Leaving Twingly CEO role

Martin Källström founded Twingly in 2006 and served as CEO for six years before stepping down in 2011. The departure marked a pivotal moment in his entrepreneurial journey: after years of running the company, he realized his personal drive for continuous learning and innovation had diverged from what Twingly needed to succeed. Rather than an abrupt exit, Martin orchestrated a thoughtful nine-month transition that allowed him to recruit a successor while simultaneously developing what would become Memoto—the wearable camera that launched in 2012 and eventually evolved into Narrative.

Why He Left

After six years at Twingly's helm, Martin confronted a fundamental misalignment between his own needs and the company's direction. ▶ 15:13 He had "spent a lot of time thinking about new ideas and the company was not at all in that stage"—Twingly needed to focus on sales and execution rather than pursuing new product concepts.

The deeper driver was personal. Martin discovered through his time at Twingly that what energized him was the daily opportunity to learn new things. As the company matured and the work became increasingly administrative, those learning opportunities dried up. This realization crystallized his need to move on and pursue something new.

The Transition (Summer 2011–March 2012)

In summer 2011, Martin informed Twingly's board of his intention to step down. Breakit ↗ Rather than departing immediately, he committed to staying as long as necessary to recruit his replacement. ▶ 16:24 This process took nine months.

During this extended transition period, Martin did not simply wait. While still leading Twingly, he was already building the foundation for what came next. ▶ 2:48 He recruited a founding team for Memoto, developed the wearable camera concept with clarity through focus group testing, and had the business model defined before formally launching in March 2012. This preparation work meant the new venture could hit the ground running.

What Came After

TechCrunch ↗ Martin co-founded Memoto after stepping down from Twingly. Kickstarter ↗ The venture launched with Martin as co-founder, eventually evolving into Narrative.

Reflections

Years later, Martin acknowledged a complicated emotional arc around this decision. ▶ 12:59 He reflected that "when I exited Twingly, I felt it had been the wrong decision at that time." This hesitation was understandable—leaving a company you founded is never simple. Yet the subsequent success of Memoto/Narrative and his continued entrepreneurial journey suggest the choice, however uncertain it felt initially, was aligned with his deeper needs for innovation and continuous learning.