#29: Luciano Lykkebo on Building Conferences, Sleepless Nights, And Linguistics

<p>In this episode of the UX Fika podcast, I sit down with Luciano Lykkebo, entrepreneur and event creator behind Future Product Days and a growing number of conferences across Europe.</p><p>We talk about Luciano’s journey from studying linguistics and starting a translation company in his early twenties to, 18 years later, asking himself what he would build if he had to start all over again. The answer was conferences, despite never having organised one before.</p><p>Luciano shares what he’s learnt about creating events people actually want to attend, why he starts with how he wants people to feel when they leave and works backwards from there, and why conferences are less about learning and more about inspiration, new perspectives, and bringing people together.</p><p>We also dive into AI, MCPs, and how the roles of designers and developers are moving closer together. Luciano shares why he believes we’ll increasingly build products for agents as well as people, why the future is in your data, and how he uses AI not just to generate things, but to uncover patterns and help him make better decisions.</p><p>Along the way we talk about the reality of building businesses, sleepless nights, relying on his wife financially in the early days, and why founders need to expect setbacks and learn to worry less. Plus why Luciano now spends a surprising amount of his working day simply thinking, and why doing something you genuinely love can be one of your biggest competitive advantages.</p><p>It’s a conversation about building, taking risks, thinking ahead, and creating the things you wish existed.</p><p>Plus:</p><p>☕️ Why an espresso is his go to fika, because he wants the essence and he wants it fast</p><p>⭐ Why you should expect the setbacks and remember to enjoy life along the way</p><p><br></p><p><strong>What we cover:</strong></p><p>00:00 Introduction and Background</p><p>02:49 Transition to Event Organizing</p><p>05:38 Learning from Mistakes in Conference Planning</p><p>08:36 The Impact of AI on Conferences</p><p>11:42 The Future of In-Person Events</p><p>14:46 Collaboration Across Disciplines</p><p>17:26 The Shift Towards Intelligent Agents</p><p>20:27 The Evolution of Content Creation</p><p>23:29 Personal Journey and Business Growth</p><p>26:39 The Value of Investing in Talent</p><p>27:45 Overcoming Doubts in Entrepreneurship</p><p>30:09 Learning to Worry Less</p><p>32:09 The Sacrifices of Startup Life</p><p>33:54 Seeking Investment and Support</p><p>36:01 The Role of AI in Business</p><p>39:17 Leveraging AI for Decision Making</p><p>42:13 Data-Driven Insights and AI</p><p>45:00 The Intersection of Linguistics and AI</p><p>49:43 Balancing Work and Life</p><p>52:55 Life in Denmark: A Journey of Adaptation</p><p>56:27 The Feeling of Home: Navigating Multiple Cultures</p><p>57:41 The Future of Europe: Unity and Digital Independence</p><p>01:00:32 Fostering Startups: The Path to European Innovation</p><p>01:03:55 Lessons from Entrepreneurship: Embracing Setbacks</p><p>01:06:22 Passion and Success: The Key Ingredients</p><p>01:09:46 The Role of AI in Entrepreneurship</p><p>01:10:50 Favorite Cafes: A Personal Touch</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Where to find Luciano:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucianolykkebo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://www.futureproductdays.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Future Product Days</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Where you’ll find Anna &amp; UX Fika:</strong></p><ul><li>⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠<a href="https://www.notion.so/%E2%81%A0https://www.linkedin.com/in/annadahlstrom/%E2%81%A0">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Anna on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</li><li><a href="https://www.uxfika.co/%E2%81%A0">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UX Fika website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/uxfika%E2%81%A0">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UX Fika on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/ux-fika/">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UX Fika on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></