
Why Dad remains top mentor choice
June 14, 2013
Business Journal: “What is your father’s best business advice?”
Björn Stansvik: “I picked up his great attention to detail, structure and systems.”
Business Journal: “How has your father inspired you?”
Björn Stansvik: “My father invented the pricing model for costing health care in Sweden. He was offered a very lucrative consulting job in Stockholm, but turned it down as he realized it would prevent him from spending time with his family. It demonstrated to me that just because something hasn’t been done, it is not an impediment to you doing it. It also serves as a reminder of work/personal/family balance for me.”
Business Journal: “How has your dad supported you?”
Björn Stansvik: “He gave me $2,500 to help start MentorMate and is still an avid reader of our quarterly reports. He’s always been supportive of my being an entrepreneur even when, early on, other extended family members wondered why I wouldn’t “Get a real job, buy a Volvo, get a dog and be like normal people.”

Which management style is best?
April 19, 2013
Business Journal: “What kind of managerial style gets the most out of a company’s employees? Why does it work for you?”
Björn Stansvik: “Consultative … It allows for the benefit of team wisdom without losing the ability to make executive decisions.”
Business Journal: “What is that style’s weakness?”
Björn Stansvik: “None, as long as it is blended with other styles, allowing for picking the right style for the occasion.”
(Stansvik said he uses a consultative style 60 percent of the time, while using autocratic, chaotic, laissez-faire and persuasive styles 10 percent of the time each.)

Act like a boss: How engaged employees mold a workplace
January 18, 2013
CEOs love employees who act like owners. They are the employees who understand the big picture, who need little managing and who confidently make decisions that the CEO would make. They also are the people who come up with great ideas that make the company better and more profitable…(Read More)

2012 Technology 200: Inbound marketing and SEO companies top the list
November 27, 2012
Each year, information services company Lead411 compiles a list of the top revenue-producing startups in technology. This year’s list ranks companies with the highest percentage revenue growth from 2009 to 2011. The winners are all based in the United States, are private, and…(Read More)

MentorMate, eager for a mobile tech conference, invented its own
October 31, 2012
MentorMate’s principals thought a conference with a mobile technology focus would be good for the technology ecosystem in the Twin Cities, good for senior executives struggling with figuring out a mobile strategy for their businesses, and not bad for MentorMate if the firm had a prominent role…(Read More)

MSP Business Journal’s Fast 50 No. 7: MentorMate
October 19, 2012
Q & A with MentorMate’s CEO and Founder, Björn Stansvik…(Read More)

Tech Tuesday: Developers Listen Up, MobCon MobCon MobCon
October 9, 2012
MentorMate is a locally based mobile application and software development company and this year they’re partnering with with MobCon to create a unique competition for developers…(Read More)

Innovation + job news – Tech company MentorMate relocates and boosts hiring
September 12, 2012
Minneapolis-based technology firm MentorMate continues on its robust growth track, anticipating more hiring when it moves into new headquarters soon… (Read More)

Local App-Development Contest to Award $25k Prize
September 11, 2012
The developer of the winning app will take home $5,000 in cash and receive $20,000 worth of mobile development services from Minneapolis-based MentorMate… (Read More)

New tenant lined up for mono’s old space
August 20, 2012
The fast-growing MentorMate firm is relocating within Uptown to 3036 Hennepin Ave., occupying the ad shop mono’s old spot (recognizable by the bright blue door)… (Read More)

More on MentorMate: A mobile conference and a CEO who kayaks to work
August 17, 2012
Our print-edition story today about fast-growing tech firm MentorMate left out a few interesting details, including an upcoming conference and CEO Björn Stansvik’s… (Read More)

Mobile tech firm revs up hiring
August 17, 2012
Björn Stansvik got the idea for his first mobile application in 1999, when he was struggling to learn Chinese and wanted to carry language-learning software in his pocket… (Read More)

3 MN Cos. on List of Fastest-Growing in Mid-America
June 07, 2012
Three Minnesota companies were included in a new list called “Flyover 50,” which recognized the 50 fastest-growing companies that are based in the middle of the country. MentorMate… (Read More)

Innovation + job news – MentorMate looks forward to expansion, hiring ahead
February 08, 2012
When Bjorn Stansvik immigrated to Minnesota from Sweden in 1999, he had big ideas about using software to optimize learning. After turning those plans into reality just a few years later, he’s now on… (Read More)

The Top 100 Websites of 2011
December 09, 2011
We all know that SEO (search engine optimization) drives Web traffic. Without SEO, even the best sites get left far, far behind. How do you perfect your practices? A tool like SpiderMate makes all… (Read More)

Learning Technology Program to host talk on ‘Essential Mobile Learning Apps for E-Learning
October 05, 2011
Candace Chou from the UST School of Education and Björn Stansvik from MentorMate will speak on “Essential Mobile Learning Apps for E-Learning, Authoring and Project Management” at the… (Read More)

Buyers Guide: Software Development Tools & Services
Spring 2011
MentorMate is featured in Software Magazine’s software development buyers guide. (PDF)

Hunger for apps contributes to growth market for tech firms
September 26, 2010
Well before Apple recently relaxed its rules on how independent software developers could build applications for its mobile products, local developers were busy devising them. All kinds of… (Read More)

MentorMate: Turning Vision in to Software
July 07, 2010
One of the most challenging things to do as a startup, entrepreneur, or any leader looking to manifest a vision or outcome in software, is finding a trusted partner with whom to turn that vision in to reality… (Read More)

Making it Happen in Minnesota – Get to Know Bjorn Stansvik
April 06, 2010
Bjorn Stansvik is a the Founding CEO of MentorMate, a Minneapolis-based custom application software development company. MentorMate’s beginnings trace back ten years to the creation of a patented… (Read More)

Local software developers look ahead to challenges, opportunities in 2009
May 19, 2009
Twin Cities software developers agree that the coming year is going to bring challenges, as many of their clients batten down the hatches and concentrate less on new investments and more on managing… (Read More)