build such a network, for example, in Limburg [link: http://www.limburgstartup.be/]. It works great, several hundred startups are emerging there, and several have already managed to break through.
From Wrocław's perspective, Flanders is a very interesting case study. In the Hasselt region, there was once a mining industry center that ended in the 1990s. The economic revitalization of this place was achieved by supporting startups and new technologies. To overcome the barrier of middle-income development, Poland also needs to look very closely at innovation.
… about creativity and its value
There are no innovations without creativity. Technology does not exist without people. The best cities function by combining the creative aspect with science and knowledge. That's why in Flanders, we decided to develop innovation. I was involved there in co-creating the creative district [link: http://www.flandersdc.be/en]. Such actions do not bring profit here and now – the benefits are spread over time, as this positive creative tension returns to all investors from the city and the region. I would gladly transfer these experiences to Poland, especially to Wrocław.
The Mobile Vikings brand also strongly supports creativity. We have designed the brand, marketing activities, and customer service to surprise in every element. We are also open to our surroundings.
What Frank wants to create?
I would like to create a bridge between Belgium and Poland. In Belgium, there is a lot of spare capital, but there is a lack of ideas. In Poland, there is a lot of energy, but a lack of know-how. I would like to transfer my startup experiences to Wrocław. Who knows, maybe I will get involved financially in some project again…? After all, there is no greater pleasure than building new companies and selling them profitably.
Here you can find information About Us – who we are now thanks to Frank!
And if you are still curious about who this story is about, you can find more information about Frank, as well as Mobile Vikings itself, by visiting our website or by staying on the blog!
