Iceland

Sjálfsbjörg, the Icelandic federation of physically disabled people, has recently opened up a new entity within the organization called Frumbjörg, an Innovation Center with the aim of supporting innovations for the disabled. It has been obvious for many within the community of disabled in Iceland, and those around it, that there has been a deep need for more focused research …

VR technology has reached unprecedented momentum.  According to CB insights, AR and VR startups raised $658 million in equity financing last year, and Florida based Magic Leap set a new bar for funding when it raised a $794 million round led by Alibaba in February 2016. The Nordics have a slew of startups in this niche including Breakroom, Moggles, and …

A Nordic Web Report on Icelandic tech and startup investments in 2015 shows a staggering 1,568% growth in year-on-year funding from 2014 to 2015. Number of investments rose from seven to seventeen. This massive growth in funding is mainly fueled by three big investments: Verne Global’s $98 million (~12.7bn ISK) Series D round in January, Carbon Recycling International’s $45.5 million (~5.9bn ISK) …

Íris Ólafsdóttir, an Icelandic entrepreneur, is the visionary and CEO of Kúla 3D. A self-described amateur photographer, Íris devised a product that brings photography into the third dimension. Kúla 3D creates camera accessories that turn your smartphone (and other cameras) into 3D cameras. The idea for the product was conceptualized during Íris’ maternity leave. Íris noticed a toy reflected in …

Iceland’s Frumbjörg, started by Brandur Karlsson in cooperation with Sjálfsbjörg, the Icelandic national federation of the disabled, is an Innovation Center for Mobility. The initiative’s goal is to provide the disabled with the opportunities for employment and develop innovations within the healthcare and social sectors. The social entrepreneurship venture is meant to provide individuals with disabilities office space and guidance …

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 …

Entrepreneurship, Startup founding and investing in Startups is the best way to inject yourself with a steroid for meta-learning and self discovery. If you want to learn about yourself then you should definitely become an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship and Startup Founding is a truth game. It shows what you are made of with all the warts and all. I am constantly …

Icelandic startup KeyWe is creating an app that ties together an emotional, visual, and logical approach to learning. Olafur Stefansson and Halldor Thorsteinsson are brothers in law and co-founders of the ed-tech startup KeyWe. I’m meeting with them at  the Innovation House in Seltjarnarnes, Iceland for a chat about their startup. They arrive on time. Composed and confident, with a spark …

Radiant Games, an Icelandic mobile gaming startup, just released its full-length title Box Island: Epic Coding Adventure. The release closely follows an earlier release of a shorter version of the game, specially released for Code.org’s Hour of Code events this week, part of Computer Science Education Week, held December 7-13. This article was originally posted on Nordurskautid, Iceland’s premier outlet for …

Nordic businesses represented their region on Deloitte’s EMEA Fast500 List in 2015, with Swedish based iZettle as runner up, Norwegian Clean Marine and Etrinell in the top ten, and six of fourteen Icelandic companies on the country’s Fast50 making it to the Fast500. Earlier this week, Deloitte announced the fourteenth Fast500 List for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The list includes …

Icelandic startup Breakroom provides its users with a private virtual reality workspace for wherever and whenever they may need it. A simple request: Imagine your current work surroundings. Next, imagine yourself working in a café tucked away on a peaceful and quaint street somewhere in beautiful Vienna, Austria or perhaps imagine yourself reading through work documents somewhere on a beach …

Sling, developed by Icelandic app studio Gangverk, is a communication and shift scheduling application for the non-desk working industries. This article was originally posted on Nordurskautid, Iceland’s premier outlet for news and discussion about the Icelandic Startup and Tech scene   Sling is a free app is available on the web, iOS and Android, and was released in June following …

Last week, Deloitte announced the winners of the Rising Star Awards in Iceland, with Kúla 3D and Authenteq winning this year’s title after pitching to a panel of judges at the final event. The other four companies that made it to the finals were Flygildi, Solid Clouds, Dent & Buckle, and GeoSilica. Kúla 3D was founded by Íris Ólafsdóttir, a seasoned entrepreneur …

How is the Icelandic startup scene doing?  Here is an overview of what has happened over the last year, using the entrepreneurial ecosystem model developed by Nicolas Collin. This article was originally posted on Startup Iceland. It has been an interesting and inspiring to see what Ken Bautista and Cam Linke with their team have done through Startup Edmonton in …

Authenteq, the Icelandic startup, was selected by CTIA Innovation Council Investor Advisors as one of the five most forward-thinking, innovative companies worldwide in the category of identity management. Trusted. Authentic. Identity. These words describe the Icelandic startup Authenteq. Their great vision and innovative technology, that secures interaction between users of sharing economy and eliminate possible deception, made them a part …

This analysis of Q3 investments in the Nordics is based on a combination of publicly available and proprietary data gathered by Index. In Q3, tech startups based in the Nordic countries collectively raised $296.5 million in 73 rounds. This falls short of Q1 for the region by 21.9 percent. Compared to Q2, it comes in significantly lower ($812.8 million total) …

Crowdfunding as a fundraising method has had tremendous momentum in recent years, with multiple platforms competing for the multi-billion dollar pie.   What does the future hold? Crowdfunding as alternative finance has been on the rise for the past few years, with around €710 thousand being raised in 2010, €14.4 billlion in 2014, and an estimated €83 billion in 2025, …

Discover how to start your own startup and build great products in this How to Start a Startup lecture by Bala Kamallakharan, an investor, entrepreneur, speaker, and Startup Coach from Iceland. This article was originally posted on Startup Iceland. In today’s How to Start a Startup lecture, we will be talking about Building Great Products. There are several methodologies on …

Business competitions are a tricky concept. They are based around the idea of a group of humans evaluating (read: judging) teams and their ideas, and trying to overcome any biases they have in the process. Judges are basically asked to evaluate unquantifiable things with their very human and biased brains. They then make a judgement based on what they know …

Sesselja Vilhjalmsdottir, the founder of Tagplay, integrates social content into your website to create a lively feel. This article was originally posted on Startup Iceland. I first met Sesselja Vilhjalmsdottir, the founder of Tagplay, when she was doing her documentary called the Startup Kids. What really impressed me was how Sesselja and her friend, Vala Halldorsdottir, had bootstrapped and created …