It feels somewhat crazy, but since our start in 2013, when Karsten Deppert took the initiative and started this website, we have continousely covered what happens in the region. Back then the aim was, and it still is, to get more international attention to the many startups and great things being build here. But much in this region was, and still is, mostly talked about in Swedish or Danish, or not at all. Which makes it invisible on an international stage.

The aim of this site was also to spread awareness both within and outside the region about which startups that are here (there for our big startup database that is continuously updated). And our aim is to help people connect and find the right events (therefor our event calendar tips)

And since then we have reached a quite stable but good readership. Usually this site has between 5000 and 10000 visitors a month, and our social media channels reach between 5000 and 15000 people each month.

Also, the readership is global – as we want it. About 25% are based in Denmark, about 25% based in Sweden, and the remaining 50% outside of the Nordics, with US, UK and Germany being the biggest, but also India, China, and Singapore being represented quite a lot.

What are some of the most popular posts on the website for those years? Here are 6 that have gathered a lot of interest from you readers:

• Our “How funding works” article, based on interviews with startup in the Nordics. Almost 10 years ago published, but still relevant these days!
• “Mapillary acquired by Facebook” was a very popular article as well
• Nicolaj Højer Nielsens guest post about “The definitive guide to business angel investing”
• The news that “Electric Surfboard Radinn Files for Bankruptcy” got a lot of readers as well
• and “Gaia Biomaterials Raises $5 Million to Revolutionize Plastic Replacement with Biodolomer” has also had a lot of readers
• “Skåne gets a new Innovationhub” about that Goto10 opened Mindpark in Malmö

But it is still a volunteer driven run website, mostly for the benefit of startups and people in the region. We know this is a fantastic region, it is just not as visible on the international scene as it deserves

The post Milestone: over 1500 Articles Published appeared first on Øresund Startups.

We have now moved over to simpler solution, but on that hopefully lasts better and does not require technical updates in the same way.

You can find our updated startup listing for Copenhagen, Malmö, Helsingborg och the rest of the region here: oresundstartups.com/startups/

As always, the database is not complete. Do you miss any startups? You can add it here: oresundstartups.com/add-startup-listing/

You can filter the database, so that you can for example find any

Also, if you have any info or things that should be changed, let me know. And are you interested in getting a copy of the database (including some info that is not shown in the public version), let me know as well!

The post Updated startup directory! appeared first on Øresund Startups.

When we started out, and still, our mentality is to help others, and not do things just for the sake of doing, if others already do it. So was the thinking with our startup directory as well – why create our own, when instead we can use and help other directories become better?

So our first version of our startup directory was with Crunchbase, and using their API to list startups from the region. However, after having added a lot of startups there, they decided to close the API for none-paying. And as we make roughly €10 a month in adversiting income, we did not really feel like paying.

So we made a new version. This time in 2016, we used Angellist instead, which was new and had an API. However, they also closed it after a while, when we had added a bunch of startups to them.

Then the Nordic Tech List was started by Bonnier. So we used a filter with them, and added a lot of companies to their list. Which was really good, as they crosschecked with the official tax offices and had data on turnover etc. However, they abruptly went to a closed and paying service, which got us (me) a bit pissed. And then they closed it down.

So since then (2019) our startup listing has not been good, as it used the old Angellist one, which no longer updated as the API had closed. So our listing has been really bad, and really out of date.

Now I have finally taken me the time to make a new one. This time it is our own – so we now have full control of the data and what to do with it. It is sad that we no longer help to improve other services (as that gives startups here more visibility, which is our aim), but better to have an up to date listing then a bad one.

So if you want to get listed on our startup directory, add your startup (unless you already or one it). This gives you a link as well, so good for you SEO, besides being on the radar for the 2000+ non-nordic site visitors we have each month. Additionally, hiring a toronto seo service helps your business earn more from SEO by providing you access to advanced marketing tech, experienced SEO specialists, and more.

You can find the listing here: oresundstartups.com/startups

The list currently contains 67 startups, 39 of them in Copenhagen, and 28 in Skåne (15 in Malmö, 6 in Lund and 6 in Helsingborg). So the list of definitly not up to date with everyone yet (there where about 300 in the region when we had the Nordic Tech List).

The post Startup listings updated! appeared first on Øresund Startups.

Startup Europe news is a collaborative media alliance, which works on realizing the objective of the European Commission to develop strong local entrepreneurial leadership, cultivate adequate resources and strengthen connections and partnerships among European Startups, business, artists and community leaders.

Since the launch of startupeuropenews.eu, Øresund Startups has been a part of the media alliance:

“Øresund Startups aim is to make the Øresund region more visable internationally, and this is definetly a step one the way!”, says Maria Grönlund, Editor-in-Chief at Øresund Startups.

Startup Europe News has a special goal to showcase early-stage startups promoted by incubators from all around Europe and even those promoted by the alliance members. In addition to that, the new media alliance wants to draw attention to female entrepreneurs of different economic, cultural and vocational backgrounds in Europe by highlighting their activities and achievements.

Startup Europe News works online under one single channel of communication, aiming to create skills, connect European entrepreneurs and build a robust eco-system for future generations.

The post Øresund Startups: Part of Startup Europe News appeared first on Øresund Startups.

We have teamed up with Nordic Tech List to create this site dedicated to all of the cool startups in the Øresund region. We are really happy to work together to better connect the Øresund region and of course, to show all the great startups we have here in the region.

As with all of the sites linked to the NTL database the Øresund site will be automatically updated when new company data becomes available. So if you detect that your startup is missing, submit it to Nordic Tech List and it will soon appear.

Contact us at info@oresundstartups.com or Howard Rimington at howard@nordictechlist.com if you have any questions.

The post New startup listing at Øresund Startups via Nordic Tech List appeared first on Øresund Startups.

In an open letter to all our readers, Øresund Startups initiator Karsten Deppert shared his thoughts about the possible future for Øresund Startups and the importance of the site. Since then a few changes have happened, among several have we got new competent writers all over the region to help the existing writers.

Another change that you may see is that Øresund Startups has a new logo and a new design. We want the site to continue improving over time and this is the first step in that direction. To continue on this path there is in addition to our new writers a change in team management. Karsten Deppert has stepped down from his position as editor in chief, and is more behind the scenes, together with Iryna Velyk who has been a part of the site for a long time as well. New editor in chief is Maria Grönlund.

Maria Grönlund have previously worked close to Karsten in several projects, such as Integratörerna and in the launch of Campus Webbyrå. She have also worked with startups or creative projects in the region, such as Madmap and Kulturhotellet.

The team around the site will continue to be volunteers and interns who want to contribute and help the region improve. The current team consists of: Karsten Deppert, Iryna Veluk, Maria Grönlund, Mathias Tinghøj Hansen, Katie Koerper, Rui Cao, Stella Zimpfer, Kaja Ciosek, Shaneel Nasir Akbar and Irina Liaukovich.

We look forward to an exciting new phase for the site, and even more coverage, more in depth material and helping the region continue to grow and become even stronger.

We are delighted for feedback on Øresund Startups design and content. For collaborations, advertising, press releases and feedback – contact Maria at maria@oresundstartups.com

The post Øresund Startups unfolds a new chapter appeared first on Øresund Startups.

With changes happening to Trendsonline and it being closed down, I felt it could be good to give an update on what happens here on this site. I have for 2017 decided to renew oresundstartups and it’s focus – it has been not improved much for the last 1.5 years, it has more or less just continued in it’s previous path. I still see a large need for a media focusing on startups, in english, for the entire region. Bringing international attention here, and bridging (no pun intended) the talent and money in the region. I feel it is a vital part of a good startup ecosystem that a site like this exists, and therefor I would like to make it happen and as good as possible, given the circumstances.

So the next months some things will start to happen, mostly content wise, but also visually. Trying to be a better media / news source.

If you want to help with covering the Copenhagen and Skåne startup scene (and in the long run not just tech, but all kind of new and growing businesses), then let me know. A big obstacle is also funding, so anyone looking into doing collaboration is welcome to get into contact too.

The post Øresundstartups during 2017 and onward appeared first on Øresund Startups.

New startup listing using AngelList

This means however we have had start from scratch, as AngelList does not contain as many startups. However, we hope this can be improved quickly, and are thankful for any help. If you are not on the list, or just added your startup to AngelList, let us know and we will add you to our list!

Just as before the listing can be sorted. You can browse startups based on what field they are active in. Also you can browse them on wether they have (reported) that they have received venture capital or not (However, see point below). You cannot sort them on city, but adress is listed, so by simply using your browsers “find” (cmd-F) function you can find them. The reason city is not perfect is that some are in places such as Frederiksberg, Lomma or other smaller parts of the region, which would be counted to Copenhagen or Malmö on an international perspective. Also, there are some problems with øæåöä in city names, which also makes it less accurate. Therefor you cannot sort on city automatically.

We need help

The biggest drawback with AngelList instead of CrunchBase is that it is not used as much, and not as up to date. If you have a startup in the region, and you are listed here, please update your info if you can. We assume it is rather a lot missing, especially funding, as currently less then 10% of the startups have funding, something we know is wrong (as many of the most prominent ones are listed as not having received funding).

How to become a part of the list

If your startup is missing from the list, then you can add it with 2 steps: 1) have your startup listed on AngelList 2) send us the link to us (info@oresundstartups.com) and we will add it to the list!

Why not build our own database

Since the beginning we have decided not to build our own database, which we could have done instead of going with CrunchBase. This because we have the goal of helping startups in this region. By “forcing” them to register with an international database for being listed here, we think it brings them and the region better exposure and makes it easier to find for potential investors. We still stand by this decision, even if it causes us headaches sometimes.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed already, and made this possible!

The post Updated startup listing on our site appeared first on Øresund Startups.

Recently the third AngelNext was held, in Malmö, which also shows the strength of CPHFTW – focus is on execution, and often in collaboration with other key players and organisers. Also very impressive is that CPHFTW has become a complement and enabler, but not taken over. TechBBQ, the biggest and best conference we have seen in our region for tech startups, was organised by others (with Daniel Laursen, Klaus Nyengaard, Esben Gadsbøll and Martin Bjergegaard being the main force behind that conference).

Newsletter, website and meetups

CPHFTWs focus on ‘quick wins’ that help the community effectively is one of the reasons it has achieved so much. Organising things like the website that acts as an entry point to the regions startup scene, a highly appreciated newsletter, the Townhall events, and the angel and VC arrangements. Never has there been only one person doing things, all of them have involved a lot of different people that have poured energy and help into them. Both students, entrepreneurs, angels and VCs have helped organizing the different events and initiatives. All of this on a very tight budget, funded entirely by startups themselves.

Moving forward

This week is was announced that the foundation that runs #CPHFTW is looking for new key people. Jasenko Hadzic, the first full timer and who together with Lærke Ullerup has been the front figure, has said he plans to move to new startup adventures in a couple of month. At the same time the tasks and role for the foundation have matured and become clearer. So focus now is finding the right people to lift it further and get it even better going. If you are interested, you can read about the two open positions here and here.

Transperancy: Me, Karsten Deppert, was part of the CPHFTW initiative at the start.

The post #CPHFTW moves forward appeared first on Øresund Startups.

Plenty of conferences

The region has always been a strong contender in the startup / tech / media scene when it comes to conferences, with big events such as The Conference and Øredev as well as Social Media Week being internationally renowed conferences. And already in 1998, the Reboot conference set things in motion.

However, this year there is a spike in newer conferences, many with an explicit startup or entreprenuership theme. All of the below are single or multiday conferences. These are not just small meetups, of those we have plenty enough, regularly more then 20+ separate events in a single week.

List of relevant conferences – spring 2014

• 11th March – #CPHFTW Meetup (#1)
  This is the first meetup for Copenhagen entreprenuers, a grass-root movement to gather the important entrepreneurs and key players. Will be held at Børsen, and promises to be an event unlike others. Currently “sold out” (it’s free) at 300 participants, and the guest list is said to be 100+ names already.
• 25th March – Internet i Fokus
  Internet i Fokus has been a long-run conference, being held twice a year, aimed mostly at small and medium businesses. However this spring edition is going to have a special startup section, which makes it even more interesting for us. Looking forward to how that will be, although most of the program unfortunately is in Swedish.
• 28th March – Nordic Startup Conference
  This is the first time this event will be held, and it has set the ambitions high. A solid list of entrepreneurs, business angels and VCs on stage, as well as a pan-nordic pitch contest.
• 24th April – Doers Event
  This is a conference with the focus on entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship – both tech but also outside the ICT scene. It also has a different aim: this event is not about funding or inspirational talks, instead it wants to focus on sharing knowledge between entrepreneurs. We look forward to it – only drawback: it will be held in Swedish.
• 20th May – TechBBQ: double up and extra spicy
  Even if it sounds like a BBQ party, this is actually a startup conference, organized by the great people at Trendsonline. Last years it was held for the first time, and regarded as a great success, managing to bring especially the Danish startup scene together. This year the event will be in English, which we believe is the right choice, and hopefully broaden the appeal to even more guests.
• 21-23rd May – Nordic Game
  This established conference is one of the major in the gaming scene. This years event will have a long list of speakers, from companies such as Massive Entertainment, Kickstarter, Microsoft and Frontier Developments. Should not be missed if you are in the game scene.
• 28th May – Internet Discovery Day
  The second time the IDD event will be held in Malmö. The concept is the same: DIY monters for startups, with a focus on getting business angels and early investors into contact with new startups. Easy and efficient, without all the fuzz. As it should be.
• 4-5th June – Nordic Next
  This investor summit is problably the smallest of the conferences here, but the most high-profile guestlist is to be excpected. Last years event has only received praise from business angels and VCs present, so we look forward to what the 2014 event will hold. Bummed that you did not make the guest list lasts year? Vidoes from the sessions can be found online.
• 20th June – Forge
  The first Forge event was held last fall. With over 200 attendess there, and it being organized by grass-root startup people, this conference/meetup mashup will surely evolve even further in the spring 2014 edition.

Of course, the biggest ones, The Conference and Øredev, will be held in 2014 as well – but those are in the fall, and therefor not listed here.

More events then Berlin?

These conferences are really only the biggest events in the region – besides them there is a plethora of regular and irregular meetups and events. StartupDojo‘s, Raspberry Pi Jams, Silicon Drinkabouts, VIP over VoIP and Creative Mornings, to just name a few. A thought that comes to mind is of course – is this sustainable?

A quick comparison of the startup scene shows that the Copenhagen startup digest lists 23 events for the region during all of march, which can be compared to Berlins startup digest that lists 22, and the Silicon Valley startup digest which lists 31 events in March. Of course this is by no means an exact measure as not everything is included in any of the areas, but it holds up over several month, and gives an interesting perspective.

The scene is maturing

I personally think there are two major factors. Firstly, the influx of conferences recently is largely because the startup scene has been growing steadily for a long time now, but mostly ‘in the shadows’. Only during the last year have entrepreneurs really realised that startups being build in this region are on par with what happens anywhere else. This has given rise to entrepreneurs and other ‘doers’ getting together and hosting bigger events here, instead of needing to travel to other places for getting to know other entreprenuers or VCs.

Another factor, mostly behind the high amounts of weekly, smaller, events, is that the region still is not very connected. If you would look at the events and the attendees, you would be surprised how diverse the audiences and participants are. Not even the bigger entrepreneurs or business angels in the region have been heard by everyone. This is to me a sign that the amounts of events we have is sustainable and will probably increase even more. If it would be the same 30 people on all events I would be worried, but right now the overlap between them is remarkably low – even people who attend a lot of events are rarely seen at more then 3 or 4 events a week.

Brad Feld but it nicely on the first VIP over VoIP meetup: event saturation is a good thing. I agree with that, as a plethora of events forces them to remain meaningful and become better – and more crucially, realise that the events need to give value to the participants, otherwise they will simply choose one the the many others instead.

We are looking forward to all the great events, both big and small, that will be held under 2014. If you want to keep updated on events, we recommend to subscribe to the Copenhagen Startup Digest which Nick Hawtin keeps up to date, and of course keep an eye on our event calendar!

Transparency: Øresund Startups is a media partner to Nordic Startup Conference, and myself, Karsten Deppert, will be in some way involved in both the #CPHFTW meetup, Nordic Startup Conference and Internet I Fokus. However, no transactions have been made with regard to any of these. If you want to know more about how we operate and the financial situation, check out the about us and advertisement pages.

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