Former students at Linnaeus University behind exclusive padel facility
The alumni's Christian Albinsson and Oscar Arrsjö, graduated from Linnaeus University in 2003 and are the brains behind NK Padel & Social by ASCARO, a unique investment on the roof of the department store NK in Stockholm.
Christian and Oscar got to know each other during their studies at Linnaeus University. Christian studied Enterprising & Business Development while Oscar studied Marketing. Together with a classmate, Christian co-founded the network People People People, which he still works with today.
- It was very rewarding to study that programme. When I started studying at Linnaeus University, it was half as big as it is today, says Christian.
Since graduating from Linnaeus University, Oscar has worked with fashion in different forms. Among other things, he has worked as an e-commerce entrepreneur and written the book "Klä dig för framgång". Together with Christian, he founded the paddle brand ASCARO, the company behind the investment in the facility at NK.
- It was Oscar's idea. He wanted to start a padel lifestyle brand that offered nice clothes, and it ended up with us signing with NK in December last year. Oscar is the founder, and then we are eleven people who have invested in the facility.
The facility consists of four padel courts, two of which have a ceiling, as well as a gym, locker rooms, and a running track. The idea with the facility is for it to be a social meeting place where visitors should be able to do so much more than just play padel.
- In addition to the padel courts and the gym, we also have a lounge area where you can eat and drink. We want to combine padel and social activities. That’s what sets us apart from other padel facilities. Naturally, we hope that this will be a good investment, so that we can expand the concept, why not in Kalmar or Växjö?
It is an investment that has required a lot of commitment. Christian says that if you, as a student, have dreams for the future, it is important that you are willing to work hard, but also that you have the courage to pursue your dream.
- Nothing will happen if you just sit at home and dream. To show courage might be a worn-out cliché, but there’s actually much to it. You must have the courage to take risks, work hard, and build your network every day, Christian concludes.