Meet Eirik - our member of the month in February!

Introduction round: Who are you and where are you from?
My name is Eirik Anfinsen, born and raised in Lillehammer, Norway. I am, at the moment, trying to find a balance between finishing a PhD in social anthropology and developing an edtech-company focused on the production of digital learning resources, primarily for higher education.

What made you come to Berlin?
While I had already been fascinated by Berlin for many years, it was actually my girlfriend (who is from Berlin) who led me to move to Berlin first time in 2009. I fell in love with the city and, after a few years of living in Ghana and Norway, we finally moved back last summer.

What exactly do you do? What's in the pipeline for the near future?
I am one of the co-founders of a small and still developing Norwegian ed-tech company called Cymra. We are at the moment running a limited, first beta-version of our platform for production and consumption of digital workbooks. My role in this process, in addition to various administrative responsibilities, is mostly related to conceptual and technical development, fixing bugs and finalising the aspects of our platform which is yet to be available in the beta version. For us, the next milestone will be to close the beta testing and launch the full product sometime within the next few months.

Since when do you cowork at Office Club?
I am a newcomer here – my first day was in mid-January.

What is the benefit of using a coworking space for you?
Obviously, being surrounded by other people who are focused on their work is both inspiring and refreshing – especially if you’re in a situation like I have been in for a while, where the rest of the team is located elsewhere and you work from your own home and live in your pyjamas.
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Which questions / problems could you help your coworking neighbour with?
Being a social anthropologist, an obvious answer would be to say that I’d gladly offer my thoughts on issues that relates to social and cultural dynamics (“ask me anything”, in other words). On a the more technical side, questions related to web development, writing and coffee drinking would probably be the three topics I could be the most helpful with, I believe. Especially the last one.

Do you have favourite spots in Berlin? Something to recommend / consider especially for people coming here?
I always recommend to bring a pair of good shoes and spend at least a couple of hours a day just walking around in and around the city. I believe the most interesting parts of Berlin is what lies between the various spots, where you can watch people go about their everyday life in neighbourhoods and streets with a history richer and more complex than what most of us can imagine. If you’re not up for walking, why not enjoy a few good beers at Herman (Senefelderplatz) or Aufsturz (Oranienburgerstrasse)?

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Thanks a lot and all the best to you!