Finland

Born out of frustration with unreliable, insecure video calling services, Finnish startup Zyptonite believes it has found a better way, by harnessing the power of p2p technology. Keeping touch with family and friends abroad has never been easier. Unfortunately it also often goes hand-in-hand with pixelated video image and muffled sound. These are exactly the issues new technology startup Zyptonite …

Firms often hire strategy consultants to move their organizations forward.  But what happens when strategy consultants leave?  The outlooks isn’t good. According to a 2009 study by McKinsey, roughly 70% of organizations fall short of their goals while implementing key strategic initiatives. Many B2B startups tackle management tools, including Podio and Zendesk.  But few address the specific problem of change …

The Finnish health startup Nordic Hug has developed a berry-based spray to kill bacteria and is safe to use on delicate mobile screens With flu season hitting in full force, everyone is trying to find ways to stay healthy and sane. Short of sealing yourself off in a bubble, there are some easy steps to reduce your risk of getting …

If you’re following the Nordic startup ecosystem, then you’ll have heard of Startup Sauna, one of the regions top accelerators for promising early startups. But if you want to be one of the lucky chosen startups, here are 6 things you definitely need to avoid. Accelerators and incubators are often key players in helping startups prepare for their next steps …

John loves his Friday nights out with his friends. Last Friday, he went out to with his friends to the pub,  had a good time, and picked up the tab for the table at the end of the night with the plan to “settle” the bill later. But we all know what happens next. When “later” arrives, John feels awkward …

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, …