The Danish App Hoods, which launched in November, has a namesake in the United States – that is, a similar app with the same name.  But what are the rules really when you happen to have the same good idea as someone in another country? The idea was sound. It originated from a need the founder, Susanne Sandsberg, experienced after …

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 …

According to research by McKinsey, diversity means higher financial performance for companies.  King, the gaming powerhouse behind games such as Candy Crush, works towards inclusion through “nudging”. “There is a direct correlation between diversity and companies’ financial performance,” says Stine Rømmen Andersen, leader for diversity research at McKinsey Norway. At the recent Innoversity conference in Oslo she presented McKinsey’s findings …

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 …

Remember the Pokemon Go and all the hype and fiver around it?  You will be surprised, but the next big thing is already here.  Augmented Reality is ready to be introduced to anyone who owns an Apple device running the iOS 11 this fall. On the WWDC this June, Senior VP of software engineering Craig Federighi announced the numerous inventions …

Heidi Berg and her team was one of the winners of the first round of Ignite intrapreneurship programme. She and Nazmin Neza are now developing Engage, a new business venture, in Grameenphone, Telenor Group’s company in Bangladesh. The goal with our product is to help over one million sales agents in Telenor to communicate better with their customers. “We are …

CrowdEyes is a twist on the format of traditional dating apps to help people who lose or forget their things at this year’s Roskilde Festival. With a festival area equivalent to 350 football pitches, the analogy of “finding a needle in a haystack” is apt if you misplace something by accident. “If you find a lost thing and would like …

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 …

Nordic design is indeed trending worldwide. In less than three hours the new Danish watch brand IVER Denmark reached their funding goal on Kickstarter with backers from four continents, going well beyond the expectations of the team. Founder Kristian Asbjørn Iversen, shares his insights as to how they prepared for the launch. By Kristian Asbjørn Iversen Launch social media profiles …

In March 2017, #nordicmade companies took over SXSW at the #nordicmade booth.  With a helpful boost from the Rising North fund, the #nordicmade program included a pitch night, an investor dinner, a partnership with the John Lennon Educational Tourbus and a SaunaBus from Finland. However, it was a challenge for the Nordics to stand out in a sea of thousands …

The purpose of chatbots is to aid in interaction with digital systems. But although the idea for chat bots is as old as the invention of the computer, users are often disappointed by what chatbots can offer. Should your company use chatbots, or should your development resources be used elsewhere? – Reply with “1” for English. Reply with “2” for …

Now in it’s sixth year, Europe’s largest interdisciplinary festival, Tech Open Air, is uniting the international tech and creative scene in Berlin on July 11-14th after World Tour stops in cities like L.A., Tokyo and Austin, with 20,000 attendees from around the world expected to join.  Tech Open Air (TOA) enters its 6th and largest edition to date with four …

Bitcoins are seemingly making a convincing case for a digitized, decentralized currency, and the world is excitingly falling into the lockstep. If thoughts over bitcoins have ever crossed your mind and evoked a curiosity in you to know it up and close, this infographic is what you’re looking for. Bitcoin is the brainchild of Satoshi Nakamoto, who published a white …

Last weekend, Sweden’s first travel hackathon, Startup Weekend Travel Edition, took place in Stockholm. The event was arranged by the global entrepreneur network, Startup Weekend, with Amadeus as the main sponsor. During 54 intense hours, over 60 participants developed business ideas for the travel industry, while networking with leading decision makers, as well as industry and innovation experts. During the …