Summary
Geir Bækholt is a seasoned technology executive and entrepreneur with 23 years of experience leading startups, SaaS businesses, and open source communities from Tønsberg, Norway. He has a proven track record as CEO and board leader—most notably scaling Crypho to acquisition, founding and steering Jarn as an influential open source consultancy, and launching AI-focused ventures. A long-time leader in the Plone project, he blends hands-on product design and development with community strategy and governance, having served as president of the Plone Foundation. Geir combines product-minded UX and front-end expertise with strategic leadership in high-security and generative AI domains. He recently augmented his managerial toolkit with a master’s in Organizational Leadership, reflecting a commitment to structured team and organizational development. Colleagues describe him as a pragmatic operator who moves fluid ideas into disciplined products while keeping community and open source values central.
23 years of coding experience
16 years of employment as a software developer
Business Administration and Management General, Business Administration and Management General at UiT- The Arctic University of Norway
Sociology, Sociology at University of Stavanger
Master's degree Organizational Leadership, Master's degree Organizational Leadership at University of South-Eastern Norway
Film science, Film science at University of Inland Norway
English, Norwegian