Sweden

Scandinavia’s biggest awards show for startups, the Nordic Startup Awards, has published their shortlist for the best startups of the year out of 740 nominees. In May, the Nordic startup ecosystem gathers to pay tribute to the biggest stars in the scene.  Promising businesses, entrepreneurs, and community builders are honored with awards such as Startup of the Year, Best Newcomer, …

Studies in Sweden and Norway show that students who play computer games do better in school.  And in Denmark, new research shows that playing computer games helps young people improve their social skills and create more friendships. By Tobias Thomasen Computer games have been blamed for many negative things.  Most often, they are thought to encourage violent and boorish behavior …

Balderton Capital, located in London, has just become an International Investor Member at Stockholm’s startup central, SUP46. Since 2000, Balderton has invested in over 100 companies, mostly located within Europe. Having already invested in 11 startups within the Nordic region, the partnership with SUP46 will bring greater access to the Nordic startup scene. Nordic countries offer an alternative working culture …

Singapore has unveiled a plan to become the world’s leading startup ecosystem within fintech, challenging similar initiatives in the Nordic countries. Singapore has developed a lot since becoming independent in 1965. Before, the country was a central post for major banks and finance houses, but as the country looks to the future, it has shifted it’s focus towards startups. In …

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 …

“Ed-tech is boiling over here in Sweden”, says Jannie Jeppesen, founder of Ed-tech Sweden. But the community remains a black hole for Swedes – and even ed-tech companies themselves.  Ed-tech Sweden is now launching the first ever mapping of the ed-tech ecosystem in partnership with Silicon Vikings, to build transparency from the ground up, and get ed-tech on the agenda. …

While exclusivity has always been a part of the allure at Stockholm’s elite Fashion Week, this year one designer gave unprecedented access to her collection— through virtual reality. Swedish fashion designer Ida Klamborn, in cooperation with the communications company Tele2 have started a project dubbed the Democratic Front Row. Klamborn and others say that young people are the source of inspiration designers, so …

Millennials have grown up with technology, which makes them an entirely new breed of consumer. Armed with their devices, they have the world at their fingertips. But access to more knowledge does not necessarily mean making better choices, or does it? Memories of the financial collapse are firmly embedded in the minds of millennials, which has been attributed to their …

The startup ecosystem in Stockholm will have the backing of both local politicians and large companies – and this is among the reasons why Stockholm’s startups are ahead of their Danish counterparts, according to Tim He of Northzone. The Swedish startup scene blooms in Stockholm, and the Business Region Stockholm, which is part of the city council, supports and boosts …

I am an organizer for Women in Technology International (WITI) in Sweden, a networking and support group for women working in all sectors of technology. Recently, while hosting a lunch for WITISweden it suddenly struck me: All the brilliant women that I continuously meet online and offline on a daily basis are smart, well educated and have an extensive CV …

Mistbase is an upcoming IoT start-up that provides the technology that makes IoT possible, and is ready to take on the telecom giants. The company, based out of the Ideon Innovation Incubator in Lund, Sweden, was founded in mid-summer 2015 by long-time friends and colleagues Michal Stala and Magnus Midholt, who have a combined experience of over 20 years working …

This week, Forbes released their annual “30 under 30” list of young talent, and 5 Swedes made the cut. The list, which totals 600 people in 20 different categories, is an annual compilation of young global talent.  The categories listed include e-commerce, enterprise tech, gaming, and finance. Although the Nordics (and Europe as a whole) were far outnumbered by the …

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 …

With the holiday season in full swing, crowdfunding campaigns can be great sources of gifts for the technology fanatics in our lives.  Here are 5 ongoing campaigns that make great holiday gifts. 1.Tiny Arcade Tiny Arcade makes the perfect gift for both the fan of vintage video game or the person with an interest in computer engineering. The arcade will come …

Over the last 7 years, Zalando has grown from a small startup to a stock-listed juggernaut with close to 10,000 employees. How to keep the startup spirit and what does the future of fashion retail look like? Zalando’s founder Robert Gentz explains. This video was created by HYBE.

Nordic Startup Gifts is a website that was founded by and for Nordic startups from Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Here is a look through some of what the Nordics have to offer this holiday season. The page is divided into four categories: technology, housing, fashion and lifestyle, so it’s definitely possible to find something for everyone. For the tech-freak …

SUP46,  the space that has become Sweden’s focal point for hot startups, presented some figures on the growth and funding of their members the past year. Check them out below:  

HYBE visited the head quarters of King, the Stockholm based gaming company that was recently bought with whopping 5.9 billion dollars. King is best known for their smash hit Candy Crush Saga, which is played by millions of people around the world. See what’s the company culture behind the company’s success? How does the magic happen? This video was created …

Swedish co-working space Impact Hub Stockholm hosted an unusual pitching event last month as part of STHLM IoT Week – pitching to children! On October 14, 2015 Impact Hub Stockholm hosted an event entitled “NOT your usual pitching event”.   The participants were IoT startups pitching their businesses, investors…and children aged 5 years and older. At 5 pm, the Impact Hub …

With a mission to create new frontiers for the expanding digital economy, Strawpay has developed a new open payment network: Stroem. It all started with a discussion club in Stockholm several years back, where the founders discussed their common interest in bitcoin. They hit upon an idea: to create a new open payment system that builds on advanced features of …