🔥 HOT November Nordic/Baltic Tech News, Events and Opportunities

STOP PRESS! STOP ! STOP!

🔥 🔥 Let’s start with some truly fabulous news. We are beyond delighted to be able to announce our partnership with Google. We took the chance to unveil the news at this month’s annual Slush event, and we’re really looking forward to working together to support Nordic /Baltic tech startups and scaleup growth including our joint commitment to supporting female tech founders. Thanks to all who made this possible, especially Manja Lykke Brichmann and Martha Ivester at Google for your leadership. As we never tire of saying, together, we’re stronger!

NEW PARTNER (YES, ANOTHER!)

And on the subject of new additions, we've added a new partner to our ever-growing stable in the form of DreistStorgaard, a Danish law firm with an international focus and portfolio of clients. One of the largest 15 law firms in Denmark, with a corporate/M&A team consisting of over 35 employees, DreistStorgaard provide services for a large portfolio of Danish and international clients with legal matters regarding fields such as corporate/commercial, real estate, bank & finance, dispute resolution and employment. We’re delighted to have you onboard!

Not a Tech Nordic Advocates member yet? You don't know what you're missing! Check out HOW WE HELP YOU GROW AND SCALE YOUR TECH SECTOR BUSINESS HERE, How to become a solo Tech Nordic Advocates member HERE and how to become a Business Member HERE

SLUSH

Without a doubt, the biggest event in the tech world for our region at least this month was the annual Slush behemoth, an event that gets better every year it feels. We were honoured to have His Excellency U.S Ambassador Douglas Hickey on hand to open our Pre Slush "Raising Capital and Building Diverse Networks in the US" event. Looking for some sound advice from the Ambassador, ex #tech founder and investor to fundraising tech founders? ‘Max 10 slides’, ‘No is a slow way to yes’! The list of thank you’s is a long, but important one – U.S. Embassy in Finland, Nordic Innovation House - New York, Yes VC, Helsinki Partners, Magnusson, Netcompany, LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group), Consulate General of Finland in New York, Russ Shaw CBE Tech London Advocates & Global Tech Advocates, New York City Economic Development Corporation, Tommo Koivusalo, Pia Pakarinen, SelectUSA, Consulate General of Finland in New York, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).

We also used the Slush event to (among many other things) host our "Helsinki Female Tech Founder Frontrunner" international mentoring programme helping women launch new and grow early stage tech companies, celebrating all the amazingly talented founders who have completed /are in the process of completing the 2022 programme - you can see who they all are HERE - and also launching the 2023 programme!

Many thanks to Johanna Huurre Director Invest in Helsinki Partners for hosting and partnering with us, Tommo Koivusalo, Director Helsingin seudun kauppakamari - Helsinki Region Chamber of Commerce for being our Chairman and opening the event with Johanna.

Huge thanks too, to all who attended our unique #Slush Event and of course our speakers: Kaisa Savola (she/her), Founder / CEO, Talbit Oy; Kevin Smith Managing Partner, Sana Capital, London; Lucy Webber Research and Analytics Senior Associate, Primary Markets, LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group); Teija Nousiainen, Deal Flow Manager, Nordea; Dr. Aline Vedder, Principal, Lakestar VC, London, ⚡️Piia Kuosmanen🦄 Founder of Velbi; Mila Koshkina Founder of Flockin Oy; Aura Pyykönen, Founder of Isla Terveys; Alejandra Cobos, Founder of MindMatters, Pia Partanen, Business Advisor, NewCo Helsinki / City of Helsinki

The atmosphere in the room was electric, we couldn't stop talking! And remember - everyone took away the task of speaking to at least ONE person about our 2023 Programme.

In Denmark, last week, together with our partner Netcompany, we convened the ecosystem to host the event, “Tech Startups are a catalyst for sustainable growth. How do we get everyone involved?”

Thank you to Trine Tirsgaard Head of Group Commercial and Communications, Netcompany for her leadership.

We were delighted to have Jens Kristian Lütken, Mayor of Employment and Integration, the City of Copenhagen open the event and take time to speak to our startups, investors and partners to understand what's needed to support startups of all genders, races and backgrounds so we can make use of all talent in tech innovation and entrepreneurship.

A lively debate ensued. We were honoured to have Associate Professor Carina Lomberg, DTU Entrepreneurship walk us through "How are startups contributing to financial and societal growth? Why are startups so important for long-term sustainable growth?"

Christine Gouchalt, Director, Mastercard; Mikkel Brun Næsager, Futurist, Entrepreneur, Investor and founder of 'We Promote Women', Irfan Goandal, Partner, Promentum Equity Partners and Sine Linderstrøm, Head of SMEs and Entrepreneurship, DI. shared their perspectives on "To stay competitive, we cannot afford to leave anyone behind; Where are we on leveraging all talent?"

Bo Koch-Christensen, Co- Founder / Sustainary; Katja Thrane, Founder, Ground Control; Kasper Mathias Korshagen, Chief of Sales, Protoverse; and Jannike Borg, Founder, Acera contributed their "Let's hear it from Startup perspective". moderated by Nikolaj Juhl Hansen, Partner, DreistStorgaard.

The floor debate on "What more is needed to really crack this?”, led by Sam Jalaei, Managing Partner, Magnusson, was so energetic it was almost impossible to bring it to an end. We have noted and will help action all the suggestions.

WOMEN IN TECH COMMUNITY
We are already Northern Europe's largest WiT community. We're now giving the community its own platform to connect, communicate support and engage with each other with the launch of TNA WiT private linked in group. Wanna join? Drop us a line here

FINLAND - INTERNATIONAL MENTORING PROGRAMME - COHORT 3
Slush wasn't the only thing going on in Finland this month though. Cohort 3 of the "Helsinki Female Tech Founder Frontrunner" programme continued with a host of great speakers and show-stopping workshops. Find out all about the programme HERE.

One of the many highlights was a fantastic session on ‘How to get the best from mentoring‘ led by Yuri Navarro, Managing Partner, Kanata Ventures. The feedback has been brilliant, so big thanks to Yuri and our partners: Helsinki Partners, Magnusson, Netcompany, The Shortcut Helsinki, Think Company, Business Helsinki / City of Helsinki, LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group), Startup Foundation, San Francisco Agency.

APPLY NOW TO 2023 PROGRAMME Didn't make it to the 2022 Programme? Don't worry, applications are now open for 2023 Apply here to join Cohort 1, February 2023 HERE

HELLO CANADA!
Meanwhile, it was full steam ahead with the latest cohort programmes in Denmark too. Among the many highlights was the ”Masterclass on Establishing Your Business in Canada: Spotlight on Montréal” event held by the Embassy of Canada in Copenhagen.

Following introductions by Michael Willmott, Senior Trade Commissioner, Embassy of Canada, we focused on the Canadian technology start-up ecosystem, with a spotlight on Montreal with speakers Michael Willmott (“Introduction to Canada’s ecosystem players and partners”) and Jihane El Atifi, (”Start-up Montréal - The Montreal tech scale-up ecosystem”). We then had a panel discussion on ”What does it take to succeed in Canada’s tech industry? A perspective from two women business founders in Canada. Speakers were Lisa Loud, Founder & CEO, FLUIDEFI and Emmanuelle Tavernier, Founder & CEO, Oxia Initiative. Again, huge thanks to all for this fantastic event.

More highlights from the Denmark programme this month included "Transitioning from a founder to a CEO" by Tina Moe and Paul Webber. It was really really great so a huge thank you to both.

DIDN'T MANAGE THIS YEAR'S PROGRAMME? HERE'S ANOTHER CHANCE... With our renewed funding, we're fortunate to be able to continue "Denmark as Female Tech Founder Frontrunner" until 2025. Applications to join the 2023 Programme are now open and rolling in fast. New or super early female tech founders in Denmark, apply to Module 1! Tech companies with high growth potential, led by women, apply to Module 2. Module 3: Diversity Venture Fund just launched is open to all capital raising female tech founders/leaders in Denmark on an ongoing basis until end 2025 whether or not you are part of Modules 1 and/or 2.. HURRY UP and apply to the 2023 intake HERE!

NEWS FROM...SWEDEN

Sweden’s EQT Ventures closed its third fund at €1.1Bn to double down on European and early-stage startups. EQT Ventures, the venture fund arm of Sweden’s investment giant EQT making early-stage bets on startups primarily in Europe, has closed its latest fund and filled its coffers with €1 billion (and $1.1 billion in total commitments).

NEWS FROM...FINLAND

It’s been a memorable month at Finnish hospitality startup Bob W who have announced a €21 million Series A round funding for their Nordic answer to AirBnB. The sustainability-driven short stay rental specialists were founded in 2018, targeting both holiday makers along with the ever-growing digital nomad sector. The new investment will help them expand further across Europe

NEWS FROM...DENMARK
It’s no secret that across Europe, the hospitality and retail industries are suffering a labour crisis. In response, fintech startup All Gravy was founded in 2020 to offer an operating system that functions like a workforce optimisation tool for hourly paid workers, that, they hope will also help restaurants and shops understand, motivate and retain their gig economy staff. The startup has raised a seed round of €3.2 million to help them expand to the UK and accelerate growth in Denmark and Sweden.

NEWS FROM...NORWAY
With the energy crisis on everyone’s minds, now’s a good time to hear Norwegian start up Enode has secured a €15m investment in a Series A funding round. The Oslo based company, founded in 2020, has developed a digital infrastructure for green energy apps through an API platform. The funding will be used to extend the team and accelerate expansion to new markets.

NEWS FROM...THE BALTICS
Congrats this month to Estonian circularity expert Yaga on raising its first VC funding €2.2m for its expanding e-commerce platform. Launched in 2019, the startup, on a mission to improve efficiency in what is often dubbed one of the most wasteful and environmentally damaging sectors, has hopped on the second-hand revolution by adding a digital touch to the buying and selling of used clothes in markets in Asia and Africa.

START-UP OF THE MONTH
Every day, some 6,000 people die in workplace accidents or as a result of work-related illness. However, due to the frequency and quality and quantity of risk observations due to manual reporting. Stockholm-based Buddywise wants to address this by using AI analysis of CCTV streaming, helping them identify and address early indicators of safety risks more effectively. As a result, companies can get early indicators before serious accidents or fatalities occur.

HOT TNA NEWS! WITH SO MANY PARTNERS ONBOARDING, NATURALLY WE NEED SOMEONE TO LOOK AFTER THINGS!
Having supported us for some time as mentor and expert, we're delighted to now welcome Anders Sander Hansen as Head of Partnerships, Tech Nordic Advocates.

With a background in sales and business development in the Nordics, UK and Asia, Anders is well placed to help us expand our rapidly growing portfolio of partners, who see unique value in partnering with Northern Europe's largest tech/startup ecosystem, to provide a funnel of innovation and diverse and inclusive partnerships with fast-growing tech startups and scaleups. Please join us in welcoming Anders to our team.

NEED CAPITAL TO SUPPORT YOUR GROWTH/SCALEUP/EXPANSION ?
Are you a Nordic/Baltic startup/scaleup and fundraising, look no further. Send your pitch to TNAInvest@technordicadvocates.org and we'll help you fundraise.

GLOBAL TECH ADVOCATES NEWS
As you know, the world is your oyster, and with the Nordics/Baltics small in scale, you need access to a global playground to scale your tech business. That's exactly what our Global Tech Advocates family offer you. Talent, Know-how, customers, partners and capital anywhere!

So first up a massive well done to everyone involved in pulling together the mighty GTA Summit in India.

Hosted by Russ Shaw CBE, Founder, Tech London Advocates & Global Tech Advocates along with the co-founders of Tech India Advocates: Ani Kaprekar, Af Malhotra and Nilesh Gopali, the event spanned five days in three cities, kicking off in Bengaluru. Huge thanks to all who attended and of course all partners and sponsors who combined to make it such a special event for everyone taking part. Read all about it HERE

Launch of Tech Ghana Advocates

But that's not all. Tech Ghana Advocates, led by Akosua Annobil from TLA Africa, launched during the Tech in Ghana event. More here

GTA Black Women in Tech launched Volume 2 of ‘The Voices in the Shadow’ and congratulations to Flavilla Fongang, leader of the group, for being recognised at the Most Influential Woman in UK Tech by Computer Weekly magazine.

And back in Europe, Tech Emerging Europe Advocates along with B2BeeMatch are helping Ukrainian companies - you can join the B2BeeMatch platform to network and match with Ukrainian businesses in the tech sector and beyond.

While on global matters, did you know we have our own global tech magazine? Check out GTA Connects. Check out also our Tech for Net Zero 'Resource Hub' via this link

If you are interested in expanding from the Nordics and Baltics, into the UK, or any other 20+ places globally in our Tech London Advocates & Global Tech Advocates network, reach out to us at Tech Nordic Advocates for an intro.