The Swedish Innovation Compass launched their app to both iTunes and Google Play stores a little over two weeks ago. The app by Lund-based company Swedish Innovation System is designed to help entrepreneurs, inventors, researchers and startups find and take advantage of all the resources in Sweden’s innovation system. Hitting over 2.6k downloads so far, the two founders, Sasa Farkas and Stephen Batley, expect the app to reach more than 10 000 downloads by the end of the month. This milestone will enable them to hit their goal of establishing the Swedish Innovation Compass as an online innovation HUB in Sweden.
The app uses a combination of data gathered from social media profiles, location, usage history and leading questions to guide the user to the most relevant innovation actors. Whether that be direct contact with venture capitalists, business incubators, government grants, competitions, or accelerator programs.
“The innovation system in Sweden is so comprehensive that it becomes overwhelming and closed to those without direct experience. The first step to collaboration, is knowing what is out there, and who you should be dealing with in the beginning. That is what this app is really about. Breaking down the barriers and helping people take advantage of all the resources out there,” says co-founder Stephen Batley.
The app has a freemium model. It can be downloaded for free but to get featured or send push notifications, for example about events, it costs a small fee.
In the future the team behind the Swedish Innovation Compass plans to integrate more features into the app such as adding a calendar. Both Sasa and Stephen are also planning to work with Nordic partners to really leverage the resources in the Nordics and promote more pan-Nordic collaboration.
