So says Jørgen Gilberg, co-founder of Pridok. The e-journal system that has revolutionized how doctors handle patient records and issue prescriptions.

Just before the summer, the news broke that the company had been acquired by German CGM (CompuGroup Medical). The price tag? NOK 405 million.

-"It actually felt like an ordinary day at the office. We had been in a DD process from January to July, so I had more of a "let's get to the finish line" feeling.

Were you excited about people's reactions?

-"We were a bit excited about whether our customers thought we were selling our souls," says Jørgen.

As the parent company of CGM Group is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, few people knew about the negotiations. Everyone who has been involved in the process has been reported on an insider list. So they were in a hurry to break the news when the papers were signed.

-"When I signed, we were told that this will go out extremely quickly. CGM has to release this kind of news within 15 minutes, or someone has inside information," he explains.

-So it was a matter of quickly composing a text to tell our users that we have now been sold. Of course, there were some negative comments, but for the most part the feedback was positive. All in all, it turned out well," concludes the entrepreneur.

The plan now is for CGM to take on the world, while the brothers continue to focus on Norway.

-"None of us have the energy to work 20 hours a day for another ten years to develop new countries. That's where stronger forces are needed. "We've had coffee meetings with CGM for many years, they've followed us from the sidelines and we've always had a good relationship. So for us, coffee meetings turned into a step forward.

Start-up in Kobben

Let's turn the clock back 11 years. Brothers Jørn, Jørgen and Frode Gilberg have decided that it's time to go for it if they want to make something of the patient record system they've been dreaming about for several years.

A GP, an economist and a computer engineer will create a web-based patient record system - an innovative solution developed on the basis of actual medical needs.

The business idea came from his brother Jørn (who works as a GP), who recognized a need for a web-based patient record system. Frode, who possessed the technical knowledge, was the only one in the beginning who worked 100 percent with Pridok; Jørgen helped raise the money.

-"After we brothers raised a million and a half, I was already thinking about "where are we going to get the next money from?" So that included applying to Innovation Norway.

Pridok becomes part of Kobben's incubator, and Frode moves into an office at Vestfold Research Park.

-"Being at Kobben gave us a seal of approval. Especially with regard to the Innovation Norway application. "It's a bit different from sitting alone in the boys' room. You have an office address to come to and there are people you can chat to and ask questions. So it meant a lot for us to get there in the beginning. It was motivating," says Jørgen.

In 2015, he also joined Pridok 100 percent. Dag Christensen, who has a background in information technology, joins them on the ownership side, and before they know it they have grown so big that they have to start looking for their own premises. The journey continued to Olsrød in Tønsberg.

-"Then it's really just gone on and on. No one has created a web-based medical record system in its entirety, so we knew that the key was when we had created Norway's first web application for e-prescription then it would say kaboom, and it did.

Sleepless nights

Building a system to handle health information is a complex task. In other words, a lot of time and money has gone into testing the solution.

-You can't store anything more sensitive than health information. It's not reversible if your medical record, which contains everything, leaks out. We would have been finished as a company if medical records had gone astray," says Jørgen with seriousness in his voice. It is clear that Pridok takes this responsibility very seriously.

-"It's been hard work for the developers, so to speak. What we thought would take two to three years took ten years.

Have you encountered any challenges along the way?

-Yes, in buckets and buckets. There have been many sleepless nights," says Jørgen.

One of the challenges that has caused sleepless nights for entrepreneurs is how to raise money. A concern many entrepreneurs can relate to.

Making sure you have money 6 months ahead is undoubtedly the most important thing for a startup. Because that's how long it takes to raise money.

Three months go by. No money. Four months. No money. Then five months. Still no money in the account.

What do you feel then?

-"No, then you feel the mind games in your head when you go to bed. But you have to put up with that if you want to be an entrepreneur.

The key to success

So how do you manage to keep going for so many years? Jørgen doesn't have to think twice. He is clear that good supporters are crucial to success. Both at home and in business.

-"We've had absolutely fantastic investors on board. When I stand there with my hat in my hand and tell them that e-prescription will be delayed by up to another year, and the response is "things take time", that has been the key to our success. That we haven't had pesky investors.

According to Jørgen, it's important that the entrepreneur feels that they own the company. That's why the brothers have never gone below 60 percent ownership.

-"We've had investors who know what software development is, and know that things take three times as long as you expect.

He adds:

-"And when we've really needed money, there's been no bloodsucking on the assets. They've also asked if we want to borrow money so that the entrepreneurs don't get watered down. So it's been a dream situation, because it's easy to get squeezed and in the end you've worked your ass off for 10 years and are left with 5 percent of the company.

There has been no shortage of interest in the company. Over the years, the founders have received several requests to both invest in the company and make acquisitions. The answer has been no.

-"A lot of people have tried to take us on and come up with big platitudes. That's why it's been important that we've managed on our own, with the group of shareholders we've had all along. 

How did you manage it?

-"No, the investors have had faith in us. It's so important that you get the right investors on board from the start, who are aware of what they're getting into.

-It's one of the most uncomfortable things I've ever done in my life

Today, Pridok is located in premises at Gressbanen in Tønsberg. They've grown to 33 employees, and the number is constantly increasing. But it wasn't a foregone conclusion that the brothers would succeed. Being an entrepreneur takes its toll.

It was so uncomfortable, you have no idea. "What have I done now?" I thought.

Jørgen is referring to what it was like to take out a loan on the house to finance the company in the beginning.

-But I thought, I'll be in a nursing home one day and then I'll think "I did what my father did". I think that's the biggest key to success. You really need to know that there's no such thing as "it'll work in the next round". No, it just has to work now, otherwise it won't work.

Jørgen and the rest of the Pridok team were absolutely certain that a graduate economist, a graduate engineer and a doctor were a dream team and that the money would come. That's not how it turned out.

-"It wasn't until we took out a million and a half on top of the first mortgage on our houses and persuaded the bank to do so that things got going. It's one of the most uncomfortable things I've ever done in my life. I mean, really, but something flipped in my head. This can't fail.

And Jørgen shares this advice with others who are in the start-up phase.

-"One big piece of advice is to stand with dirt up to your ankles. Don't expect other people to come and put money in your pocket if you're not willing to get down and dirty yourself.

Next step

It's clear that Pridok means a lot to Jørgen. He talks about customer meetings and customer visits where they implement Pridok at doctors' offices.

-"I can easily sound like a used car salesman when I demonstrate because I'm so proud of Pridok," he says with a smile.

That's why not just anyone can buy the "baby", as Jørgen so nicely calls the company.

-"We have said that the most important thing for the company is that it is an industrial player that really wants our product.

We didn't sell because of the economy, we sold because the timing was right.

A slightly quieter working day now awaits Jørgen. Perhaps something similar to a regular 8 to 16 job?

A transition you think has gone smoothly?

-Yes, it's been absolutely wonderful.

He hasn't given the money he received from the acquisition a second thought yet. It's in a high-interest account where it will stay for a while longer, if we are to believe Jørgen.

-"Yes, we have gotten some money out of this. I can't be bothered to worry about the idea of investments. Now it's in a high-interest account, so we have to land first.