Per Welinder
Pro skater, co-founder of Birdhouse with Tony Hawk, investor. What skateboarding teaches us about building companies.
Trusted by
Areas of expertise
- Business and entrepreneurship
- Motivational
- Inspiration and storytelling
- Personal development
- Leadership and management
- The future and change
- Technology and innovation
- Sales and customers
- Creativity and the arts
- Education and training
- Communication and influence
- Health and wellness
- The workplace
- Finance and economics
- Society and culture
- Entrepreneurship
- Resilience
- Leadership
- Brand Building
- Action Sports
- Scaling Consumer Brands
- AI and Human Leadership
What people say
"Per is one of the few operators I’ve worked with who has successfully built multiple consumer brands over time. Our long partnership reflects shared standards around trust, discipline, and execution."
Per played a meaningful role in Sezzle’s growth, serving as an advisor through key scaling and public-company transitions. He consistently provided sound judgment, follow-through, and executive-level support.
Birdhouse would not have survived its early years without Per’s operational leadership and business judgment. His work was foundational to the company’s long-term success.
On stage
Services and fees
- Keynote Presentation45-60 minFee on request (Depends on geographic location and scale of event).
- Half-Day Workshop - Bespoke corporate strategy masterclasses tailored to leadership alignment.3-4 hoursFee on request (Depends on geographic location and scale of event).
- Full-Day Workshop -Deep-dive ecosystem architecture auditing and strategic exit roadmapping.6-8 hoursFee on request (Depends on geographic location and scale of event).
Terms
- Travel and accommodation costs are not included in the fee.
- A 50% deposit is required to confirm the booking.
- Cancellations made less than 30 days before the event are non-refundable.
About
"Birdhouse would have gone out of business in the second or third year if it weren't for his business savvy." — Tony Hawk Per Welinder is a former professional skateboarder, co-founder of Birdhouse Skateboards with Tony Hawk, and a venture investor. As a member of the Powell Peralta Bones Brigade in the 1980s, he helped invent modern freestyle skateboarding. He then co-founded Birdhouse, where Tony was the magnet for talent and culture and Per ran the business. Over 26 years, Birdhouse and its distribution company Blitz grew to $35M+ in annual revenue in more than 90 countries, helping turn skateboarding from a fringe subculture into a global industry. As an investor at Welinder Shi Capital, Per backed founders early, including Sezzle before it listed in Australia and later on Nasdaq. Today he works inside founder-led consumer brands as a fractional COO and interim CEO. On stage, Per is direct, personal and funny. He has spoken at Epicenter Helsinki and Chinaccelerator, and lectured at California State University, Fullerton. "One of the few people I have known in our industry who has successfully built multiple brands. He is a serial brand builder." — Rick Brooks, CEO, Zumiez FORMATS Keynote (20–45 min): Scars & Exuberance, for conferences, company events and founder communities. Leadership workshop (half day): Teams use a simple scorecard (idea, leader, speed, timing and leverage) on their own real decisions. University lecture: Entrepreneurship in practice, from building a brand to selling one.
My story
I was 17 when I saw Tony Alva skate in Stockholm. I knew right then that if I wanted to do anything real, I had to get to California, where the heavy hitters were. So I packed a sleeping bag and went. The first years were not glamorous. I cleaned out dryer lint to get by. Then Stacy Peralta put me on the Powell Peralta team, and I spent the '80s in the Bones Brigade. A few weeks before a stunt-double job, I slipped doing handsprings on a steel railing and landed on my back. Four weeks flat in bed, sure my career was over before it started. It wasn't. But I learned early that every clean landing costs a few slams. That lesson followed me everywhere: building Birdhouse with Tony Hawk, watching Tony take slam after slam for two weeks until he landed the loop, and later as an investor, seeing brilliant companies fail when the market turned while others came back from the edge. Today I stand on stage for the same reason I stepped onto a skateboard. Creativity, courage and resilience are what make great skaters, and they're exactly what it takes to build a company. I love helping a room see that.
Contact Per Welinder for more details
