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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 – e.g. to bring startups and investors together Startup Iceland has a more open and broad agenda: to help build a vibrant and sustainable startup ecosystem in Iceland. At the conference there are tools, technologies and people ready to help you accomplish your startup dreams and positively impact your community.
This year’s conference is the third of its kind and it will take place on the 23rd, 24th and 27th, 28th of May. Startup Iceland describe the conference with the following words:
Participants represent startup communities from Iceland, the US, Canada, Europe, the UK, Asia, Scandinavia, New Zealand, Israel and South Africa. Startup Iceland will ask important questions and elicit discussions on how to harness local capital, develop a policy framework and capitalize on the collective strengths of the community to foster a sustainable and resilient ecosystem that embraces, encourages and celebrates entrepreneurship. Attendees will learn strategies that can be applied in their own businesses and communities here in Iceland and abroad.
“We accomplish this by bringing together a diverse program of speakers and participants to discuss, create and implement strategies that promote economic growth,” says founder and CEO Bala Kamallakharan
Initiated by an impassioned fireball
Bala Kamallakharan is the main driving force of the Startup Iceland Conference. He has worked on building up the startup ecosystem in Iceland since 2009. After Iceland’s major economic collapse in 2008 Bala Kamallakharan asked himself what difference he could make in helping create new value. This question was the kickoff to creating Startup Iceland.
“I figured the best way to create new value is to create new businesses. And the best way to
do this is to bring people and companies from all over the world together and inspire them to share ideas, opinions and experiences. It allows you to learn and solve some of the hard problems to build a better future,” he explains
A program crammed with possibilities and inspiration
In addition to the exceptional international speakers, Startup Iceland will feature the key innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders who are driving Iceland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem forward.
The first two days of the conference (May 23rd and 24th) will be a hackathon, where teams of talented people come together to hack a solution that at the end of the event will have the potential to be a business. This is an open event anyone can attend and participate for free.
The third day (May 27th) will be the main event day consisting of presentations and discussions by key influencers within Iceland and from startup communities around the world. Also, the winner of the Hackathon will be voted on by conference participants and announced at the end of the day’s discussions. The price for participating this day is $300.
The fourth day (May 28th) will be a mentoring day, where all the key influencers and speakers will act as mentors to all participating entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs and startup founders and any other participant can schedule a one-on-one meeting and get key advice and connect.
If you are interested in participating in an exciting and educational event while at the same time visiting a beautiful and spectacular country you can learn more and sign up here
