The Nordic countries have adopted a vision to become the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030.   Bolstered by the ambitious climate goals set by the region’s governments,  startups have been tackling all manner of the green transition from smart farming to recycling, and are now leaders in sustainable technologies. At Oslo Innovation Week’s Climate Demo Day at …

It is often argued that the Nordic Model offers an environment where value-driven innovation can flourish, meaning innovation that improves society by creating value for all stakeholders in an ethical and responsible way.  Anchored in a liberal market and a strong societal structure,  the Nordic Model is reputed for creating more ethical companies that seek to improve society for the …

 Bisly, the Estonian tech company developing intelligent building solutions, has raised 1.7 million euros to carry out its aggressive expansion plan into European countries. The tech start-up’s technology helps to make energy consumption up to two times more efficient. According to Siim Vips, founder and CEO of Bisly, buildings consume up to 40% of energy in the EU and automated …

According to reports from, European Capital,  Danske Bank and i5invest, European VC and PE funds have been substantially gaining ground despite Covid-19, and a substantial margin in the Nordics are focusing on investments in energy and sustainability. Norway, Denmark, and Lithuania have a particularly strong focus on investments in these areas in 2021 compared to the rest of Europe, and …

Linear, a company focusing on the digitalization of real estate brokerage, has closed €1.1 million in seed funding.  The company, founded in 2018, offers an AI-driven  digital ecosystem to facilitate the housing trade. They will use the latest funding round on future growth and expansion to new markets. Linear offers realtors a comprehensive SaaS (Software as a Service) automation tool for …

#HacktheCrisis was a hackathon initiated by Garage48 in Estonia in March 2019, where teams built solutions for the Covid-19 crisis over a long weekend.  The event went global, with hacks held in over 68 countries.  In some cases, the hacks were record breaking – in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, the #HacktheCrisis became the biggest hack ever recorded.  A record-breaking global …

Norwegian startup Playpulse has successfully launched their gaming bikes in an activity park for children in a shopping mall in Shenzhen, China, part of the China Bay Area and a major startup hub. The company’s mission is to turn exercise into a fully-fledged computer gaming experience, boosting exercise motivation and battling sedentary lifestyles across the globe. After launching in Norway …

A new coalition of European startups, unicorns, think tanks, and trade associations has launched a manifesto for startups and innovation at Slush. This manifesto, arguing for a ‘digital future for Europe’ is a direct response to the European Commission’s plans to regulate European tech.  This comes as the new EU Commission has received final approval from Members of the European …

Finland’s Enfuce secures €10 million from Maki.vc to launch a sustainability service, MyCarbon Action, a service for banks and financial service providers to help customers track their carbon footprint per purchase. Finnish payment service provider Enfuce has today announced its new funding round of €10M, led by the early-stage VC firm Maki.vc and including venture debt from Nordea, LähiTapiola, and …

At Startup Fair Lithuania last week, the city of Vilnius touted it’s position as a city-sized sandbox to develop and test new products.  A radical open data policy that rivals Estonia’s and a slew of startup friendly regulations make Vilnius a startup ecosystem to watch. Startup Fair Lithuania, an annual event bringing together the local startup ecosystem, takes a refreshingly …

This month, the first VC in the Nordics focusing purely on startups with a background in deeptech and science launched.  Headed by serial entrepreneur Inka Mero, Voima Ventures targeting a final closing of €50 million and has already announced commitments at €40 million. The fund’s press release states that their mission is to build a strong bridge between the scientific …

NordicNinja VC by JB Nordic Ventures has officially launched its new €100M VC fund in partnership with Panasonic, Honda, Omron, and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). The fund will help Nordic and Baltic scale-up companies enter the technology business ecosystem in Japan and across Asia. “Today, the Nordic startup ecosystem and Japanese blue-chip companies represent something of a …

BaltCap, together with JBIC IG Partners, a Japanese government backed private equity and venture capital firm, is establishing a new €100m fund focusing on venture capital investments in the field of industrial technology in the Nordic and Baltic region. The fund was announced at Slush 2018 and is launching this year. JB Nordic Ventures is a 50/50 joint venture between BaltCap,  …

Airtame, a Danish startup that produces a wireless HDMI solution for both the business and education sectors, has announced the launch of their second generation hardware product, Airtame 2. The company started in 2014 with a record-­breaking crowdfunding campaign and a mission to remove cables in professional environments. The new product will deliver much more than a cable-free solution by …

Arctic15, the most effective matchmaking startup event in the Nordics and Baltics, has announced its new Funding Program. The program takes over the classic pitching competition to focus on connecting early-stage startups and angel investors across the region. The Funding Program was created in collaboration with business angels networks FiBAN and NordicBAN. The goal of the Funding Program is to …

Industrial inspections are a risky job.  To inspect overhead power lines, for example, a person usually has to climb up a high tension wire, deal with wind and weather conditions, and on top of that, perform a detailed inspection.  Droneplan, a startup based in Latvia, is creating intelligent flight planning software to enable drones to perform autonomous inspection. Droneplan started …

In early November, the London-based fintech firm Revolut announced that it had applied for a European Banking License and was building its own in-house payment processor.  The company is now pursuing its vision of building a global banking app, and has announced they are launching in the Nordics. Nordic consumers will now be able to open an app-based current account …

Unlike the retail & travel industries, the car repair market has yet to benefit from a digital, transformative wave to facilitate and simplify the relationship between car owners & garages. Autobutler positions itself as a catalyst for this transformation. “An increasing number of car owners use digital garage portals when searching, comparing and booking online repairs. Since many garages are …

Rising North is a fund that aims to help Nordic startups become global leaders. It finances with up to €50,000 unique projects and initiatives that tackle the challenges limiting the growth of Nordic companies. The fund is operated in Finland by the Startup Foundation, which is a non-profit founded in 2012 to support entrepreneurship and startups. The fund that totals …

Creathor Venture announced this week that it is leading a financing round of up to €14 million for Helsinki-based Blueprint Genetics, an AI-enabled clinical genetic testing company.   Blueprint Genetics is among a wave of Nordic companies using AI within med-tech, including Lytics, Medeye, and Nox Medical. Blueprint Genetics, which launched in 2012, provides clinical genetic testing for the diagnosis of …