Finland

After a turbulent year that saw markets riled, commodities plunge, and currencies wither against the dollar, many expected the American dollar to come back out as the top currency in 2015. Instead, the cryptocurrency Bitcoin is being heralded as the best performing currency.  Does this mean everyone is poised to get on board with bitcoin?  Not yet. On the face …

We caught up with  Juha Huttunen, co-founder of Vibecatch, and asked him a few questions about how to improve company culture – and profitability – with 15 questions. How did you come up with the idea for Vibecatch? We originally worked for a software company and wanted to measure, internally, how satisfied the employees were with the company and their …

This week, Forbes released their annual “30 under 30” list of young talent, and 5 Swedes made the cut. The list, which totals 600 people in 20 different categories, is an annual compilation of young global talent.  The categories listed include e-commerce, enterprise tech, gaming, and finance. Although the Nordics (and Europe as a whole) were far outnumbered by the …

In May 2015, Adrien Vetterli came up with an idea sparked by a recently viral story from the Netherlands where a man decided to clean trash along a polluted waterway bit by bit, every day on his way to work. Collecting garbage from natural areas wasn’t anything new to him as he had participated in environmental reporting efforts in his …

Fintech companies have been a hot topic in the Nordics as startups rush to disrupt the traditional financial sector.  Here is a look back at some of the main fintech trends and Nordic companies to watch in 2015.   Bitcoin Bitcoin reached a big milestone in 2015, when it scored a major win in Europe by earning EU tax free …

The process of Electromyography (EMG) has for decades, conducted in labs on subjects who are rigged up to wires that lead to a processing machine monitored by technician.  Myontec has created a wearable solution that is capable of performing the same processes. EMG is a diagnostic technique that monitors measures muscle activity and is used to analyze human kinetics and …

Finnish ed-tech startup Funzi starts with a premise you may be familiar with – learning on a mobile phone. But their unique focus on emerging markets has people around the world sitting up and taking notice. Funzi is reinventing how learning is delivered – not in terms of content, but in terms of the delivery of learning to the individual. …

“You could say that people read too many books.” So says Erik Pöntiskoski, the CEO of Dodreams, the company behind the very popular and addictive mobile game, Drive ahead!. He is responding to the issue of excessive device usage in this day and age, which he feels has a largely detrimental effect on human interaction.  His startup Dodreams,wants to make …

Nordic Startup Gifts is a website that was founded by and for Nordic startups from Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Here is a look through some of what the Nordics have to offer this holiday season. The page is divided into four categories: technology, housing, fashion and lifestyle, so it’s definitely possible to find something for everyone. For the tech-freak …

Helsinki based Health Operator offers personalized diagnostics and monitoring services to the private health sectors as well as commercially to the public. They were one of the winners of this year’s Nokia Open Innovation Challenge, held at Slush 2015. Imagine going to the bathroom to go about your daily routines, while an array of non-invasive sensors monitors your blood pressure, …

The pitching competition at the massive startup conference Slush is high stakes and high pressure.  After some stressful preparations, I was called onto stage to pitch my start, EdTech Foundry, in front of an audience in hopes of winning an investment. Last night ended on a high note, and I felt ready to pitch. But in the morning, will all …

The Slush pitching competition: one of the highest stakes startup competitions in the world. Three minutes to explain who you are, what you do, how you will make money and how you will grow your business. In addition you must stick out from the crowd and seduce a panel of spoiled venture capitalists.  No matter how experienced you are, the …

Last week Daniel J. Mierzwinski, head of product at Sponsta, a Denmark-based online platform that connects brands with influential Instagramers across the world, went off to Helsinki to attend SLUSH, one of the most hyped startup events of 2015. When he came home we asked him how it all was Last week I joined more than 14,000 people at SLUSH in Helsinki to build …

Keeduu is a new learning solution, which combines official primary education curriculum with gaming in a unique way. With an official launch to the public at Slush 2015, Keeduu presented a solution aimed at schools which brings education into the digital era in an easy and simple manner. By combining a game, textbook, videos, assignments and educational exercises, Keeduu wants to …

Ultrahack took place from 6- 8th November in Helsinki in anticipation of the massive startup conference Slush, and is one of the biggest hackathons in Europe. Hackers from around Europe (and even some from the US) developed their ideas over one long weekend, before presenting them to investors in hopes of getting them off the ground, or in some cases, …

Located in Amman, Jordan and Copenhagen, Denmark, NA3M Games develops entertaining games, animated series and webcomics that are inspired by Arab culture. NA3M was founded in 2013 and has already released 7 games, and to top it off, it was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal, interviewed by Becky Anderson on CNN, and featured in large …

The NYC based StartUp Health, a global digital health organization boasting the world’s largest portfolio of companies.  Yesterday, the Finnish Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, Finpro, and Team Finland announced the launch of StartUp Health Finland. StartUp Health Finland will be based at the Health Innovation Village in the Finnish Capital Helsinki, which houses a collection of Nordic health tech …

Running from the airport to the bus, trying to find my way over to a place called Bruno, using Google maps in desperation trying to find to this place. Finally arriving, sweaty, tired and confused — But I made it. I made it to Ultrahack 2015. Let me give you 5 good reasons to go to Helsinki in November. 1.  First of …

The grand prize at Ultrahack 2015 went to the Butterfly Effect Project, who participated in the Civic Tech Track sponsored by Forum Virium. The project aims to enhance the way cities handle urban planning, by creating a platform for citizen involvement. The team, led by Natalia Remee, an architect by training from Northern Mexico, came from diverse backgrounds and nationalities:  …

Wouldn’t it be great to have skilled developers volunteering to hack on your startup? Sounds like a dream? It might. but that’s exactly what’s going on at Ultrahack this weekend. Almost 400 developers are gathered in Helsinki for Ultrahack, part of Slush Hacks, to hack this weekend. Most of them have their on their startups, but some extraordinary people are …