H.I.G.H. Ep. 32 | Rickard Vikström: Swedish Hacker Kid to CEO of iGaming's #1 Host

He was hanging out with the founders of The Pirate Bay as a teenager. He started his first company selling a TV info system to schools that "didn't work that well." And in 2008 — right in the middle of a financial crisis he didn't even know was happening because he was too busy staring at a Linux screen — he co-founded Internet Vikings. In Episode 32 of H.I.G.H. (How I Got Here), Trevis sits down with Rickard Vikström — CEO and co-founder of Internet Vikings, the fastest-growing iGaming and sports betting hosting provider in the United States, now licensed across 25 states. We go all the way back to a 10-year-old kid in Stockholm who became obsessed with computers, through his teenage years deep in Swedish hacker culture, to building a bootstrap company for 15 years before finally taking outside funding to crack the U.S. market — and pulling it off. This is a story about what happens when a self-described tech geek refuses to stop building, even when he has no idea what he's doing. Especially then. In this episode: -Growing up in Sweden and falling in love with computers at age 10 -Being part of the early Swedish hacker culture — and rubbing shoulders with The Pirate Bay founders -His first entrepreneurial swings — from teddy bear travel sites to school TV systems -Getting his first real hosting job at 20 and learning from a mentor who ran one of Europe's largest hosting companies -How a phone call with childhood friend Victor Jerlin led to Internet Vikings in 2008 -Bootstrapping for 15 years with zero outside funding -Co-founding and selling IT-security company Stay Secure to Nasdaq-listed J2 Global in 2014 -The decision to enter the U.S. iGaming market in 2020 — and why it was the scariest and best bet he ever made -600% growth in three years, 25 states, and what's next -Being named European CEO of the Year in Hosting and Gaming's Emerging Leaders 40 Under 40 Connect with Rickard: internetvikings.com LinkedIn: Rickard Vikström Subscribe so you never miss an episode of H.I.G.H. Like if Rickard's story resonated with you. Drop a comment — did you know the infrastructure behind your favorite sportsbook was this interesting? H.I.G.H. (How I Got Here) traces the full life journey of today's top operators, founders, and industry builders — from the first spark of curiosity all the way to where they stand in 2026.