Our Story
Cloudberry was founded in 2000 by Madelene Kornfehl and Eva Nielsen. Two 27-year-olds who thought: how hard can it be to run a PR agency?
We had barely gotten started when the IT crash hit. Madelene was running the IT Entrepreneurs and Venture Capital Club and had just come from the U.S. embassy. Eva had been involved in the acquisition of a tech company, worked at HSBC investment bank, Ungdomsbarometern, and had been employed by the City of Stockholm’s business development office.
Our first proper office was at “The Summit”, atop the Hitech Building on Sveavägen. Later, they became co-founders and owners of the communications network Pluralis on Kungsgatan. Today, the Cloudberry team is based near Slussen in Stockholm, overlooking Saltsjön. Now, the times bring new challenges and opportunities. Eva has a particular passion for public communication and sustainability; Madelene for tech companies and international relations. Together, they are the heart of Cloudberry – and have been for a long time.
Thought Leaders and Ambassadors
One of Cloudberry’s first major assignments was during Sweden’s first presidency of the EU in 2001. When the internet was still young, we were entrusted with the task of communicating “IT-Sweden.” We helped put locations, people, and companies from Sweden’s tech sector on the European map.
Another early milestone came in 2004, when we worked with media relations and science communication at the European Science Open Forum, ESOF – one of Europe’s largest science conferences.
Our first influencer and ambassador campaign, closely integrated with media relations, was when we helped launch Skype – just before they were acquired by eBay in 2005. Today, we’re based on the same floor and at the same address where Skype’s headquarters once stood. Other early key tech clients included Yahoo! and Symantec.
Networks and a Global Perspective
Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of supporting long-term growth and transformation journeys. We’ve accompanied clients as they’ve grown from 100 to 8,000 employees or from concept to unicorn. We’ve been integrated into communications teams during IPOs, strategic acquisitions, and are well-versed in being part of global projects of all kinds. We know what it takes, whether the assignment covers Sweden, the Nordics, or Europe.
For several years, we managed the Nordic operations of Hong Kong’s trade council, HKTDC. With full responsibility from project management to communication and marketing, we created everything from digital campaigns and meeting places to pop-up shops and fashion shows. Through strategic – and often unexpected, collaborations with companies, universities, and public actors, we helped pave the way for Scandinavian businesses and startups. We also initiated maker trips and VR trips to Asian innovation hubs such as Seoul, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong, and launched the initiative #NordicMade to Hong Kong.
AI and Machine Learning
Since the agency was founded in 2000, we have had the privilege of working with clients at the forefront of tech innovation. That is why it was a natural step for us to become co-producers of the AI Podcast in 2018, a leading forum for discussions on artificial intelligence and its impact on business and society. With more than two decades of experience in translating complex issues and technologies into meaningful communication, we remain true to our original mission: to build bridges between people and technology, with a focus on a positive and sustainable future.
