31 Jan January 2022 Nordic/Baltic Tech News, Events & Opportunities

Hello all and Welcome to our January newsletter…

The first month of the year is always a good time to gather energy and look ahead with new vigour at the coming 12 months. And with that in mind, there really is no time to waste!

The New Year champagne corks have barely finished landing following all the good news and our achievements in 2021, but this year is already shaping up to put it in the shade, with an amazing response to our courses and events and great news about the achievements of several members in the group.

This newsletter brings exciting news of events, the success of new and old friends, thriving partnerships and plenty of signs that 2022 is already looking like a memorable one.

So, read on, and learn how to join us as an Advocate, startup, mentor or partner, to take advantage of the opportunities we offer across the Nordics and Baltics and globally.

“WOMEN IN TECH” COMMUNITY. LATEST NEWS…

First up, huge thanks to all who took part in the launch event of the International Accelerator for High Growth Potential Tech companies, led by Women @Matrikel1 in Copenhagen. The event was opened by @Cecilia Lonning-Skovgaard, Mayor of Employment and Integration, City of Copenhagen, supported by Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, who said:

“It gives me great pleasure to support @TechNordicAdv’s – and #Europe’s – international accelerator targeting high growth potential tech companies led by women, launching #Copenhagen today, aligned with the @EU_Commission #WomenTechEU Programme,”

Thank you to the Mayor and our partners who make this Programme possible:

AND HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to the companies selected for BOOTCAMP 1
CanopyLab, hococo, Sustainify, Focalx, Workee, uQualio, WeBrick, dreamplan.io, Minplan, Clarenzy, Inno-Sci, Attendwise, ACERA Tech, VR-Nature, Vain Dane Athletic, The Bubly Company, Rysta

‘HELSINKI FEMALE TECH FOUNDER FRONTRUNNERS’ – COHORT 1 Sell out!

As the old saying goes, it’s the early bird that catches the worm, and so it proved to be in the case of the ‘Helsinki Female Tech Founder Frontrunners’ programme. We’re delighted to report that Cohort 1 of the programme is already fully booked! It’s another validation of the work we’re doing to support female tech founders, as well as tech founders of any gender/race/ background in the Nordic/Baltic region. Partners for the programme include;
Helsinki Partners – NewCo Helsinki / City of Helsinki  Magnusson – London Stock Exchange  Netcompany  The Shortcut  Helsinki Think Company – Epicenter Helsinki  Startup Foundation Women in Tech Finland

STOP PRESS:

Be a mentor – recruitment klaxon alert! As any programme, ours is only as good as the people behind it. So, here’s a callout to any of you based in Helsinki/Finland/Internationally who may be interested in becoming one of our mentors for the ‘Helsinki Female Tech Founder Frontrunners International Mentoring Programme‘. Check out the link and how to apply.

Missed the chance to gain a (mentee) place on Cohort 1 of the Programme?  Then apply to join Cohort 2 here

 2022 “International Accelerator for High Growth Tech Companies led by Women” Cohort 2

Women Founders/Co-Founders/C-Level Leaders – Are you ready to take your startup to the next level? Applications are now open for Cohort 2 in our 2022 “International Accelerator for High Growth Tech Companies led by Women

Pre-Accelerator Bootcamp:
The role and aim of the Pre-accelerator Bootcamp is to ‘Road test’ the high-growth potential of Bootcamp companies to select ‘the right’ companies for the subsequent Accelerator.

Click here for more info https://mla.bs/e116e7a6 and don’t miss this great opportunity.

ALSO IN Denmark, talking about pushing the boat out:

Take a bow Sahra-Josephine Hjorth, CEO and co-founder of CanopyLAB and our Women-in-Tech Ambassador, who has been selected by Barack and Michelle Obama as the only Dane to take part in the Obama Leaders Europe 2022 Program. This prestigious cohort focuses on promoting a leadership style that emphasizes justice, inclusion, development, and sustainability – values closely aligned in fact to those of Sahra-Josephine’s company. CanopyLAB is a social learning experience platform powered by Artificial Intelligence, targeting enterprise clients seeking to upskill employees and charitable initiatives.

Sahra-Josephine hopes that by taking part in the Obama Leaders Program she will help inspire more young girls to take on leadership roles.

“Being included in the Obama Leaders Europe 2022 cohort confirms the impact we have at CanopyLAB and our ability to be world leading in education. I was personally moved and honoured and have been speaking with my children about the legacy of the Obamas and the principles that guide their leadership. I hope that my work as a female CEO of a tech company and ambassador for TNA helps inspire more women to take risks, be ambitious and support other women,” Sahra-Josephine told us.

What an awesome achievement Sahra-Josephine, we salute you. And we can’t wait to hear your reflections on the programme!

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NEWS FROM .. SWEDEN
A moving story (sorry!) reaches us from Sweden this month. Voi Technology, the company behind the ubiquitous e-scooter you’re likely to have come across in many major cities around Europe has  raised €101.8 million in a funding round. Launched in Stockholm in 2018, the micro-mobility operator has since expanded rapidly across Europe and down to Seville and Malaga in the south of Spain. With the latest

 

injection that growth looks likely to continue.Plenty more to shout about from Sweden, actually. The annual STHLM Fintech Week has been moved back to the week of April 19-22. A perennial favourite among the startup crowd in the Nordics, this year’s event in the capital, being held in the spring for the first time, will feature 10 events. Sustainability, cybersecurity Pay tech, Reg Tech and decentralised finance are just a few of the subjects set to be discussed.

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 NEWS FROM… DENMARK    
We’re always delighted to hear about startup investment money coming into the region, and even more so when it’s to be used for international expansion. With this in mind, congrats to medtech startup Hedia who have raised €3 million in the ongoing fight against diabetes. Founded, among others, by husband and wife duo Peter Lucas and Christina Kildentoft in 2016, the Danish company has developed an app that calculates the recommended insulin dose patients require. Read more about Hedia here

  NEWS FROM… FINLAND

Fancy “becoming” Finnish for a few months? Well perhaps not exactly, but thanks to a great idea from Helsinki Partners a city-owned non-profit organisation, you can at least dip your toe in and experience what makes the country stand out in so many ways. The 90 Day Finn is a programme aimed at helping international companies succeed in the Finnish capital. The project, where 15 people from all over the world will be chosen from fields as diverse as entrepreneurs, investors, event organisers and other tech talents, has already received global media attention.
Fancy signing up? Read more here

 

 

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NEWS FROM…THE BALTICS     

Networks (as we well know) work! Estonia has already gained a blossoming reputation in the tech world, but the government there is doing its best to attract even more business. This is where the Estonian Founders Society comes in. The group is an organised startup founders network, set up to help realise the lofty ambitions of the government.

“Estonian startups have grown exponentially in regard to revenue and the number of employees. That means that, as a country, we should be attractive to the company with 10 employees and still testing its business model, as well as for a company with 5000 employees and a billion in revenue,” says Kaidi Ruusalepp, Founder & CEO at Funderbeam and President of the newly-formed board.

Find out about how they can help you, here https://asutajad.ee

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Wearable tech continues to grow by the year, and combining Nordic design with health monitoring could well be the recipe for success for Oura. The Finnish startup has come up with a stylish electronic health ring that monitors everything from the quality of your night’s sleep to your temperature and heart rate and it has the capability to analyse results and let you know if you’re taking the right breaks in your activity. They raised $28 million Series B funding last March and will be looking to build on that in 2022. https://ouraring.com

 

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UPCOMING EVENTS

In March 2022, we’re excited to be partnering with R-22 to deliver the largest robotics, automation and drone fair in the Nordics. We will have a stand, and demo innovative robotics/automation/drone technologies and solutions from our startup members, community and partners. If you’d like to demo your solution on our R-22 stand, please message.

We will also host two conferences:

1. International Startup Growth Opportunities
2. Denmark and Finland in the Lead for Female Tech Founders/ Leaders

Registrations are now open – don’t be the one left behind while the early birds disappear in the distance!

TECH FOR D&IVERSITY. LONDON 31/3 

Diversity stands left right and centre in all we’re about, so we’re pleased to announce that Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates will be holding the TECH FOR D&IVERSITY 2022 event. It will be held online, but, regulations permitting, may also feature a limited in-person audience at Here East, and will feature a blue riband set of speakers that will include our own CEO Jeanette Carlsson and Russ Shaw CBE, Founder of Tech London Advocates & Global Tech Advocates, among many others. Get that date in your diaries!

Register here

R-22 – Largest Nordic Robotics, Automation & Drone Fair, 23-25 March; Odense 

And welcome back London Tech Weak! Back from June 13-17 the Festival will showcase the vital role of technology in society and the latest tech breakthroughs, as well as spark new connections with our engaged community of bold and bright entrepreneurs

Register here

 

 

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IMPORTANT INFO FROM OUR PARTNERS TO SUPPORT YOUR GROWTH 

Looking for legal advice from the best in the business? Our legal partner Magnusson, has been recognized amongst “the crème de la crème of the European legal market” by being shortlisted for The Lawyer European Awards 2021- Law Firm of the Year under two categories: The Baltics, and Scandinavia and the Nordics.

It’s been a busy start to the year in the region for the company, with the Magnusson Denmark team assisting in another major cross-border tech deal, advising Solita Group in their 100% share acquisition of the Danish Intellishore Group.

Read about it here

Still in Denmark, Magnusson have published a newsletter on how the country plans to combat greenwashing in marketing. You can read it here

Both cases underline the expertise Magnusson offers, and if you are a Swedish company in the process of recruiting international employees, you should definitely pay close attention to the practical guide they have recently created to help out.

The guide is full of invaluable advice on what to consider, timelines and much more.

Learn more here about Magnusson and how they can support you here ??

Another valued partner of ours, Netcompany who provide business-critical IT solutions and advice have released the Netcompany ESG Report 2021. 

“The report accounts for our targets, results and initiatives in 2021, covering three important sustainability areas: Environment, social and governance.

We are proud to report on a wide array of initiatives, partnerships and projects that have all contributed to building strong, sustainable societies. Among others, the report holds a case about our valuable partnership with Tech Nordic Advocates”. Read more here: ESG | Reports | Netcompany

 

In London meanwhile, our friends at the London Stock Exchange have published an informative article on the “New Rules for the London Stock Exchange’s Main Market to enhance the markets’ attractiveness.”

Read more here: Issuer Services | London Stock Exchange

Still on the London Stock Exchange, while 2021 may not be remembered by everyone as a golden time, it was a hugely successful one for IPOs:

Read the full report here 2021 – A Record Year for IPOs | London Stock Exchange

Interested to understand more about Crypto and Blockchain?