Finland

Every year, EIT Climate-KIC hosts the Climate Impact Battle at Slush. 30 pre-selected startups pitch the first day of the event. Only six makes it to the final on the last day of Slush. This year, the six finalists challenged climate change from a broad spectrum of solutions ranging from tiny insects to large-scale construction. Irish company Hexafly takes low-value …

XXL protects their products throughout Finland with Noccela’s indoor positioning-based antitheft tags.  The sports retailer, who is the largest in the Nordics, now plans to expand their use of the tags.  The new generation of anti-theft tags was initially tested in one store, and the results were tangible. “The Noccela-protected products have been left alone,” says Iiro Oravisjärvi, Operations Manager …

Finnish medical software creator Disior has received a capital boost from Maki.vc and seed investors for novel method of analyzing bone fractures and soft tissue. The Finnish company  Disior have developed a novel, AI-powered conversion tool for analysis of bone fractures and soft tissue that cuts down the processing time from weeks to minutes. Compatible with all 3D imaging technology formats, …

While content might be king, the choice not to choose it yourself has proven to be just as popular. For the founders of Neverthink, the need for a background companion has turned a simple idea into a global success. By Elisa Häggström In an era of video on demand, where favorite series and movies are never more than a few …

A new study on the profitability of angel investing, made by the Finnish Business Angel Network (FiBAN) together with Ruben Moring (Åbo Akademi University), is the first broad study on the national angel activity in Finland.  This is the largest study made about the angel exits in the Nordics. By Claes Mikko Nilsen For professional angel investors, the role of …

Lizard Hazard Games, a small indie studio from Finland, has launched its Kickstarter-funded PC game called Your Royal Gayness. The game is a story-driven parody game with a strong message about acceptance of sexual diversity. “The subject of Your Royal Gayness is very personal to me. I’m a queer woman and while I’m fortunate to have lived in a very …

The startup company Meet Frank is expanding its new recruitment app concept to the Nordic countries and other European markets. The service has become a major recruiter for top talent in Finland and Estonia’s tech job markets within a few months of launch.  At Slush 2017, one in four attendees signed up for Meet Frank. Meet Frank is a mobile-based …

With growth numbers surpassing 3000% over the last four years, a Finnish Nokia spin-off won the 13th Deloitte Technology Fast 50 at Slush 2017. Some new trends had snuck into the yearly list of the Technology Fast 50 that Deloitte and OP Financial Group announced at Slush at the beginning of December. The growth percentage in the top 3 had …

Kieku Labs is technology company creating a personal audio listening stream. Kieku is an independent direct community of speakers and listeners. Kieku is both voices from the street and studio, a place for anyone to connect with audience. Kieku Labs was founded in Helsinki 2016. Kieku offers an easy way to listen to content that is selectively curated for your …

Recently successful Finnish startup entrepreneurs have founded an investment and consulting company in order to help fresh, potential founders direct their efforts more productively and avoid easy mistakes. Start Here Ventures offers starting teams support, hints, valuable contacts, as well as a financial investment – preferably already before the registration of the company. By Tuure Parkkinen Each qualified team gets …

Augmented Reality (AR) has been around for a long time but is now gathering momentum as smartphone processing power and internet connectivity speeds have increased whilst consumption costs have declined. Major mobile handset manufacturers support Apps with AR functionality and future experiences will be embedded in handsets and available ‘out of the box’. In addition to Apple and their ARKit, …

Finland continues to be the most attractive Nordic country for securing foreign direct investment (FDI) projects with 133 ventures commenced in 2016. This is the fifth consecutive year Finland beats its neighbours in attracting FDI projects. According to the Attractiveness Report 2017 by EY, Finland seized 41 per cent of FDI projects started in the Nordics last year. The secured 133 …

A sign reading “Not a hospital” greets you as you enter the newish start-up hub of Helsinki, Maria 1-0. The first time I walked under the sign, my instant thought was how many people have come here  to seek treatment – the hospital was only closed a few years ago. The possible hospital-creeps, however, disappear as you enter the colourful …

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 …

In 2016, Finnish startup and early stage growth companies raised the second highest amount of venture capital funding in Europe when looking at investments as percentage of GDP. The investment amount was almost twice as large as the European average.  Sweden and Denmark are also among the top countries attracting venture capital. Finns can be proud of their rank in …

At the end of May 2017, Finland’s Feedbackly announced they were planning to expand to Mexico.  Founded in 2013, the company has had success in Europe, where their multichannel customer experience measurement tool has been used by companies such as Kesko, Tiger and XXL Sport.  CEO Jaako Männistö guest blogs about why the company chose Mexico as their first point …

Imagine smart homes or self-driving cars that communicate with each other. Or the day when doctors and teachers use virtual and augmented reality at hospitals and schools. Imagine trains, drones and cars forming transport systems that are safe, efficient and environment-friendly. Just imagine? Oh, you no longer have to. This all will be reality when 5G becomes our next standard …

Last weeks Arctic 15 three day event succeeded in offering a glimpse into the bright future of the Nordics as hundreds of investors, startups and corporates converged once again in the familiar old industrial complex of Kaapelitehdas the ‘Cable Factory’ in western Helsinki. Arctic 15 has grown steadily since its first event in 2011 and has a strong impact on …

Evon Söderlund, originally from Malaysia, and her husband Jussi Söderlund founded Huone, the world’s first event hotel, in Finland a couple years ago. Since then they’ve hosted more than 4,000 events for smaller and larger groups in uniquely designed rooms, and won several awards. Now the company is expanding. Evon and her team just opened their hotel in Singapore on …

Do you want to build a successful hackathon team? Meet five Ultrahack teams and learn how it’s done! Hackathons are often considered as a playground for developers, but even the most brilliant execution is not enough: the concept and how you validate your solution are equally important. And without a proper pitch, the judges and investors might not to see the …