A small child’s cry cut through the quiet of a morning in Oslo last week. In the background, a laptop screen glowed with unread emails from investors. This is the reality for many mothers who balance early-stage startup life with the demands of small children.
Entrepreneur Emma Larsen, 32, founded a tech consultancy two years ago. She has a three-year-old daughter and a newborn son. Larsen’s daily schedule starts at 5:30 a.m. with breakfast and school preparation. By 7:30 a.m., she drops her daughter at kindergarten. Work begins at 8:30 a.m. and often ends after 9 p.m., after the children are asleep.
Larsen uses a time-blocking method she learned from elite athletes. Each 30-minute slot is assigned a specific task—client calls, coding, or school pickup. She avoids multitasking, which reduces errors in both work and parenting. Her husband, a teacher, handles mornings and bedtime routines to give her focused work hours.
The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration reports that 42% of mothers with children under six work full-time. Among startup founders, the share is lower. A 2023 survey by Innovasjon Norge found only 18% of female entrepreneurs have children under six. Larsen says access to flexible childcare subsidies makes her situation possible. Without them, she would need to hire additional help, which is expensive.
Larsen’s consultancy now employs five people. Her goal is to reach ten by next year. She acknowledges the pressure but says her children have taught her discipline. The startup ecosystem in Norway remains small, but more women are entering it. Larsen’s story reflects a growing trend—balancing ambition with family, one carefully planned hour at a time.
Source: e24.no