April, 2016

• 21 April

  Big Data – the new “natural resource”

  

  It’s no secret that data is valuable. Oil used to be called black gold but now big data has taken its place. Kisko Labs breaks down what that means. At present there are ongoing discussions about the integrity of our data, the security of our data and the way in which companies we willingly give it to might be planning to …

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• 19 April

  Video: Startup City Project, Reyjavik

  

  Edmonton, the capital of Alberta in Canada, has a strong startup community, which in many ways shares similarities with Iceland.  An Edmonton film crew has create a project about Reykjavik. Check out the short film below. I have written about the strong affinity between the Startup Community in Edmonton and Reykjavik. Last year Startup Edmonton crew started a new project …

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• 19 April

  Looking back: Startup Weekend Helsinki

  

  This past weekend, Startup Weekend Helsinki took place in the elegant surroundings of the NewCo building in the Kallio region of Helsinki.  Here is our look back at an inspiring weekend. Chris Georgiev, founder of Imagga, was the lively master of ceremonies, supported by a team of purple t-shirted volunteers. Present were seventy participants in their blue, yellow, orange, red …

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• 18 April

  Infographic: the State of the fintech industry

  

  The who, what, where, and when of the fintech industry today can be found in this excellent infographic put together by Banking Tech.  Find plenty of useful data, including the top specialists, uniforms, startup ecosystems, and acquisitions.  

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• 18 April

  Why Nordic IT companies like remote working tools

  

  In the startup world, teams who work remotely are quite common. Even now, however, when setting up a new team, the same questions frequently arise: is it really possible to work together without physically being in the same location? How can you do so effectively with little face-to-face interaction? What are some of the common risks that should be taken …

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• 15 April

  Sproom aquired by Visma, but will maintain independence

  

  The Danish electronic invoicing startup Sproom has been acquired by Visma. The acquisition is part of Visma’s strategy to become the Nordic leader in e-invoicing. Sproom is a digital trading platform that automates and optimizes difficult and tedious billing work – the work that bigger companies have full-time employees to perform and that small business often lack the resources to …

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• 15 April

  5 Reasons to join Startup Fest Europe

  

  Startup Fest Europe takes place in the Netherlands from 24 – 28 May and aims to bring the world together and help startups grow faster. With more than 28 events will take place in 14 cities across 5 days, Netherlands will transform into the center of the global startup community. These are the hard facts. The real fun is to …

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• 15 April

  Insurance-tech had a record-breaking start in 2016

  

  It is a relatively nascent segment within the broader fintech sector, but investments in insurance-tech have soared in the first quarter of 2016.  Is insurance-tech the next big thing? According to CB Insights, the first quarter of 2016 saw early stage investments break all previous records for the same period in previous years.  Over $55 million has been invested in …

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• 14 April

  A founder looks back: Vibes at SXSW 2016

  

  I had the great pleasure of paying a week long visit to South By South West (SXSW) in Austin, Texas in May 2016. My first thoughts on scene were that the interesting mixture of music, film and interactive events created a relaxed environment for people to present their companies and find common goals in their future business. By Kaius Meskanen, …

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• 14 April

  Media Honeypot organizers: “startups die before getting deals”

  

  Media Honeypot, a “reverse pitching” event for startups and the traditional media industry, was held in Helsinki on April 6, 2016. I sat down with organizers Heikki “Hegu” Rotko, a long time media executive professional and Dmitri Sarle & Jan Ameri from Arctic Startup. Heikki  was recently at SXSW with me as part of the Team Finland Nordic Lighthouse program, …

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