In a world of social media, where it seems that everyone has to prove they are more successful than anyone else, Lars Rønning goes against the grain.
Rønning describes himself as an “ordinary person” despite completing 12 Ironman triathlons and having proven his entrepreneurial expertise across several countries.
The former general manager at RingCentral, Helpshift and Blue Cedar is now scaling his startup Ailuna, which he founded after 25 years of doing that exact thing – scaling US tech startups across the UK and the rest of Europe.
Ailuna, a sustainability-focused, gamified behavioural change platform, is spearheaded by Rønning and his wife Helene, who has an extensive background in working in sustainability.
Inspired by Couch to 5K and Duolingo
“We weren’t activists, just ordinary people wanting to do our part,” he told BusinessCloud.
“But when we looked for an app or platform to help us – and businesses – drive real behaviour change in sustainability, nothing quite fit. So, we built Ailuna.”
The platform is designed to help businesses, employees, consumers, students, and citizens take action, one step at a time.
It is built on behavioural science and inspired by frameworks like James Clear’s Atomic Habits, as well as successful learning and development app models like Couch to 5K and Duolingo.
Rønning continued: “While we started with sustainability and ESG, the platform can drive any kind of behaviour change. This year, we expanded into cybersecurity behaviour change and fraud prevention, partnering with We Fight Fraud, arguably one of the UK’s most creative fraud prevention consultancies.
“At its core, Ailuna solves a fundamental problem: learning new things and building habits is hard, even when people know it’s the right thing to do.
“Many companies invest heavily in information campaigns, only to find that awareness doesn’t always lead to action.
“Our approach flips that, we say that action drives belief. By encouraging people to try small, achievable changes, they experience success firsthand, which makes them more likely to take on bigger, long-term changes.
“That’s how we help businesses and individuals make the world a better, cleaner, and safer place – one habit at a time.”
Ironman
The name of the Oxfordshire-based business was born out of its CEO’s interest in Hawaii.
Ailuna means “up there, pointing at the moon” in Hawaiian – in other words, aiming high.
He said: “My personal fascination with Hawaii stems from the Ironman Triathlon World Championships, held there annually.
“Qualifying has been a long-term goal of mine, though I haven’t quite made the cut yet. However, I have completed 12 Ironman-distance triathlons, the 250km Marathon des Sables in the Moroccan desert, and numerous other endurance events across running, cycling, and cross-country skiing.”
Behind Ailuna’s success
Ailuna operates with a team of nearly 20 people, with many working on a freelance or consulting basis.
Now with users in over 50 countries, the firm is looking to continue to expand its platform and has already raised £1.6m to date.
It has also struck up many successful partnerships since its launch in 2019, including a notable one with Asahi Breweries, where the company helped employees adopt more sustainable habits through a year-long program.
The results were impressive: 89% of participants adopted more sustainable habits, and 79% said they planned to maintain those changes beyond the initiative.
“A big driver has been making Ailuna’s consumer app freely available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. That’s helped spread the word and grow our community organically,” explained Rønning.
“Forging and leveraging strong business and sustainability partnerships has also been key.
“We’ve worked with organisations like The Carbon Literacy Project, Products of Change, and the CBI, which has helped strengthen our credibility in these circles.
“We’re continuing our expansion of Ailuna’s platform beyond sustainability into cybersecurity behaviour change and fraud prevention, as well as responsible AI literacy and engagement.
“We’re also continuing looking at API integrations that allow Ailuna to seamlessly embed into existing apps and websites. And with AI, we’re looking to enhance personalisation, content creation, and localisation – making the platform even more engaging and relevant for users.
“We’re also in the market for further fundraising.”
The Isle of Man Innovation Challenge
Ailuna participated in the Isle of Man Innovation Challenge, a competition seeking transformative solutions in FinTech, CleanTech, and data & AI, where the firm reached the final.
Rønning, who is also currently involved in a bluefin tuna tagging project to help protect marine life in Scandinavian waters, said that the challenge has played a pivotal role in refining its business model and expanding its reach.
“The challenge not only validated our expansion into new areas but also helped us refine our model and further engage investors,” he said.
“It reinforced our focus on Responsible AI and cybersecurity behaviour change, all while opening up new opportunities for collaboration.”
Since the challenge, Ailuna has strengthened its proposition, further developed its platform, and is in discussions for several potential projects on the Isle of Man, with new funding securing additional momentum.
Don’t be afraid to pivot
For Rønning, the key to scaling Ailuna has been staying adaptable and listening to customer needs.
He highlighted the importance of building a flexible team structure, avoiding spreading themselves too thin and to always being open to change.
“Don’t be afraid to pivot when necessary,” he said.
“We started with one idea and have evolved into something much bigger. The key is to remain agile, listen to feedback, and constantly iterate.”