Whether nature or nurture, the ecosystem in the Northem hemisphere is a nutrient rich hot bed of entrepreneurial stardust that puts other Silicon Roundabouts to shame. As the recent Nordic Startup Awards proved: four out of five of the winners were rated as worthy of a place in Bloomburg’s 20 Best Countries for Business Analysis. Record levels of investment, not to mention a gargantuan sixty percent hike in investment on 2012, amounted to a total of 501 million Euros raised.
As Henrik Torstensson, angel investor and CEO of one of our featured sites, Lifesum says it’s all about a "A solid broadband and technological infrastructure," not to mention a corresponding culture of technologically savvy consumers hungry to take advantage. "A comparatively small domestic market means that there is a tradition for companies to think about going global from the moment of their creation, and this necessity, combined with a rich history of engineering, culture, and design, has helped us to scale-up quickly and effectively on an international level. The international success of startups such as Skype, Spotify, and Supercell is testament to this very Scandinavian way of thinking." This year alone has added another 147.45 million Euros to the investment pot. Yes, it’s a veritable Maypole dance of Nordic get-go. Without further ado, these are the sites we rate:
STARTUPS
LIFESUM (IOS & ANDROID)
lifesum.com
Summer, it’s upon us and doesn’t that bring all those flouted New Year's resolutions into sharp focus? Onwards and upwards, because here’s your chance to start over with your very own lifestyle coach in the form of a platform and integrated app that covers all the angles; personal guidance and goals based on the specifics of your data. It’s all about consolidating the Scandi ethos of balance, humour and general joie de vivre through some seriously handy features, i.e. a barcode scanner, exercises complete with calorie burn and of course the requisite Facebook connectivity, just to induce a little green eyed envy.
INSTABRIDGE (ANDROID)
instabridge.com
Maximising Wifi connectivity is the nameof the game at Instabridge, the site that makes us swoon with user friendly appreciation; saving you data on your carrier plan, creating shared networks that do away with the need for multiple passwords, and generally making the global assault course that is Wifi connectivity just that little bit more manageable. At present, it’s only available on Android, but IOS is on the way.
TICTAIL
tictail.com
We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again, Carl Waldekranz is a founder to watch. He’s really quite charming; precocious leadership qualities aside (case in point our Brains Behind A Brand), it’s business acumen where he truly excels. Cue: Tictail the refreshingly simple ecommerce platform that has users selling online in minutes, which now boasts 40,000 stores globally, with apps to enable functionality as and when needed.
FITBAY
fitbay.com
How many times has this happened? You buy something in your size online, only to find on arrival that it’s inches out, the day before that wedding/holiday/seismic event. Mitigate the angst by inputting some simple data into this consumer tool; five quick questions about body type and taste will match to your most likely 'double' and then for the spine tingling genius; the site scours the web, delivering the closest fit (via the recommendations of other users); a plethora of items picked with the honed taste of a Harrods personal shopper. Need we say more? Check out our Startup Salon with founder, Christian Wylonis.
STAR STABLE
www.starstable.com
Now for something delightfully eclectic, the veritable fantasia that is Star Stable, a multiplayer adventure game aimed at girls aged nine to sixteen. It’s all about the horses, i.e. roaming the wilderness; and exploring whilst you trot. A further USP, the facility to design your own character (with the horse to match - natch).
SITES WITH A VIKING STRONGHOLD
KLARNA
klarna.com/uk
Founded in 2005, Klarna deserves a mention for its revolutionary payment service that goes where others just don’t; after delivery options so (drumroll) you can verify the state of your goods, not to mention the ability to shop with radical efficiency online via just email address and postcode. Just think of the time saving potential of the software that speaks for itself; with over a thousand employees, facilitating the use of the service to over 45,000 merchants, this company will fast find itself snapping at the incumbent’s heels.
CINT
www.cint.com
The mission statement of Cint really caught our attention. Transparent market research, is such a thing really possible? A database of over ten million researchers pays testament to a company that illuminates the missing link. If you’re looking to further monetise your audience, this company will do wonders for your profile.
IZETTLE
www.izettle.com/gb
Looking to sell online, but baffled by the quagmire of mobile payments? Then look no further, because the fizz of Izettle eases the system, allowing you to run an entire business off a smartphone or tablet. It will even produce reports and do your books. And, breathe a sigh of relief.
TRUE CALLER
www.truecaller.com
We’re really quite enamoured with True Caller, the site and accompanying app that globalises the phone book, giving you instant access to the origins of that number you just missed; the world’s largest verified mobile phone community, paradign shifting stuff.
June 2014