Sales
AI won't make you a better salesperson. The customer work will
Most salespeople get five percent of what AI can do. Not because they picked the wrong tool, but because they skipped the customer work that makes it work.
Daniel Nilsson
I build the B2B companies I wish existed, and help other founders build theirs.
I run Up Strategy Lab, a B2B design and strategy studio in Gothenburg, and MuchSkills, a Red Dot-winning skills intelligence platform that came out of it. I also write The Visibility Edge, a newsletter sent when I have something tested and worth sharing.
- Red Dot Design Award winner
- Everest Group Major Contender 2026
- 100,000+ professionals on MuchSkills
- +7,000 newsletter subscribers
- Clients include Accenture & Red Hat
- Advising globally from Gothenburg
What I do
Three things, one thesis.
The studio
Up Strategy Lab
We decode the business before we design anything. B2B design, brand, and product work for funded founders with complex technical products. We have built our own products, so we know what it costs.
The product
MuchSkills
A skills intelligence platform used by 100,000+ professionals. Red Dot Design Award winner. Recognised as a Major Contender in the Everest Group PEAK Matrix®. Built inside Up Strategy Lab.
The writing
The Visibility Edge
A newsletter for doers on what I have learned building real B2B companies. Sent when there is something tested and worth sharing. No hot takes. No fixed schedule.
Most B2B growth problems are visibility problems. Buyers cannot buy what they cannot see. Teams cannot grow what they cannot see. Founders cannot scale what they cannot see.
Essays and playbooks
Start here.
Visibility
The Visibility Problem
Why most B2B companies get stuck, and why the fix is almost never what founders think it is.
Partner programmes
Building Partner Programmes That Scale
The actual playbook from closing 100 operators in 40 countries with a team of 1.5 people.
Positioning
Why Your Positioning Sounds Like Everyone Else's
What happens when a serious buyer lands on your homepage and still cannot tell what you do.
Product
What I Learned Shipping MuchSkills
From a Google Sheet to a Red Dot-winning platform used by 100,000+ professionals. Honestly.
The newsletter
The Visibility Edge
A newsletter on what I have learned building B2B companies. Sent when there is something worth your time. No filler. No schedule. +7,000 doers already read it.
- No spam. No sponsorships. Unsubscribe in one click.
Work together
Want to work together?
If you are a funded founder or a senior operator with a complex product or a commercial problem worth solving, I would like to hear from you. Up Strategy Lab engagements run from short retainers to full build projects of €100,000 and more.
Latest in my blog
All articles →
Leadership
What I learned shipping MuchSkills
From a colour-coded Google Sheet to a Red Dot-winning platform used by 100,000+ professionals. The honest lessons from building MuchSkills.
Strategy
Why your B2B positioning sounds like everyone else’s
Most B2B companies describe what they make, not what the buyer gets. Here is why your positioning sounds generic, the fix, and real client stories.
Who is Daniel Nilsson?
Who is Daniel Nilsson?
Daniel Nilsson is a Swedish B2B founder and operator based in Gothenburg. He is CEO of MuchSkills, a Red Dot-winning skills intelligence platform used by more than 100,000 professionals, and co-founder of Up Strategy Lab, a B2B design and strategy studio. He writes The Visibility Edge, a newsletter read by 7,000+ founders and operators.
What companies has Daniel Nilsson built?
Daniel Nilsson co-founded Up Strategy Lab and MuchSkills with Noel Braganza, and co-founded the ventures HardSkills and ProtoAnything. Earlier he was COO of Cryptzone (now part of Appgate), CMO of Mentice and chief commercial officer of Appland, which OnMobile acquired in 2018. His first company, Metro Student Magazine, was acquired by Metro.
What is Daniel Nilsson known for?
Daniel Nilsson is known for building partner programmes and for the idea that most B2B growth problems are visibility problems. At Appland he signed mobile operators across 40 countries with a team of one and a half people, and his guides on value propositions, sales processes and reseller partner programmes are widely used by B2B founders.
How can I work with Daniel Nilsson?
Most of Daniel Nilsson’s commercial work runs through Up Strategy Lab in Gothenburg, Sweden, from retainers to full build projects. He also advises a small number of founders directly and speaks at B2B founder events. The easiest way to start is to book a 60-minute call through daniel-one.com.