Iceland

I’m standing in the foyer of the Innovation House in Gloucester, MA. In the kitchen to my left people are cleaning up after lunch and starting preparations for an afternoon garden party hosted by Vivaldi later that day. Located in a beautiful 18th century mansion north of Boston, the Innovation House is locally known as the White House of Magnolia. Hosting visitors …

Last week, leading games VC London Venture Partners (“LVP”) and Klang Games signed an investment agreement  to back the gaming company’s future projects, including the upcoming mobile and tablet game, ReRunners. LVP will not only be financially investing in the game developer but also offering valuable knowledge of publishing within the gaming industry. Oddur Magnússon, Developer and Co-Founder of Berlin-based Klang Games, commented: “We …

Garage Technology Ventures, Norway’s StartupLab, and Silicon Valley-based MAD-Partners announced earlier this month the launch of Silicon Valley Catalyst, a new joint venture to fund and grow brilliant emerging European technology companies that are ready to launch in the U.S. The collaboration brings together a team of experienced Silicon Valley and Nordic venture players to provide investment capital and intensive …

The Nordic One project strives to create an ecosystem for young and experienced entrepreneurs alike with a focus on international growth from day one. Starting a company is a daunting task, no matter which market one starts out in. But being from a city in the Nordic region that would be considered a town in the US – perhaps a …

Authenteq is a identity verification and reputation management platform that helps online marketplaces increase transparency and trust by issuing Authenteq IDs to their users to verify that they are who they say they are. By Thorunn Jonsdottir Started as Verificy in March 2014, the team soon decided to change the name to Authenteq as most people pronounced Verificy as “Very …

Yesterday the Icelandic startup community got together at Reykjavik University, courtesy of Klak Innovit, Nyherji, and Stjornvisi, to find out who were the Icelandic winners Nordic Startup Awards 2015. (photo credit: Haraldur Gudjonsson) “We are proud to connect with the nordic startup scene and other community leaders through the Nordic Startup Awards. It’s a great platform to bring attention to …

Startup Iceland is the first of its kind in Iceland. Among other things, it is a yearly conference build on a philosophy and mission of building a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems in Iceland. The conference takes place in May and welcomes startups and entrepreneurs from all over the world to participate. While other startup events often have a certain agenda – …

The Founder Institute launches their first chapter ever in Iceland. After an exploratory trial uncovering a large number of interested aspiring entrepreneurs looking for training and membership, the program has now decided to officially launch in Reykjavik. The Founder Institute is a four month accelerator program. Participating entrepreneurs are promised a “learning by doing”-process in which they will encounter structured training, …

Founded in 2010 Bungalo is an Icelandic based online marketplace for cottage rentals. The company focuses on providing cottages through local families who can help travelers explore the area and culture. Last year the company expanded to launch in the Canadian market as well. CEO Haukur Gudjonsson leads a team of seven staff. A solution to an experienced need The …

Many startups are trying to make money on the popularity of social networking applications. Two Nordic startups, Icelandic Blendin and Danish Heaps, have created two very similar products that both focus on connecting people for parties. Everyone love spending time with friends, but everyone is always busy, making it hard to coordinate nights out, parties or other social events. Social networking …

The Icelandic startup scene rejoice after three new VC funds open within the first week of February. There has been talk about creating new VC funds in Iceland for years. As both of the current Icelandic VC funds, NSA Ventures and Frumtak, have been fully invested for years with little flexibility towards new investments. The Icelandic startup scene can rejoice …