What would you do if you had a six-figure salary? Perhaps you’d never cook another meal again or indulge in a monthly Thai massage and a Soho House membership to unwind from the stress that comes with being at your A game.
Here at The Good Life you don’t have to imagine what life at the top looks like anymore: Get real-life inspiration for how the most successful live their lives.
Today Fortune meets Mette Lykke, the millennial CEO helming Too Good To Go.
Prior to becoming chief of the sustainable food app that has saved 350 million meals from going to waste in 19 countries across 3 continents, she was co-founder and CEO of Endomondo, the fitness app that she eventually sold to Under Armour for $85 million in 2015.
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Fortune Change the World List 2023
Her big break came when she left her consulting career without a plan. At the time, Lykke was a McKinsey consultant who wanted nothing more than to be an entrepreneur. So just like that, the Danish self-starter, along with her two McKinsey work friends, Lykke threw in the towel on her consultancy careers to team up to launch a business together in 2007. Not only did she have no business plan, but she also had no backup plan.
350,000,000
The number of meals Too Good To Go has saved from going to waste.
“A lot of aspiring entrepreneurs are just sitting there in their corporate jobs waiting for that lightning moment when they have the great idea,” Lykke previously told Fortune. “It’s not going to land in your lap, you just decide to go for it or you don’t. Once you decide to go for it, you will come up with something because you have to.”
And the rest is history. Her next big break, came while on a bus ride in Copenhagen when she sat next to an angel investor of the very new Too Good To Go platform. Having just sold Endomondo, Lykke wasn’t sure what her next move would be. But the serendipitous encounter led to an introduction with the 8-month-old start-up’s five founders. She started out as an investor and advisor, and a few weeks later they asked if she’d become its CEO.
Too Good To Go has saved 945,000 tonnes of CO2—the equivalent of flying 3.2 million passengers from Berlin to London.
“When I invested in 2016, we were saving around 1,000 meals per day from going to waste. Today that number is around 350,000 or 34,900% higher,” she tells Fortune.
Together with its users and partners, Too Good To Go has saved 945,000 tonnes of CO2—the equivalent of flying 3.2 million passengers from Berlin to London.
The finances
Fortune: What’s been the best investment you’ve ever bought?
I got my first job when I was 12 years old and started saving. The best investment I ever made was in stocks during my teenage years, heavily encouraged by my father. He always believed in teaching my siblings and I financial literacy, and the money I invested as a young girl (with his steady hand on the trigger) actually later helped me found Endomondo, my first company.
And the worst?
A few years ago I bought a stock that later fell 98%. Luckily it was not a big investment. That’s the nature of the market—you win some, you lose some. You can’t research your way out of a potentially bad investment and you have to be willing to take some risk.
"I got my first job when I was 12 years old and started saving. The best investment I ever made was in stocks during my teenage years, heavily encouraged by my father."
Mette Lykke
If you have children, what does your childcare arrangements look like?
Society and work life in Denmark is based on both parents working and the local municipalities have exceptional after-school offers for kids at a very affordable rate. We do not have any help beyond that.
What are your living arrangements like: Swanky apartment in the city or suburban sprawling?
I live in Frederiksberg, in Copenhagen, in a house with my husband, two kids and our dog. It’s about a 20-minute bike ride from our HQ office in Østerbro, Copenhagen. It’s a great neighborhood, close to work and to the city, but with a suburban feel.
How do you commute to work?
Like most people in Copenhagen, I ride my bike to work—fresh air and exercise included in one's morning commute. I have an electric bike that almost makes riding to work on rainy, windy Scandinavian mornings a breeze. One of my favorite things about Copenhagen is how easy it is to get around by bike. I have very little tolerance for getting stuck in heavy traffic.
What personal finance advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
I would advise myself to start investing early, like my father encouraged me to do. I realise 12 years old is very early, but in general, learning how to make your money work for you is smart. It’s not as complicated as most 20-year-olds imagine, and you can start off by investing very little. It can give you a lot of freedom later on in life.
What’s the one subscription you can’t live without?
I subscribe to Berlingske, a national Danish newspaper, and I get the paper version on Saturdays and Sundays. Reading the physical newspapers on quiet weekend mornings with a good cup of coffee is one of my favorite traditions.
The necessities
How do you get your daily coffee fix?
I have a Rocket coffee roaster at home, which I mainly use on the weekends. During the week, I drink coffee at the office, we have a great coffee machine there. I stick to two cups per day, and then after that, I switch to herbal teas to avoid interfering with my sleep.
What about eating on the go?
At Too Good To Go, we offer a catered lunch buffet for all employees in Copenhagen. I’m not the type of person who skips meals, no matter how busy I am, but I will often eat lunch by my desk or during meetings if I’m in a pinch. Our team at Too Good To Go is really dedicated to reducing food waste, so after lunch service, people will pick up any leftovers to bring home for dinner.
How often in a week do you dine out versus cook at home?
On average, I eat at restaurants perhaps once a week, and it’s almost always business-related. The rest of the time I eat dinner at home with my family. Meals are an important part of our family life, and I try to plan my schedule so that we eat both breakfast and dinner together as a family.
Where do you shop for your work wardrobe?
I don’t have any go-to brands, but I do prioritize buying things that last. I’m not a fan of fast fashion. Some pieces I buy online, some I buy in secondhand stores, and some I buy at the airport, which is one of the rare occasions I actually have time to browse clothing stores.
The treats
How do you unwind from the top job?
Whenever I get a break in my schedule, I prioritize spending time with family and friends. I truly cherish the people I have around me. Secondly, I try to get some exercise; it can be going to the gym or just biking to and from things. Copenhagen is also very walkable, so it’s easy to incorporate exercise into everyday life and activities. Finally, I enjoy listening to podcasts or reading books, both fiction, and books about leadership and business.
How do you record your notes in a meeting?
I use Evernote on a Macbook. It’s the best way for me to organize my work.
What's the best bonus treat you've bought yourself?
I’m really interested in art and I believe in supporting artists, so the best treat I’ve ever bought myself is my collection of paintings and works by mostly younger Danish artists, like Cathrine Raben Davidsen, Mathias Malling Mortensen and Emily Gernild.
Take us on holiday with you, what’s next on your vacation list?
We have a holiday home about an hour outside of Copenhagen, where we like to spend vacations and long weekends. It’s easy and convenient, we’re close to both the sea and a forest and the kids also love spending time there.
Here at The Good Life you don’t have to imagine what life at the top looks like anymore: Get real-life inspiration for how the most successful live life.
Fortune wants to hear from European leaders on what their “Good Life” looks like. Get in touch: orianna.royle@fortune.com
