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April, 2026

  • 9 April

    From AI to “löyly”, Finnish sauna meets SXSW

    Hugh Forrest and the SXSW 2026 Sauna, AI and SaaS panelists Josh Liberson, Markus Hoefinger, Anand Arivukkarasu and Liz Bacelar

    Part one: AI, SaaS + Sauna panel @ SXSW, the heat is on (“Löyly” [Finnish] meaning the heavenly steam of real Sauna)   Monday at SXSW took a different turn as Finns took over Bathe Austin, the new (and first) bathhouse in Austin. The program combined two things that don’t usually meet at tech conferences, especially outside Finland: tech and sauna. …

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  • 8 April

    SXSW International Innovations Expo @ Fairmont

    Global showcase at SXSW’s International Innovations Expo Saturday at SXSW brought one of the more open and globally mixed formats of the week: the International Innovations Expo at Fairmont Austin. As the SXSW did not have one central location (the Austin Convention Center has been demolished ans will be completely rebuild), the SXSW activities were spread wider into the Austin’s …

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  • 8 April

    🇪🇺 EU House at SXSW

    EUintheUSA SXSW 2026. EU@SXSW

    EU presence ran through GermanHaus — a familiar European anchor at SXSW On Friday March 13th, the European Union’s SXSW activities were concentrated into a single evening program under EU@SXSW, hosted at GermanHaus in downtown Austin’s Speakeasy. GermanHaus is not new as it has been one of the most consistent European presences at SXSW over the years — a platform …

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  • 8 April

    European Startup Embassy brings founders and funders together in Austin

    Earlier on the first SXSW day, Capital Factory hosted the European Startup Embassy’s “Founders x Funders” session — a focused networking event connecting European startups with investors and ecosystem players during SXSW week. The format was simple. No stage, no long pitches. Just people meeting people in the Capital Factory’s amazing facilities, with some Pizza and Beers (very startup style) …

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  • 8 April

    Finnish startups at Capital Factory’s SXSW Startup Crawl

    StartupCrawl SXSW 2026

    The SXSW week kicked off for startups at the annual Capital Factory’s Startup Crawl, a long-running format bringing together dozens of companies and partners under one roof in Austin. The concept is simple: move, meet, and talk. Short demos, quick introductions, and constant flow between tables. Less pitching, more direct interaction. Finnish startups were again part of the mix Audicin, …

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  • 8 April

    Nordics and the NordicMade ClubHouse at SXSW 2026

    NordicMade ClubHouse

    Nordics at SXSW 2026 While SXSW is a remarkable tech event, having approx 300.000 visitors over the event week, the amount of people has decreased from the pre-pandemic by numbers. So has the Finnish presence become slightly smaller, but perhaps more focused. Nordics used to be better glued together, and showed up with bigger, more coordinated delegations. Often with Nordic …

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March, 2026

  • 12 March

    Finnish Startups Raised a Record Funding Last Year

    The funding raised by Finnish startups has reached historic levels, according to the latest impact report from the startup hub Maria 01. Sarita Runeberg, CEO of Maria 01, points out that economically challenging times have historically been the birthplace of many successful companies. She remains confident about the future. Finnish startups succeeded in raising capital in record-breaking fashion last year. …

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February, 2026

  • 27 February

    Swiss Startup Ionic Wind Wins 10th Anniversary Polar Bear Pitching

    The Polar Bear Pitching event, held for the tenth time, drew a significant number of international startups and media film crews to Oulu. The presentation by the Swiss company Ionic Wind was chosen as the best “ice hole pitch”—appropriately featuring modern cooling technology.Polar Bear Pitching is a business event where the main attraction is a startup pitching competition held in …

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January, 2026

December, 2025