Academic Business Focus was founded by Flemming Helgeland in 1997. The company has developed a unique investment philosophy, which has been tested and refined through several cycles in financial markets. 

Helgeland graduated from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH) in 1991. With the thesis «Pricing of stock options» (co-authored with Petter Fossan), Helgeland looked at the introduction of the stock options market in Norway in 1990, and this work formed the basis for further studies and eventually the investment philosophy adopted by Academic Business Focus.