Get to know the founders
What makes us such a great team is how we complement each other perfectly. We’re not just co-founders – we’re friends that have worked together for many years. We’ve been through the highs and lows of both life and business together. We’ve got that kind of trust where you know the other person will catch whatever you miss.
Co-founder
Background: Mother of two girls. 13 years of experience in branding as a digital designer.
Bachelor’s degree: Visual Communication. Professional development: Mobile Ecosystem.
Karina Hvidsten
Karina is the ying to my yang. Where I may come off as a little more stressed, she is the calm to my storm. Karina has a sharp eye to details and has the ability to beautifully visualise whatever scribble I produce on a coffestained napkin.
She has this rare ability to see both the big picture and the tiny details that make everything come together. Her background in branding and digital strategy has been a game-changer, especially when it comes to designing our app. She’s obsessed with making things not only look good but work seamlessly.
But don’t be fooled by her calm exterior. Karina’s the one who, despite never having run before, decided to do her first ever half-marathon on top of a mountain (and you know how tall mountains are in Norway). With just three months to train, she did it her own way (of course) – barefoot shoes, fasting, and all. She’s the one who challenges every rule that’s set.
“You have to train like this, or eat like that if you’re going to run.”
Nope.
Karina does things her way, and she’s never afraid to challenge the status quo, whether it’s in running or building a business.
Co-founder
Background: Mother of two (one girl and one fat orange cat). 15 years of experience in marketing as a writer and social media manager.
Bachelor’s degree: BA (Hons) Advertising. Professional development: Content Strategy for Professionals.
Lisa Næss
Me? I’m Lisa, the one with a million ideas buzzing around my head at any given time. My job is to make sure that Gemz speaks to the right people, in the right way. I’ve spent years creating content for international brands that’s been seen by millions. Now I’m channeling all of that into making sure Gemz is the brand people can’t stop talking about. Whether it’s crafting a killer social media campaign or getting our SEO on point, I make sure we’re growing organically – reaching as many closets as possible.
I have this creative itch, and when that itch needs scratching, I do amazing things. A few years ago I had a wild idea. I wanted to get my blog onto Norway’s top blogger list. I had zero followers and no connections, but I was convinced I could hack it with SEO. For a year, I threw myself into learning and writing SEO-optimized, evergreen posts. And guess what? I hit that top list, organically. At the peak, my blog was pulling in over 70,000 unique visitors a month, all thanks to Google. That experience taught me the power of strategy and consistency – lessons that now fuel everything I do at Gemz.
CTO / Head of Product
Background: Part-time horse owner. Master's student in design.
6 years experience with digital design coding.
Master's degree (current): The Oslo School of Architecture and Design.
Astrid Mathilde Boberg
Astrid is a rare gem in the world of product development – a unique blend of kindness, depth, and technical mastery. Her passion for creating thoughtful, impactful solutions shines through everything she does, from crafting seamless user experiences to writing elegant code that respects both users and the environment.
What sets Astrid apart isn’t just her impressive skill set in both design and development (which is rare enough), but the way she approaches her work with empathy and care. She doesn’t see products as just lines of code or pixels on a screen; she sees them as tools that can improve lives, solve real problems, and make a positive impact on the world.
Astrid’s love for animals and nature has shaped her both personally and professionally. She’s been around horses since she was a child, which speaks volumes about her character. There’s a certain courage and resilience required to build a bond with a half-ton animal, and that same grit is evident in everything she does. But it’s not just about courage – it’s about trust, patience, and understanding. These values are at the core of who she is.
Her commitment to sustainability is another driving force. Astrid is always exploring green ways to live and work, whether it’s through eco-conscious coding practices or plant-based eating. She’s thoughtful in her choices, constantly looking for ways to reduce her impact and leave things better than she found them.
What makes Astrid truly exceptional, though, is her warm presence. She brings a sense of calm and thoughtfulness to every conversation and every challenge. She listens deeply, thinks critically, and acts with compassion. It’s this combination of heart and mind that makes her invaluable – not just to our team at Gemz, but to everyone lucky enough to cross her path.
It all started with a “why”.
Why haven’t we managed to sell all the clothes our kid has outgrown? Why are we still so lost when it comes to what’s in our closets – or worse, our kids’ closets? Are we really the only ones that feels this way? Why isn’t there a better way of selling or organizing this? Why?
Our shared pile of unused clothes, the baby stuff or never worn clothes, was our shared, visual evidence of the problem.
The first initial thought was that “there has to be an app for this?”.
Oh, there were apps. But none of the traditional marketplace and re-sell apps in the secondhand apparel market ticked all of our boxes.
We wanted something that:
✓ Would give us full control over what we have – or what we need
✓ Could make ads for us in a matter of seconds
✓ Would give us personalyzed style advice
✓ Had a community to be inspired by and interact with
So why don’t we create that?” I asked Karina.
And the rest is history.
We didn’t start Gemz because we wanted to “disrupt the industry” or because we had all the answers. We started Gemz because we saw a real problem – especially for women like us with young kids. Our closets were overflowing, but we had no time to sell the clothes we no longer needed. It wasn’t just about decluttering. It was about wasting money, time, and the constant feeling of being buried under stuff.
We’re not just creating an app – we’re building a solution to a problem we’ve personally experienced and watched so many others struggle with.