From local food to scalable food systems: Day of Week is paving the way with support from EDIH Oceanopolis
How do you clarify a value proposition when the solution you’re building is both technologically advanced and transformative? For Day of Week AS, the answer has been to use EDIH Oceanopolis as a training camp—and to dare to simplify.
Through EDIH Oceanopolis’s 24-hour mentoring program, the company received not only strategic guidance but also a concrete reality check on what actually needs to be prioritized to succeed in the market.
A Solution for a Changing Market
Day of Week AS, founded in 2023, develops the infrastructure that makes locally produced food and beverages commercially available to hotels and restaurants. We connect the demand from kitchens and guests with quality-assured local producers, organize data on seasonality, volume, quality, and availability, and provide kitchens with the tools to develop menus and dining experiences with unique stories. Our ambition is to make local food a real driving force in a food system undergoing transformation.
“We’re seeing a clear shift in how people want to eat, travel, and experience food. The challenge is that the infrastructure connecting producers and the market is too weak. That’s what we’re building,” says Siv Kristiansen, CEO of Day of Week.
Complexity Meets the Market
With a team of three to five people and a digital platform in active piloting, Day of Week faced a classic challenge for companies working on systemic change: the solution is comprehensive and powerful—but that’s precisely what makes it difficult to sell.
The system covers everything from producer data and demand analysis to menu concepts and operational support. On top of that comes the planning and execution of supply chain management. For an early-stage company, it quickly became clear that communicating all of this clearly to customers and investors was a challenge.
“Working on a system overhaul is different from launching a single product. The complexity makes it more challenging to articulate the value proposition. And the clearer we are about the business model and the services, the easier it is to communicate that to others,” says Siv.
A Boot Camp Before the Investment Round
Through EDIH Oceanopolis, Day of Week was paired with Nordic Edge for a 24-hour mentoring program—an intensive sprint that combined a digital maturity assessment (DMA), workshops, and strategic brainstorming.
The result was a thorough review of the company along three axes: technological maturity, business readiness, and financial preparedness. The assessments revealed that Day of Week was performing well on most parameters—but that its go-to-market strategy, investor communication, and business model had clear areas for improvement.
“It’s a sort of antechamber to the investor’s room—a check to see what actually captures their interest and what you should prioritize discussing to move on to the next phase,” explains Siv.
For Jack Davies, a business developer at Nordic Edge and a mentor through EDIH Oceanopolis, it is precisely the intersection of external experience and the company’s own drive that makes mentoring valuable.
“Companies like Day of Week often have the right intuition and a strong product—but they need someone who can view them from the outside and help them prioritize.” “As a mentor, it’s not about pointing out weaknesses, but about highlighting what truly sets them apart and helping them communicate that clearly. That’s the work that turns a good company into a scalable one,” says Jack Davies, Business Developer at Nordic Edge / EDIH Oceanopolis.
.webp?width=1977&height=1108&name=Siv%20Kristiansen%2c%20Day%20of%20Week%20(1).webp)
Dare not to explain everything
One of the most important insights from the mentoring process wasn’t about what the company should add—but what they should remove.
The mentoring report pointed out that Day of Week was, in reality, operating with two very different business models: a scalable digital platform and a region-based distribution model. For investors and customers looking for clear winners, this combination created complexity.
The recommendation was clear: prioritize the platform first, and implement system support for supply chain management as a lighter and more flexible partner model in the next phase.
“Clearing the deck”—that is, focusing on the initial value proposition, but also clarifying the services and the business model. And, not least, dare not to explain everything. You don’t need to explain the entire system. Dare not to explain everything,” says Siv, laughing knowingly.
The Reality Check That Worked
A particular benefit of the process was that Day of Week conducted a self-assessment in parallel with Nordic Edge’s external assessment. Where gaps emerged, it became clear what actually needed to be addressed—not just what the company itself thought was the challenge.
“Are we perceived this way? Is there a gap here—is it a perceived gap or an actual gap? It’s a very good exercise in a very low-risk way. A training camp,” Siv sums up.
Has Accelerated Development
A few months after the mentoring program ended, Siv looks back on the report and recommendations with a smile. What was described as the priorities for the next six months is exactly what the company has been working on.
The pitch has been refined. The business model is clearer. And the company is better positioned to meet with investors and customers with a clear message.
“When I go back and look at the summary of the recommendations, that’s exactly where we are. And there’s been an incredible improvement. So it’s fun,” says Siv.
The Way Forward
Day of Week is now in the process of securing customer contracts in Rogaland, Agder, and Oslo, and is working on finalizing its pricing model and investor documentation. The platform’s AI models—demand analysis, producer matching, and automated storytelling—are highlighted as the clearest competitive advantage moving forward, not least because hotelsand restaurants can design their own food systems connected to local producers, and that producers gain more avenues into a professional local market.
The EDIH Oceanopolis program has given them a stronger foundation to build upon—and a clearer narrative of what they actually are.
For Lisbeth Sørgård Kjøpstad, project manager for EDIH Oceanopolis at Nordic Edge, Day of Week is a good example of what the program is intended to contribute.
– The EDIH program isn’t just about building expertise—it’s a real accelerator for companies that already have something to build on. Day of Week came in with a strong foundation and a good understanding of the market, and through 24-hour mentoring, they were able to articulate what is actually at the core of their solution. That’s the kind of clarity that opens doors—both to customers and to investors. We see great value in giving early-stage companies access to this type of support through EDIH.
Lisbeth Sørgård Kjøpstad, Project Manager, EDIH Oceanopolis, Nordic Edge
– Essentially, it’s a health check. A progress check to see where things actually stand and what the most important issues are to address. Having access to such key individuals in a way that startups can prioritize—that’s incredibly valuable. I would definitely recommend it to others,” concludes Siv Kristiansen, CEO, Day of Week AS
