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Fixing the Problem of the Carbon Markets Established with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emission, the carbon markets use tradable carbon credits as permits for the release of certain amounts of carbon dioxide by the industries. Making carbon emissions tradable means pricing the pollution which in turn should lead to less pollution. Yet despite their noble goal, the carbon …

The Youth of Today Is the Future of tomorrow No matter how hard the generations of yesterday tried to rid the world of poverty, hunger, water scarcity, lack of healthcare and plethora of other problems, the fact is many of the challenges still remain active and the responsibility to solve them now lies before the youth of today. YSI, a …

Efficient and Easy-For-Use Finance Management App About 75% of consumers never review or renegotiate their service providers like banks, electricity, insurance etc because it can be confusing and time-consuming figuring out what the best deals and terms are, so consumers stay with the same provider. In order to bring order and efficiency into the services handling process, Payr developed a …

New Era for the Traditional Payment Infrastructure Witnessing a revolution in the fintech industry, the Danish startup ARYZE saw an opportunity in “making ‘analog’ money smarter.” While the hype of blockchain and IoT in the financial world is getting more attention, individuals and businesses are still relying on a traditional payments infrastructure, which makes money flow an expensive process. ARYZE …

AWE is a Danish startup working on specializing in location based 3D audio augmented solutions.  Recently AWE participated in SXSW (South by Southwest) in Austin, Texas. It was our first time at the huge festival and conference for interactive media, music and film.  Below, we share a few tips about how to find a platform for your business and best …

It is that time of the year again, we are starting the preparation for Startup Iceland 2017. The theme for this year is Personal Data, Health, Wellness and Technology. I want to bring emphasis to the health, wellness and fitness of the founders, my tribe. I have written about why I believe this is important for founders. I also feel …

Slush is finished and if you’re anything like most people you felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of possibilities: from exciting startups and world-famous experts, to inspiring talks and promising parties. So where should you focus your time to get the most out of it next time around? Last week I set out to find the best practical advice to …

In the startup world the role of an investor is to take “capital off the table”. This means that an entrepreneur can focus on delivering the product, without constantly needing to worry about resources. One of the promises of basic income is to do just that, not only for entrepreneurs but for all of us. But that’s only the beginning. …

Startups and small businesses in Sweden and The Nordics have experienced an incredible couple of years in terms of investment and growth and these companies are contributing to the future economic and overall success of the Nordic countries more than ever. However, this has not happened overnight, a lot of people have put in a LOT of hard work to get …

“Fundraising isn’t hard. At least not hard like impossible,” says Shipitwise.  Sander Gansen tells the story of how Shipitwise succeeded on the crowdfunding platform Funderbeam  to raise €176,000 below. As we were going through Startup Wise Guys accelerator, we met a variety of mentors and investors. But there was one we particularly liked. It was Kaidi Ruusalepp! She showed us …

I had the great pleasure of paying a week long visit to South By South West (SXSW) in Austin, Texas in May 2016. My first thoughts on scene were that the interesting mixture of music, film and interactive events created a relaxed environment for people to present their companies and find common goals in their future business. By Kaius Meskanen, …

Pitch doctors will help you to make cool competitor slides. This post will not. Instead it will do the opposite. It will deconstruct competition into what really matters. In the process I will offend you. I will use examples involving your wife. I will use women as examples. Some will find it objectifying and sexists. My intention is to give …

Ever thought on working abroad? Taking a Jobbatical? Teleporting yourself to a new country? That’s something Erik did when he came all the way from LA to work at Startup Wise Guys in Estonia. This happened in March 2014. For two years, he was living in Tallinn, Estonia. Having great time and working at Startup Wise Guys accelerator. But now …

The South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) is more like a festival than a traditional expo. It figures, as it has its roots as a film and music festival. SXSW consists of three main parts: Interactive, Music and Film.  My company, Vincit Oy, came for the Interactive part, as part of one of the Finnish companies coming along with the Nordic …

In a male dominated industry women excel in the world of investing.  Read on to learn why women make better investors than men. The world has changed a lot in the last 50 years; many industries that were once exclusively dominated by men have become more transparent and equal to both genders where applicants compete on their abilities. However as …

All in all there are about 1000 #NordicMade people in Austin for SXSW, representing over 100 tech/startup companies and tens of bands and films and filmmakers.  Mobile sensai Peter Gréen blogs from the #NordicLightHouse at SXSW. Day 1 of #NordicLightHouse The Nordics are here for two main activities; the Nordic Light House program running from Saturday to Tuesday, and the …

Business schools and MBA programs will help you calculate market size. This post will not. Instead it will do the opposite. It will deconstruct market size into what really matters. Knowledge is power. Use it. Many founders go after billion dollar markets. Or so they say. They think they must. Everyone knows that is what investors want. So founders adapt …

Yes, this title is intentionally a bit “provocative”—especially for my friends in Norway, Sweden and Denmark—as there have been a number of interesting edtech developments in each of these countries, especially in the last year or two. But at least based on my own experience, and what I know right now, I still think that Finland might rightfully claim to …

Successful global growth of ICT, Medtech, green tech and consumer product innovations can be the future for the Nordic economies.  But the process from idea to market success is quite different for the Nordic countries compared to the US. By Jennifer Vessels Sustainable growth requires more than a product idea.  It demands skillful commercialization to drive customer adoption and revenue …

The term diversification is a term regularly associated with investment strategies and it is without a doubt the single most powerful tool available to investors. Diversification isn’t a difficult concept to understand, yet it is still often misunderstood. Omar Shaikh, founder of Cocoa Invest, a completely independent online saving and investment company, explains exactly what diversification is and how important …