Oslo var kledd i høstens farger, de klare løvene lagde et teppe langs Karl Johans gate.

Oslo was dressed in the colors of autumn, the clear leaves creating a carpet along Karl Johans gate.

Inne i en moderne bygning, kjent som Startup-inkubatoren, var luften mettet med nervøs energi.

Inside a modern building, known as the Startup-inkubatoren, the air was thick with nervous energy.

Rommet var fullt av nyskapere og gründere, klare til å overbevise investorer om at deres idé var den beste.

The room was full of innovators and entrepreneurs, ready to convince investors that their idea was the best.

Sverre var en av dem.

Sverre was one of them.

Han satt på kanten av stolen, forsøkte å holde hendene rolig.

He sat on the edge of his chair, trying to keep his hands still.

Ved siden av ham satt Liv, hans utrettelige støttespiller og venn.

Beside him sat Liv, his tireless supporter and friend.

Liv kunne se hvordan usikkerheten svømte i øynene hans.

Liv could see how uncertainty swam in his eyes.

"Dette klarer du, Sverre," sa hun stille, med et beroligende smil.

"You can do this, Sverre," she said quietly, with a reassuring smile.

Sverre nikket, men inne i hodet var han fylt av tvil.

Sverre nodded, but inside his head was filled with doubt.

Astrid, den erfarne investoren, satt lengre fremme.

Astrid, the experienced investor, sat further ahead.

Hun hadde sett mange pitches før.

She had seen many pitches before.

Ofte de samme ordene, de samme løftene.

Often the same words, the same promises.

Men det var noe ved Sverre som fanget hennes oppmerksomhet.

But there was something about Sverre that caught her attention.

En nesten barnslig glød hun ikke så hos alle.

An almost childlike enthusiasm she didn't see in everyone.

Konkurransen var hard.

The competition was tough.

Andre gründere presenterte teknologiske vidundere og bærekraftige løsninger.

Other entrepreneurs presented technological wonders and sustainable solutions.

Sverre visste at hans idé var god, men han manglet troen på at han kunne selge den godt.

Sverre knew his idea was good, but he lacked the confidence to sell it well.

Da det var hans tur, steg han opp på podiet.

When it was his turn, he stepped up to the podium.

PowerPoint-bildene bak ham skinte klart, med detaljerte grafer og bilder.

The PowerPoint slides behind him shone brightly, with detailed graphs and pictures.

Han begynte å snakke, stemmen litt vaklende.

He began to speak, his voice slightly wavering.

Men så, midt i presentasjonen, stoppet Sverre opp.

But then, in the middle of the presentation, Sverre paused.

Et øyeblikks stillhet fylte rommet.

A moment of silence filled the room.

Liv så bekymret på ham, men Sverre hadde funnet noe i seg selv.

Liv looked at him worriedly, but Sverre had found something within himself.

"Dette er ikke bare en idé for meg," begynte han, med en ny styrke i stemmen.

"This is not just an idea for me," he began, with a new strength in his voice.

"Dette handler om fremtidens muligheter.

"This is about the opportunities of the future.

En mulighet som betyr noe, fordi..." Han la til side de tekniske detaljene og delte en personlig anekdote fra da hans far slet med en lignende utfordring.

An opportunity that matters, because..." He set aside the technical details and shared a personal anecdote from when his father struggled with a similar challenge.

Disse ordene, ekte og uventede, traff noe i de tilstedeværende.

These words, genuine and unexpected, struck a chord with those present.

Astrid lente seg litt fremover.

Astrid leaned a little forward.

Hun hørte behovet og engasjementet bak Sverres ord.

She heard the need and engagement behind Sverre's words.

Det var ikke bare en pitch lenger; det var en innsiktsfull samtale om menneskelige behov.

It was no longer just a pitch; it was an insightful conversation about human needs.

Fram til det siste ordet, holdt Sverre publikums oppmerksomhet.

Up until the last word, Sverre held the audience's attention.

Da han takket for seg, var det en usikker stillhet, før applausen sprak til liv.

When he thanked them, there was an uncertain silence before applause burst to life.

Liv pustet lettet ut, og Sverre kastet henne et skjevt, men takknemlig smil.

Liv breathed a sigh of relief, and Sverre cast her a crooked but grateful smile.

Etter pitchene, mens investorer evaluerte sine valg, ble Sverre kalt til side av Astrid.

After the pitches, while investors evaluated their choices, Sverre was called aside by Astrid.

"Jeg ser potensialet ditt," sa hun.

"I see your potential," she said.

"La oss jobbe sammen." Med de ordene ble en ny reise startet.

"Let's work together." With those words, a new journey began.

Sverre gikk ut av inkubatoren denne dagen, med en ny trygghet og tro på seg selv.

Sverre left the incubator that day with a new confidence and belief in himself.

Han hadde forstått kraften i ærlighet, og at det noen ganger lønnet seg å ta en sjanse.

He had understood the power of honesty, and that sometimes it paid off to take a chance.

Liv la armen over skulderen hans mens de gikk mot høstens Oslo, begge fulle av håp for hva fremtiden ville bringe.

Liv placed an arm around his shoulder as they walked towards autumn's Oslo, both full of hope for what the future would bring.