Audun Abelsnes

Inspirer
DISC Type : di

Managing Director Techstars Middle East at Techstars

Oslo, Oslo, Norway

Overview

Audun Abelsnes is the Managing Director for Techstars Middle East and a voting member of the Techstars Investment Committee. He specializes in sourcing, investing in, and scaling startups in Climate Tech, Deep Tech, and AI. He is also a seasoned lecturer at BI Norwegian Business School and has previously led successful accelerators in Paris and Norway.

He is deeply engaged in the global innovation ecosystem, frequently speaking at events to connect with innovators and investors across different regions. Audun is passionate about unlocking founder growth and forging transformational partnerships, often promoting and mentoring founders from his programs. He has been described as resourceful, energetic, and straightforward by colleagues.

Unique fact: The startups selected during his tenure as a Managing Director have achieved a combined market capitalization of over $1. 6 billion.

Personality Overview

Confident & Optimistic

Achievment Oriented

Generous

They usually prefer to drive the conversation.  They respond well to objective pitches but also attach some value to relationships. They measure a product on its merit but can be influenced by strong testimonials.

Topics They Care About

Climate Tech & Energy
He leads the Techstars Sustainability Middle East accelerator and previously managed the Equinor & Techstars Energy Accelerator, showing deep expertise in the sustainable energy transition.
Founder Mentorship
His work focuses on unlocking founder growth, and he consistently uses his platform to spotlight and support entrepreneurs from his accelerator programs.
Deep Tech Investing
His investment focus explicitly includes Deep Tech and AI. He has a track record of selecting and scaling startups with complex, hardware-focused technologies.

Media Appearances

5 Questions with Audun Abelsnes, Techstars Equinor Energy. Featured in Techstars Blog

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Managing Director Audun Abelsnes - Techstars. Featured in Techstars (official website)

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Work History

1-2025
Managing Director Techstars Middle East at Techstars
7-2024
Investment Commitee Voting Member at Techstars
1-2024 - 1-2025
Managing Director Techstars Sustainability Paris Accelerator at Techstars
1-2018 - 10-2022
Board Member at ZEG Power
8-2017 - 12-2023
Managing Director Equinor and Techstars Energy Accelerator at Techstars

Education

Education details unavailable from BI Norwegian Business School

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 22 Location : Oslo, Oslo, Norway Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Managing Director Techstars Middle East at Techstars
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Insights For Selling To Audun

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Look like someone who is on top of their game
  • Get them to a point where they are ready to bat for your product internally
  • Acknowledge their status and position during the conversation

DONT's

  • Don’t be too verbose or overly friendly; a little bit, however, is fine
  • Don't be unorganized, be prepared for the pitch
  • Avoid focusing only on the product or its ROI, keep building trust subtly

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Audun is

  • Product value plays a big role, followed by relationship and a sense of achievement.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Audun

  • If they do not firmly believe in you, they will refuse without hesitation.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Audun move?

  • If they develop confidence in your product and you, then they can make fast decisions.
  • Can Audun take some risk or not?

  • If necessary, they have the ability to take risky decisions.

You And Audun

Personality Compatibility


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