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

Congratulations to all female founders who worked and fought so hard at our Cohort 1 Pre-Accelerator Bootcamp this week, to secure places at our subsequent 6-month International Accelerator. Your hard work, dedication, and entrepreneurial spirit have brought you to this point, and you should be proud of all that you have achieved. Now onto the scaleup and international expansion journey!

Let's congratulate them and wish them all the very best: Anette Thorup CEO, Low-Fi ApS, Stella Vaka CEO/Co-founder, Silkroad Studios ApS, Mia Katarina Andrić Co-founder, Silkroad Studios ApS, Mette Mikkelsen Partner, Tellus IT ApS, Hilde Seglem COO, TEGnology, Sara Høyer Kragelund Founder, Insight-ment, Guðný Nielsen CEO, SoGreen Denmark ApS, Kristel Hering Founder/CEO, Amitylux, Anne-Sophie Elmo Founder, School To Go, Iryna Gavrylova de Garcia 🇺🇦 CEO Co-Founder, Co-Inventor, Sprout Dynamics and Diana Medrea-Mogensen Founder, We Are Entrepreneurs.

➡️ Here's a look at some of the fun we had!

With our theme 'Inspire, Push, Select', we're lucky to have the support of amazing successful tech founders including Stine Mølgaard Sørensen, Co-founder at Radiobotics, Solvej Biddle, Founder/CEO at Inspirational Solutions; Suzanne Lauritzen, CEO at Raffle who came to share their hard-earned experience and lessons learnt from their international tech founder journeys with our Pre-accelerator founders.

Also HUGE thanks to our experts from all over the world who work so hard to train and support our founders:
Frank Erschen, our in-house top pitch Coach from Toronto, Canada once again delivered his Pitch Practice Masterclass. Nikolaj Juhl Hansen, Partner, Dreist Storgaard; Morten Høgh-Petersen, Partner at KPMG, Anya Zhuravkina with her interactive session ‘Gotta sell to grow’, Christel Piron, CEO at PreSeed Ventures and Lauren Morrisey, Director, KPMG for sharing your expertise with our female founders.

📣 A big thank you to our wonderful coaches Peter Just (Hubbster), Trine Løve (Denmark’s Export and Investment Fund), Stine J. Nielsen (KPMG), Solvej Biddle, and Jacob Kirk Faber (Lunar) for sharing your knowledge and insights with the Bootcamp companies to help them succeed. Your passion and enthusiasm have inspired us all, and we are grateful for the time and effort you've invested in our community. Thanks for being such an important part of our journey.

Finally, thank you to our judges Irfan Goandal, Partner, Promentum Equity Partners (VC); Louise Junge, Founder, Crowdnerds; Susanne Eskildsen, Business Angel, Danmarks Eksport- & Investeringsfond; and Rasmus Erichsen, Growth Business Partner, Nordea Startup & Growth.

STARTUP NEWS

FROM SWEDEN

Shaking up startup financing options, ArK Kapital has just extended its capital pool to €400 million. The fintech company offers non-dilutive loans to help startups grow faster. Launched in 2021, ArK Kapital fuses banking and artificial intelligence, operating as a data-driven precision finance company that enables technology companies to grow faster and smarter through long-term loans – maintaining control for founders and reducing risk for investors.

STARTUP NEWS FROM...FINLAND

Helsinki-based startup Inven has collected €1.5 million in a seed funding round which is the largest ever seed round raised by a team of founders all under 25 in Finland. The round was led by Lifeline Ventures, the VC behind Finnish success stories such as Wolt, Smartly, and Supercell. The startup offers a financial data platform that harnesses AI to help M&A professionals find acquisition targets. Inven intends to utilise the funds to expand its team and enhance customer acquisition efforts.

STARTUP NEWS FROM...DENMARK

Danish camera-sharing platform Wedio has cobbled together €1.25 million in a seed funding round. According to the company, the capital will be used to expand to additional European markets. Wedio’s €1.25 million seed round was provided by a €600,000 investment via VF Venture, €500,000 from the founders and existing, undisclosed investors, and a Wefunder campaign that set an aperture of €156,867. Founded in 2018, the peer-to-peer camera renting platform now plans a pan-European expansion.

NEWS FROM...THE BALTICS

Riga-based Hyperjob has raised €435,000 in a funding round that will see the company launch a slew of new product features and continue its expansion across Europe and US markets. The €435,000 round was led by SMOK.vc, with the participation of angel investors Davis Siksnans, co-founder and ex-CEO of Printful, and Einar Roosileht, CIO of Rush Street Interactive, among other undisclosed parties. The startup had previously raised $110,000 from Antler and €40,000 from Overkill VC.

STARTUP NEWS FROM...NORWAY

Oslo-based startup Pascal Technologies, formerly SES-X Marine Technologies, has collected €4.6 million (53MNOK) in a funding round from new investors along with the existing ones. The startup enables vessels to glide on a cushion of air, significantly reducing energy consumption and enabling zero emission. The company will also use this chance to announce that it will continue its operations under a new name, Pascal Technologies. Pascal Technologies will put the capital into the R&D process and commercialisation of its technology. The recent funding will also help the company welcome new team members.

STARTUP NEWS FROM... ICELAND

Reykjavik-based startup LearnCove, an innovative training and education platform, has just received a $915K investment boost to expand its reach globally in the fishing industry. The funding round was led by InfoCapital, and included participation from Reynir Grétarsson, founder of Creditinfo, and Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games. LearnCove is a modular and easy-to-use platform optimizing the delivery of training across markets and cultures.

START-UP OF THE MONTH

Danish Aarhus-based scaleup LMS365 has obtained $20 million in growth capital to finance its continual expansion on a worldwide scale. It was led by New York City-based Blue Cloud Ventures, a late-stage SaaS-focused venture capital fund, and joined by Kamet Capital and existing shareholders. LMS365 is a SaaS learning management system built into Microsoft 365 and Teams supporting both commercial and government customers (like Pepsi, BDO, DAZN, etc.) in order to effectively manage employee learning, onboarding and training regardless of their location.

STOP PRESS - NEW PARTNERS

STOP PRESS: Tech Nordic Advocates Finland /FIBAN collaboration

We are delighted to announce our collaboration with Finnish Business Angels Network (FiBAN). FiBAN and Tech Nordic Advocates join forces to help startups and female founders grow and access capital in the Nordics and Baltics across the globe with references.

Looking for funding? Finnish Business Angels Network (FiBAN) helps hundreds of startups each year to get business angel funding in the New Nordics region. Read more and send your application here: www.fiban.org/submit

And another one:

Tech Nordic Advocates Finland /Hanken Business Lab and Venture Studios partnership

We're thrilled to announce our partnership with the Hanken Business Lab and Hanken Venture Studios! We see immense value in leveraging our mutual networks to maximise value for our startups and strengthening the ecosystem, helping startups and female founders grow. We look forward to working closely with Tech Nordic Advocates with sharing deal flow, events, and networks.

Hanken Venture Studio: Hanken Venture Studio aims to support idea-stage entrepreneurship to first sale & incorporation to anyone in the Helsinki Capital Region. We provide the tools, network, program, community, space, mentors, & guidance needed to turn ideas into OYs.
Hanken Business Lab: Hanken Business Lab is a new form of incubator aiming to help start-ups, scale-ups, non-profit organisations and individuals to achieve significant growth at Hanken.

🌎 INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

🌎 THE €100K COCA-COLA HBC HORECA CHALLENGE - DEADLINE 05 MAY

Are you a startup building solutions for hotels, restaurants or cafés?🍴Our friends over at Rainmaking have partnered with Coca-Cola HBC to find the most sustainable, scalable and innovative solutions within the following themes:

🏆 YOU'RE A FEMALE TECH FOUNDER AND WONDERING WHAT WE COULD DO FOR YOU?...

📣 Successful female founders sharing their thoughts about Tech Nordic Advocates programmes:

💙Meet Inkeri Borgman founder of Gigle! Inkeri is part of the #TNA programme for female founders and here, she shares her experience: "The greatest and most long-lasting benefit of the programme is definitely the Female Tech community. After the programme, you are able to be part of a great community and participate in all the events. This can bring opportunities for you years after the programme!" About Gigle: it provides tools for easy delivery and efficient productisation of creative services. We make buying them as easy as buying a pizza - under your own website and brand (www.gigle.shop).
Inkeri is a trailblazer and a true inspiration to young tech entrepreneurs everywhere.

💙Meet Eija Kiviranta founder of WorkPilots! Eija is part of the #TNA programme for female founders and here she shares her experience: "The Tech Nordic Advocates programme has provided such great advice from mentors and programme partners. My mentor is now our partner in international growth - absolutely amazing. Thank you!!" About WorkPilots: it provides a Mobile Saas platform for connecting people with work with a mission to give everyone equal opportunities. Eija is an inspiration to all who dream to make big in the tech world!

💙 Meet Lotte Skovgaard Larsen founder and CEO of Lev det sunde liv in #Denmark
Lotte is part of the #TNA programme for female founders. Here she shares her experience: "For me, the mentoring process with TNA gave me a good opportunity to focus even better on the areas that provide finances in my business, I have gained a much better structure and overview of my business and my mentor was incredibly skilled, empathetic but also very constructive and has really been the key to my level up." Lotte is an inspiration to all who dream to make it big in the tech world!

💙 Meet Inga Stein Burgaard founder of Seek+See in #Denmark
Inga is part of the #TNA programme for female founders. "The most valuable part was getting access to the extensive startup network of TNA WIT. We have greatly benefitted from introductions to potential clients, got paired with a fantastic mentor who continued as our advisor even when the programme had ended and had excellent sparring sessions with Jeanette herself as well as various partners like KPMG and Magnusson Law. Finally, getting to know the other founders with very different businesses and backgrounds has been a gift and inspiration." About Seek + See: Explore Better Together with Seek+See. We offer an app with self-guided treasure hunt-inspired experiences for attractions and cities to attract more groups and families with kids by making exploring more engaging, fun, educational and memorable. Inga is an inspiration to all who dream to make it big in the tech world!

💙 Huge thank you to Mari Luukkainen, Seed Investor, Icebreaker.vc, Founder, Herizon and Esther O'Callaghan OBE, Co-Founder, Hundo. Last week #TNA Denmark and Finland founders had the opportunity to listen to both of them. They shared the challenges and obstacles they faced and gave our founders a lot to think about and learn from and we have gained valuable insights and lessons that will help us grow and learn during our own journeys.

👏 Let's celebrate #TNA alumni Feyia Long CEO & founder of Moi Panda who has been selected as the only representative from the Nordics to participate in the Cambridge Social Ventures programme run by Cambridge Judge Business School! This is a fantastic opportunity and the #TNA team is very proud of you. Your dedication, commitment, and strong entrepreneurial drive make you a star!

Sounds like you? Get inspired here

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

"Stronger together" remains a mantra here at TNA, and our partnerships are an integral part of what we do. It's always good to hear what's going on in their business too, so here are a few snippets...

Talent Garden is Copenhagen's leading digital and tech Coworking Space with a strong community united by a like-minded vision for digital innovation. Talent Garden Denmark is part of Europe's leading digital skills academy, combining work life and learning to empower people and organisations. Want to know more or become a part of the vibrant community? Reach out to Lisa Winther Nielsen, Ecosystem & Relation Manager at Talent Garden Denmark.
📢 Are you curious about what innovation and entrepreneurship look like in Denmark this year? Come and join some key ecosystem players at Talent Garden's Innovators' Week! Four days packed with talks, networking, workshops and panels on topics such as sustainability, building innovative companies, startup growth and much more. Sign up for the sessions you like and get your tickets here!

Dreist Storgaard assists innovative scale-up companies in connection with investment rounds. With a strong focus on the business of entrepreneurship, Nikolaj Juhl Hansen assisted two exciting and innovative companies in the process of closing investment rounds. Martin Skovbjerg, Casper Simonsen and Søren Theilgaard were also a part of the team. Nikolaj says: “We are looking into a difficult financing market for start-ups and scale-ups at the moment, and money is handled with more caution than in the previous years of 2020 and 2021. But there are still a lot of amazing companies and people out there, who are working to solve some of the problems the next generation will meet."
📢 Workshop for young entrepreneurial talents: Last week we had a visit from Future Entrepreneurs of Denmark, where the young talents from the entrepreneur programme participated in a workshop with partner and lawyer Nikolaj Juhl Hansen and Business Angel Lars Arne Christensen from Danish Business Angels – DanBAN. Future Entrepreneurs of Denmark is an intensive course of 2 months, where the young talents learn about an entrepreneur's many core competencies. Nikolaj explained the importance to investigate the legal implications at the start of the journey and where to pay attention. In addition, Lars held a presentation on funding and the opportunities that are available in Denmark. The young talents were highly engaged and got the opportunity to ask questions about legal issues and funding. During the evening, a work case was made and the groups' solutions were thoroughly reviewed by Nikolaj and Lars. Thanks to all the participants, Future Entrepreneurs of Denmark and Lars Arne Christensen for a good evening with high commitment.

Zendesk is a customer service software and Sales CRM suite expert, and another new partner of ours. As part of their Startups partner programme, our member startups and scaleups will have access to a host of VIP benefits, including 6 free months of their Zendesk Suite and sales CRM software. Key Benefits include 6 months free of Zendesk Suite and Zendesk Sales CRM (any edition) 15% off first annual subscription after the initial 6-month free period and VIP access to their community programmes, experts, and events. Thank you to Jeremy Ambrose, Zendesk Startup & VC Lead for his leadership in making our partnership happen. Click HERE to take advantage of Zendesk's offer. 📢 Learn how Zendesk was founded and grew in Denmark, scaled in Silicon Valley and brought in investment in the US to then IPO in New York, to then be taken back private in 2022 with Jeremy Ambrose, VC Partner Manager @ ZendeskGet your ticket here.

And a quick reminder of our partnership with Hubspot. Hubspot for Startups offers TNA startup members a whopping 30% discount instantly to enable you to unlock Hubspot for Startups suite of tools to help you rapidly expand your business with a simple, user-friendly, and cost-effective suite of tools and resources. What are you waiting for? To take advantage of this offer, click HERE

Bootstrapping is a new independent Danish digital media focusing on the people changing society, the entrepreneurs, the startups and the high technology development changing the way we co-exist and live together as human beings. Formed in 2017, Bootstrapping delivers relevant and critical journalism and content, distributing it through Bootstrapping.dk and through a paid newsletter, which is sent to subscribers on a weekly basis. TNA members can get a premium membership for half price at Bootstrapping.dk. Write an e-mail containing your full name and the name of your company to Nikolaj@bootstrapping.dk to take advantage of this exclusive offer.

Grow your start-up’s team beyond borders and boundaries with G-P
In this eBook, you’ll discover how you can gain a competitive edge over your business rivals through the latest technology, harnessing global contractors, and using a global employment platform. For more information, contact here

4IRE is happy to announce "Stockholm Meetup: How to Maximize Outcomes From Low-Code in AI and FinTech" Thursday, May 25 from 4 - 7 pm CEST at Malmskillnadsgatan 32, Norrmalm - 📢 Register here Also, we've published a new case study where we built a blockchain-based insurance marketplace: "ParametricX: Marketplace for Insurance Policy Acquisition" you can check it out here.

NORDIC REGION EVENTS
On the events front, there are, as always, several interesting things happening in the coming months across the Nordics to look forward to.

ARCTIC 15 - 1-2 June, Helsinki
We're excited to partner with our friends at Arctic15 Startup for this year's event, which promises to be the usual high-octane meetings between startups, investors, corporates, media and business partners. Come meet us at our stand, and join the Matchmaking in The Deal Room, Networking, Themed Speed Dating, Startup Pitching, Engaging Workshops, and an Interactive meeting area. What are you waiting for?

🔊 Arctic15 Startup
🔹When: 1st and 2nd June 2023
🔹Where: at Kaapelilehdas / Cable Factory, Kaapeliaukio 3 - Helsinki
🔹All you need to do is follow the link here.

Our members get 25% off tickets and booths for startups, investors, angel investors, and attendees, and also for the Startup Demo Booth and Startup Premium Demo Booth via us. DM: eeva@technordicadvocates.org for info.

WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP DAY - 22 November, Copenhagen
We celebrated International Women's Day. It's now the turn of Women Entrepreneurship Day

🔊 We're excited to celebrate Women Entrepreneurship Day in partnership with the Confederation of Danish Industry - DI - Dansk Industri on 22nd November. Join us for an impact-focused event to up the game on women's entrepreneurship and help female founders raise capital. Register here

GLOBAL TECH ADVOCATES NEWS
Investor Showcase - 21st April London
This month, as always, Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates have been busy, not least with the Investor Showcase event at Plexal at Here East in Olympic Park, London. TLA and GTA Investor Showcase focuses on the latest trends, challenges and opportunities in the investment landscape and offers a unique opportunity to hear from leading investors and high-growth businesses.

🏆 Russ Shaw founder and CEO of TLA - Tech London Advocates and GTA - Global Tech Advocates - delivered his keynote speech to kick off the fourth edition of the #GTAInvestorShowcase. His key message? "We champion, we support, we connect!"

Also, the keynote GTA - Global Tech Advocates CEO Gavin J Poole said: "The benefit of having a strong and vibrant capital is the regions will benefit, jobs will follow and investment will flow". It was a fantastic event that gathered the biggest names from the investment, startup and corporate worlds, to discuss topics such as investing in net-zero technologies, closing the diversity gap in investment and how game-changing emerging technologies are transforming the tech landscape.

Founders of the Future
🔊 Born out of London Tech Week, Founders of the Future is a competition for young people in secondary and further education across the UK and British Schools abroad to produce an idea for a new mobile app to solve one of the sustainable development goals. With a chance for selected finalists to pitch and present the idea for this mobile app at London Tech Week in front of inspirational founders, top business leaders, policymakers, and investors, what better way to show off your creativity, originality and incredible invention? Who knows, you could be the next founder of the future! Founders of the Future: Design an App Competition Deadline to submit: 19 May

And don't forget: It’s the 10th anniversary of London Tech Week this year. If you would like to know more about why you should attend London Tech Week, check out here

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.

Psst. Did you know that TNA has an exclusive online group that as a member you can join to keep up with all the latest goings on? Click on the button and find out more.