Vend

What does it take to build the intelligence and tech foundation behind some of the Nordics' biggest marketplaces, as AI and agents become part of how it works? Last month, colleagues from Core, the unit creating the shared platforms and tools across Vend, gathered in Kraków, Poland, for three days to talk about exactly that. Christian Printzell Halvorsen spoke about the shifts underway as we move into an increasingly agentic future, and the mindset it demands: start small, build, learn, and stay ready to navigate the waves shaping our business and technology. We also welcomed António Costa, our new Interim Chief Data Officer (CDO). As AI and agents play a bigger role in how we work, the quality and accessibility of our data matters more than ever, for everyone who creates, manages or publishes it, not just the teams working with it directly. Beyond the sessions, Kraków gave colleagues from different locations and teams the chance to properly reconnect, including at one memorable Jungle Party. Clearer priorities, stronger connections, and plenty to build on. #LifeAtVend #Core #AgenticAI #Vend

Ahead of the formal implementation of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) in Norway, we have voluntarily fast-tracked two major safeguards on FINN. We have rolled out an improved Notice and Action mechanism, making it significantly easier for users to report suspected scams and receive clear information about the decisions made. Alongside this, we have strengthened our Know Your Business Customer (KYBC) procedures, meaning professional sellers are thoroughly verified before they can start selling on our platform. Fraud is increasingly borderless and evolving quickly through new technologies and professional networks. By aligning systems and safeguards across our Nordic marketplaces, we are better equipped to share learnings, spot new patterns, and strengthen our proactive defences. There is no single silver bullet to stop online fraud, but we know that concrete action makes a real difference.

What does it take to stay relevant in a world where AI is changing how people buy, sell and move? Last week, we brought our Mobility teams together for a 3-day gathering, dedicated to exactly that question. We looked at where mobility is heading, what it means for our marketplaces, and how we keep creating value for our users and customers as the landscape shifts. Niklas Gustafson from BYD Sverige and Laura Herzig from Beta Mobility joined us with perspectives on electrification and the future of mobility. Thanks for joining us! Besides new learnings and valuable discussions, the gathering was about bringing people together. Through workshops, activities and plenty of conversations in between, we had the chance to challenge our thinking, learn from each other, and strengthen connections across teams and markets. Three days with a lot to take in, and even more to take forward. Now it is time to turn the conversations into action! 🚗 #LifeAtVend #Mobility #FutureOfMobility #AI #Marketplaces

Last year, trade across our marketplaces led to an estimated 672,007 tonnes of avoided CO2e emissions. That's an estimate, not a measurement, and it isn't netted against our own reported footprint, but the direction is clear: second-hand should be the first choice, not the fallback. Today, we released the 2025 Second Hand Effect Report with climate impact specialists Vaayu. Analysing 17 million transactions across FINN, Blocket, Tori and DBA, the data shows a fundamental shift: second-hand trade isn't a niche environmental effort anymore. It's a daily habit for millions of people, and a real economic buffer for Nordic households. Some of what stood out: - 65% of our users choose pre-owned over brand-new, consistently. - 61% of sellers use what they earn from reselling to cover everyday costs. - 84% of buyers come to us looking for something specific, not browsing on impulse. - 32% of items sold had already been bought second-hand or refurbished once before, so goods keep moving through multiple lives. Sustainable technology means making reuse easier and pushing for a fairer playing field. That's why we're calling for VAT to be removed on second-hand shipping, and for stricter regulation of the ultra-fast foreign platforms flooding the market with disposable goods. Read the full Second Hand Effect Report 2025 via the link in the comments.

Deepening your knowledge in a new field doesn't happen by accident: you have to make room for it. When our CFO Per Christian Mørland decided to get a real understanding of AI and product development, he built it into his routine: joining an internal development programme, getting up an hour earlier to read, listening to podcasts, and learning from experts across Vend. He even cut out social media for four months to make space for it. In this clip from AI Behind the Screens, PC talks about what it took to step outside his own field and make learning a genuine priority. Hear more from PC in AI Behind the Screens, hosted by Vilde O., where you listen to podcasts. 🎧

Today, our CEO, Christian Printzell Halvorsen, together with Eddie Sjølie (Head of FINN jobb), Sumeet Singh Patpatia (Head of DIB) and Joe Malmkvist (Public Policy Lead), met with Hans Christian Holte, leader of KI Norge (AI Norway), and his team. AI is already shaping how we build our marketplaces, and we want to get it right: useful for the people who use our platforms, and responsible in how we develop it. That's exactly the balance KI Norge helps Norwegian businesses strike. So today's conversation mattered. We shared how we're approaching responsible AI at Vend, with concrete examples from FINN jobb, and we listened, because AI Norway's perspective on building trustworthy AI is one we want to learn from.

What happens when “free seating” gets a little too free? FINN.no – mulighetenes marked has taken home Sølvfisken for August, Norway’s monthly award recognising standout TV advertising, for its latest campaign film “Free seating”. The film takes a familiar part of modern working life and pushes it to absurd new heights – quite literally. It’s part of FINN jobb’s latest campaign, built around everything “exciting” happening at work right now, while reminding people that there are plenty of new opportunities to discover too. Congratulations to our FINN jobb team and Morgenstern Reklamebyrå! 👏 https://lnkd.in/dU2QXRJn

This autumn, our team has been out and about at some of Norway's best career events 🎒 We joined JavaZone, Norway's flagship tech conference, and stopped by career fairs at the University of Oslo (dagen@ifi) and Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) (itDAGENE) to meet the people who'll shape the industry next. There's something career events just do better than a job ad ever could. Talking face to face, hearing what people are curious about, and getting a real feel for where academia and industry can meet. The energy at both UiO and NTNU was brilliant. So many bright, ambitious students, all with different study paths and skill sets, all genuinely curious about what we do and how we do it. The best moment, though, was unplanned. A few former interns dropped by our stand just to say hi and tell us how their careers have moved on since. Watching people come back, further along in their journey, is exactly why we keep showing up 🙌 Thanks to everyone who stopped for a chat. We loved every conversation.

What do you look for when hiring for work that barely existed a few years ago? For Rob van Sundert, Director AI Product Improvement at Vend, experience isn't necessarily the best predictor. As technology moves faster and roles start to blur, he increasingly looks for something else: curiosity, a high tolerance for chaos and a low ego. That last one matters when experimenting with AI. Try something, learn fast, and be ready to leave your favourite idea behind when something else works better. 🎧 Hear more from Rob in AI Behind the Screens, hosted by Vilde O..

AI can help us move faster. But are we spending that extra time on the right things? For product managers, Armin Walian sees an opportunity to use AI to take more of the operational work off our plates, leaving more room for discovery, judgement and figuring out what actually matters. Or, as he puts it: “We don’t outsource the thinking to AI, but we outsource the delivery.” In this clip from AI Behind the Screens, host Vilde O. talks to Armin and Anna Eckerborn Olsson about what happens when delivery suddenly gets much faster.