Founders Unfiltered: Nordic Partners CEO Havard Lehn on Scaling Too Fast, AI Innovation and Bridging iGaming with Esports

From transforming RGGNetwork into a growing B2B technology business to exploring new opportunities in AI and esports, Nordic Partners CEO Havard Lehn shares the lessons, challenges and ambitions shaping his entrepreneurial journey.

In the latest edition of Founders Unfiltered, iGaming News sits down with Havard Lehn, CEO of Nordic Partners, to explore the realities of building and scaling a business in the competitive iGaming industry, the importance of strong leadership and why innovation remains one of the sector's biggest challenges.

Having joined RGGNetwork to take the business beyond its original foundations, Lehn has helped oversee its evolution into a broader technology-led operation, navigating rapid expansion, strategic acquisitions and emerging opportunities along the way.

With the acquisition of AffCollect, the development of proprietary AI technology and the launch of Nordic Partners Gaming, Lehn is now looking beyond traditional affiliate models to explore how technology, esports and iGaming can work together.

In this candid interview, he reflects on the challenges of growing too quickly, the mistakes that have shaped his leadership approach and why questioning your own decisions is essential to success. He also shares his views on the industry's innovation problem, the transformative potential of AI and the personal realities of entrepreneurship, offering an unfiltered perspective on what it takes to build a business for the long term.

1. What was the original idea behind your company, and what convinced you to take the leap and build it?

Well, the idea wasn't mine at first. The two original founders, Jonny Raninen and Fredrik Akerholt, launched RGGNetwork during COVID and found a niche with it. I was approached by them to take the business to the next level – and the rest is history. We built on the same foundation and professionalised it; since then, we have also entered other verticals. But at our core, we will always be a B2B tech company.

2. What has been the hardest part of building the business that nobody warned you about?

The tech behind running an affiliate network is by far the most advanced part; in some industries, it is a piece of cake. But when you add in all the variables in iGaming, it becomes a real challenge. With the acquisition of AffCollect, we are clearly ahead of our competitors in certain areas and most likely behind in others – which we are working every day to improve. I also think our team is the main reason for our success. They are humble, hard-working and always looking for the best deals for our affiliates.

Now, by adding our own AI stack into the mix, we will enter a new era of possibilities. We can do things you could only dream of two to three years ago, in terms of optimisation and structure.

3. What has been your biggest mistake as a founder, and what did it teach you?

I wouldn’t say there is one biggest mistake; I make mistakes all the time. Over the years, I've gotten really good at learning from them and using those lessons to our advantage as a company. I think the biggest mistake people make is not admitting when they’ve got something wrong and, therefore, not learning from it. One other thing I’ve tried to avoid is believing I’m the smartest person in the room, because I clearly am not. I am probably the hardest worker, though, and that has helped me time and again.

4. Was there ever a point when you seriously questioned whether the business would succeed? What happened?

I never doubted the business model we built, but I doubt the decisions I make every day. I think that’s a healthy approach to running a business. Luckily, I am surrounded by great people who sometimes question my decisions as well – and then we can have a properly good discussion about them and come out the other side with a better decision.

5. What is the biggest lesson you have learned about leadership and building the right team?

Building the right team is always a struggle. I’ve also learned something very interesting over the years from running companies: people are motivated by different things – some by money, some by the social aspect of being part of a company, some by success, and some aren’t easily motivated at all. Keep in mind that people are different, and you need to cater to those differences to get the best out of each team member.

6. What has been your biggest challenge when it comes to growing and scaling the business?

This might sound like a cliché, but we grew too fast – with all the issues and challenges that came with it. Now we hve stabilised a bit and are focusing on getting ready for the next period of growth.

7. What do you think the iGaming industry gets wrong about entrepreneurship and innovation?

Entrepreneurship, not so much – here I think we are actually very good. There will always be opportunities within iGaming to become an entrepreneur. Innovation, on the other hand – you don’t want to get me started! It was stuck for about ten years, then all of a sudden Web3 brands came along and innovated a bit; now it seems to have stopped again. If you have crash games, originals and can accept crypto as payment, you can launch. There are, however, some really smart people working on some really interesting things, and I hope we see more innovation in the future – and that we, as an industry, learn to appreciate it more.

8. Which current iGaming trend do you believe is genuinely transformative, and which is being overhyped?

AI is for sure going to genuinely transform the industry; we are still discovering its potential and how we can use it to offer our clients a better product in every way. We can use it across every aspect of the industry: games, CRM, data, VIP and more. Overhyped? I don’t know, but I might say AI here as well, to be honest. Those who don’t understand the concept of “shit in, shit out” will struggle.

Another thing worth mentioning is the possibility of combining industries, as we are doing now by launching our CS2 team, Nordic Partners Gaming. We won’t just be an esports team; we will be the best bridge between esports and iGaming you can find. We’re building the proof of concept first. In the future, I hope and believe we'll be the place to go, whether you are an esports team looking to partner with iGaming or an iGaming company looking to enter the exciting world of esports.

9. What has founding a company cost you personally — beyond money?

I wish I could say blood, sweat, and tears. But probably none of them; time is the most crucial thing I have - and also what I have spent the most of when founding companies. I've gotten better at this, but I still answer emails from the beach or the slopes whenever I’m on holiday.

10. If you could go back to day one, what would you tell yourself — and what would you do differently?

I honestly do not regret anything. I have taken risks and worked very hard – probably harder than most – and it paid off. I have learned along the way and taken action on the areas where I haven’t been as strong. I have a great partner in David, who I own my investment company with, and we complement each other very well.