Building a Global Safety Net for Global Workers: The Sondre Rasch Journey

From government policy advisor to pioneering founder, shares his journey in building a global safety net for the digital workforce. Growing up in Norway, his entrepreneurial spirit led him from web hosting to government policy, where he gained valuable insights into social systems. Frustrated by bureaucracy, he founded SafetyWing to create the first comprehensive social safety net for remote workers worldwide. InSondre reveals how he raised millions in venture capital and is transforming health insurance and income protection for remote workers in over 60 countries. His mission: to build "the first country on the internet"—a global system offering social benefits traditionally tied to national governments. This conversation dives into Sondre"s unconventional path, key lessons, and his vision for supporting the growing remote workforce. Whether you"re interested in entrepreneurship, remote work, or reimagining social systems, this episode offers valuable insights into the future of work and social protection. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro 00:14 - Growing Up in Norway 03:45 - Entrepreneurial Ventures 09:46 - Attraction to Policy Making 12:18 - Family Influence on Politics 13:44 - Political Involvement 18:10 - Reasons for Leaving Politics 22:24 - Founding Superside 23:34 - Raising Funds for Startups 26:10 - Departure from First Company 29:23 - Understanding Global Social Safety Net 30:17 - Current Company Overview 33:01 - Remote Work Statistics 38:10 - Future Aspirations 40:33 - Next Steps for SafetyWing LINKS: Become a SafetyWing Ambassador: https://safetywing.com/ambassador/signup SafetyWing website: https://safetywing.com/ Sondre Rasch LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/srasch ABOUT OUR HOST: Ken Eslick is an Entrepreneur, Author, Podcaster, Tony Robbins Trainer, and Life Coach. As the President & Founder of The Leaders Lab, he focuses on Leadership Talent Acquisition, helping companies scale from the Inc. 5000 to $100M+ in revenue. Learn more at theleaderslab.co Sondre Rasch is co-founder and CEO of SafetyWing, an all-remote company that is building a global social safety net. Sondre studied economics and computer science then worked as a social policy advisor for the government of Norway. Dissatisfied with the slow pace of change, he founded the SuperSide platform (YC 2016) for freelance designers and discovered the lack of social safety net for people working on the internet. This inspired the creation of SafetyWing (YC 2018), which has so far raised $50 million in venture capital and whose globally-distributed team consists of 150 people from 60+ countries. In 2020, Sondre and the SafetyWing team founded the Plumia mission to build a country on the internet for digital nomads and remote workers. You can learn more about Ken and his team at theleaderslab.co Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters: https://missionmatters.com/author/ken-eslick/